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North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, Andy Dunbobbin, met members of the local farming community in North Wales on the morning of 27 January as part of the Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) Farmhouse Breakfast Week, which ran between Monday 23 and Sunday 29 January 2023.
The event, held at Dylasau Uchaf farm, Padog, Betws y Coed, home of FUW President Glyn Roberts and his family, was organised by the Caernarfonshire Branch of the FUW, and helps to raise thousands of pounds every year for good causes. Six breakfasts were held across the Caernarfonshire area over the week.
Farmhouse Breakfast Week has been running for almost two decades and was established by the FUW with the aim of promoting the wonderful, nutritious and sustainable food our farmers produce for us; to get people round a table to share their thoughts, worries, and concerns in order to foster good mental health; and to engage with local political figures and other stakeholders to highlight why farming matters in ways that are seldom realised, such as the way the industry supports second and third sector businesses and keeps the wheels of the rural economy turning.
Each county in Wales arranges as many breakfast events as possible during the week and the events also provide an opportunity to raise funds for the FUW President’s charity and other important local causes.
Rural Crime Sergeant Peter Evans and Chief Superintendent Sian Beck of North Wales Police, and Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Wayne Jones also attended the event alongside the PCC and all four spoke to members of the local farming community. They listened to their concerns and comments regarding crime in rural areas, which is an area of special focus both for the PCC and for North Wales Police.
North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner, Andy Dunbobbin, commented: “It was a pleasure to attend the FUW Farmhouse Breakfast at Dylasau Uchaf and I am grateful to Gwynedd Watkin and the Caernarfonshire Branch of the FUW for inviting me along. Our farmers are the backbone of North Wales economy and help provide us with excellent produce and Breakfast Week is a great way of showcasing all this hard work while also raising much needed money for good causes.
“Rural and wildlife crime is a key part of my Police and Crime Plan for North Wales, and I am committed to addressing the concerns of the farming community regarding crime in rural areas. This criminal activity can take many forms, for example theft of machinery and injury to livestock. But farmers are also small businesspeople and can be victims of online and cybercrime. We should also not forget that people in rural areas can also be victims of domestic violence and other forms of crime that can affect anyone right across our society. Engaging with the rural community is important to me and I am looking forward to continuing my conversations with communities all over North Wales in the coming months.”
FUW President Glyn Roberts said: “We all get really excited about our farmhouse breakfasts every year. We can start the day together with family, friends and neighbours, in a positive and healthy way and at the same time raise money for our charitable cause, the DPJ Foundation. It’s fair to say that a healthy start is not just good for a healthy heart but also for a healthy mind.”
To learn more about the FUW and Farmhouse Breakfast Week, visit here.
To read more about the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Plan and how it relates to rural and wildlife crime, visit here.