MS plants tree on Wrexham farm in effort to tackle climate change

A new campaign aimed at encouraging tree planting on farms has been backed by Wrexham’s Member of the Senedd, Lesley Griffiths.

As part of NFU Cymru’s Growing Together initiative, Ms Griffiths was invited to plant an oak tree on Rackery Farm near Burton in Wrexham.

In April 2019, Wales declared a climate emergency signalling a greater ambition and more holistic approach to tackling climate change. One target is to increase tree cover and the Growing Together campaign aims to promotes this philosophy, allowing more trees to be integrated into farming systems and enabling farming, natural landscapes and rural areas to thrive.

Over the past few months, Senedd Members across Wales have been invited to plant a tree on farms in their constituencies. All trees have been kindly supplied by Coed Cadw – The Woodland Trust in Wales.

Lesley Griffiths MS said: “Tackling climate change is not an issue that can be resolved easily or by one or two individuals or bodies. It requires collective action and declaring a climate emergency back in 2019 highlighted the significance of the issue and has helped ensure it remains top of the agenda.

“It is widely believed expanding tree cover is one method of addressing the climate emergency and as custodians of the Welsh countryside, farms can play a key role in the climate change solution.

“I am pleased to support NFU Cymru’s initiative and hope it can inspire others.”

Rackery Farm owners, Andrew and Jenny Jones recently won the Diversification of the Year category at the British Farming Awards in recognition of the family’s decision to launch a luxury glamping site on their farmland. ‘Rackery Retreat’ has proved to be a successful venture, with social media followers and booking numbers rising in spite of the pandemic.

Ms Griffiths added: “It was great to meet Andrew, Jenny and the Jones family to hear more about Rackery Retreat. Despite the challenges brought about by coronavirus, the business is moving from strength to strength and there are plans in the pipeline to further develop. It is great to see a local family business performing so well and I wish them every success in the future.”

Photo: Lesley Griffiths MS planting her tree alongside (L to R) Jenny and Andrew Jones, owners of Rackery Farm and NFU Cymru Clwyd County chairman, Dewi Jones.