Accused Great Orme farmer tells of stormy weather

Daniel Jones denies all 11 charges

An experienced shepherd chosen as the tenant of a National Trust farm has told a court of the "very different" challenge of keeping a flock on land battered by storms.

Daniel Jones, 40, of Anglesey, beat competition from 2,500 applicants to run 145-acre Parc Farm on the Great Orme in Llandudno, Conwy, in 2016.

Mr Jones said the Great Orme gets "battered" by the weather.

He denies 11 charges of mismanagement brought by Conwy Council.

The charges include failing to dispose of three sheep carcasses and failing to keep a register of animal movements.

Mr Jones was prosecuted after council trading standards officers visited the farm following a complaint from a member of the public about dead sheep.

'Dangerous'

Giving evidence on Thursday at Llandudno Magistrates Court, Mr Jones said: "Winter 2016 was my first winter there. It was a very mild winter - 2017 was completely different.

"There were a lot of storms during January [2018]. Seven named storms passed through the Great Orme."

Mr Jones agreed with his lawyer David Kirwan that running the £1m farm was "very different" to running a lowland farm in Anglesey.

"It gets a battering from the weather," he explained. "The wind and rain can be pretty bad. It can be dangerous at times.

"It's very challenging because of the cliffs. I had to employ climbers to save [sheep]. I have had sheep fall in the sea."

The 145-acre Parc Farm is on the Great Orme in Llandudno

He told district judge Gwyn Jones that he was a fourth-generation farmer.

"My farming experience commenced growing up on the small family farm," he said.

"I was always involved with sheep and sheep farming. From a young age I used to help my father."

Mr Jones told the court there were "lots of organisations" involved with the management of the headland, which was in the middle of "conflicting interests".

The trial continues.