Farm convicted for damage to protected wildlife site near Mwnt
A court has found a Ferwig farm company guilty of damaging a protected wildlife site near Mwnt, Ceredigion.
Jenkins Ty Hen Limited was found guilty of damaging a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday, 5 May.
The business was fined £9,000 and ordered to pay our costs of £8,940.66 and an additional £2,000 victim surcharge. In addition to this, a 10-year restoration order was imposed.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) took legal action against Jenkins Ty Hen Limited, tenants of land owned by the National Trust, in response to continued damage and the serious risk of rare plants being lost altogether.
The case relates to land at Crug Bychan, Ty Gwyn and Llwyn Ysgaw, which is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It was protected in 2004 in recognition of its importance for rare plant species.
Ann Weedy, Operations manager, of Natural Resources Wales, said:
“Sites like this are very important for wildlife and for future generations. They are protected by law, and we work closely with farmers to help them manage the land in the right way.
“In this case, the rules were broken many times, even after clear advice and warnings. This caused real harm to rare plants restricted to a few places in Wales.
“We have taken action to protect this special site and give it the best chance to recover.”
The site supports more than 60 types of arable flowers, including several known as archaeophytes, which are plants introduced by humans from mainland Europe that have since become naturalised in Britain and Ireland.
Most were brought over by early farmers during the Late Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman or Medieval periods, often as contaminants of crop seeds. As a result, they are strongly associated with arable fields. Many of these species are now rare in Wales and across the UK.
This SSSI is the only one in Wales specifically designated for the protection of arable plants and is considered to be of significant cultural as well as ecological importance.
These plants need careful farming to survive. Farmers can grow crops like barley and wheat, but must leave some areas without fertiliser or herbicides so the wild plants can grow too.
PIC: How healthy margins should look at the SSSI
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) found that the rules protecting SSSIs had been broken several times over the past eight years. Between 2017 and 2025, there were repeated cases where fertiliser, slurry and herbicides were used without permission from NRW. This damaged the rare plant life.
Despite advice, warnings and meetings, the activity continued. Some of the damage even happened after the farmer had been formally warned and was invited to be interviewed under caution.
Experts say this has caused a serious decline in the number and variety of rare plants on the site. However, some still remain, and a court restoration order means recovery may still be possible if the land is managed correctly.
The restoration order requires the land to be managed through an appropriate arable crop rotation. In addition, a buffer margin must be maintained around the fields to support designated plant species. Within this margin, the use of fertilisers and herbicides must not be used to give these plants the best possible opportunity to recover and thrive.