The Farmers' Union of Wales has appointed former North East Wales common land development officer Rhys Lloyd Roberts as its county executive officer for Denbighshire and Flintshire.
Mr Roberts, of Llanrhaedr, Denbigh, was educated at Glan Clwyd Secondary School, Llanelwy; Llysfasi College, Ruthin; and Bangor and Manchester Universities. He started his new job at the FUW's office at 69A Clwyd Street, Ruthin, this week.
His previous job involved assisting common land graziers in Denbigh, Flint, Wrexham, and Montgomeryshire to enter the Common Land element of the Glastir agri-environment. His responsibilities included explaining how the Glastir scheme works and assisting graziers in establishing a grazing association and submitting an application.
Speaking about his new appointment, Mr Roberts said: "I have always been keen to secure a position within the agricultural industry in North Wales that will challenge me and, where possible, enable me to develop within the role in the future as well as build upon my existing skills and experience.
"As a native of the Vale of Clwyd, I grew up on a sheep farm on the hills between Denbigh and Ruthin where my father worked as a bailiff on a traditional estate.
“After leaving school and attending Llysfasi College, I spent around 10 years working on two prominent farming businesses in the Vale of Clwyd where I was able to gain valuable experience of the dairy, sheep and beef sectors."
In 1994 he entered the world of selling, firstly with a Massey Ferguson dealership (North Wales Agri Engineers, Trefnant, Denbigh) before he was offered a position with Conwy Land Rover Ltd. in 1995.
After graduating from Bangor and Manchester, he worked for the international engineering company Hyder Consulting as a consultant within the environment sector, dealing primarily with wind farm and road projects throughout Britain and Ireland. He spent the last six months of the job based in Sydney, Australia, where he worked on a new road projects and was also involved with a proposed desalination plant in Adelaide.
After returning from Australia, he spent nearly 18 months as a self-employed agricultural contractor before taking up the post as a Glastir Common Land Development Officer.
"I am now looking forward to working with and assisting the agricultural community in my native area and creating strong and beneficial relationships for both sides," Mr Roberts added.
"It is an exciting and interesting time for the agricultural industry. It will be both a challenge and a pleasure to be part of the industry in the future - working on behalf of the FUW’s members."
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Rhys Lloyd Roberts[/caption]