William Williams, who has been farming on a county council holding for more than 30 years, looks after 200 dairy cows at Clwch Dernog Bach, Llanddeusant, which includes 400 rented and 80 acres of owned land.

William is clear that the change in farming has had an impact on the local community.

He said: “Nobody can make a living milking 20 cows these days. We had to adapt, but that has changed the community.

“The schools have closed as well. There used to be four local schools; now we have one big school. The smaller farms have gone, just as the smaller schools.

“It’s a bit sad, really, and just shows that farming families keep local communities alive, as well as our culture and the Welsh language.”

William has always had a love for dairy farming, saying: “I was brought up on a dairy farm and my father used to milk six cows. It inspired me and I started milking as soon as I could.”

Starting with just 25 milking cows, William expanded the herd with the abolition of the milk quotas, but despite an increase in the numbers on his farm, he says it’s as sustainable as it can be.

He added: “I would consider our way of dairy farming very sustainable. We’ve kept this way of farming going for over 50 years.

“We have more cows now on the holding, but it’s worth remembering that there used to be more farms around here, about 10 of them.

“We all had lower stocking numbers, with herds around the size of 10-20 cows.

“Those farms have been amalgamated into bigger units, so we have fewer farms but the same number of cows in the area, to the same acres.”

When it comes to looking after the land, William ensures that the soil is healthy and the grass grows aplenty.

The maize the family grows benefits only from cow manure with no artificial fertiliser used.

He said: “We have heavy soil here, which is great for grass growth.

“Howeverm it does mean that we have to keep the cows off the fields in winter to protect the soil. The cows are therefore housed over winter and are fed grass silage and maize.

“Overall, the cows are essential when it comes to managing soil health and keeping the ecosystem flourishing.

“Their natural manure attracts insects, which help break it down, improve the ground and soil quality and feed the ecosystem from birds to hedgehogs.

“We have a good balance here between grazing and housing that works for the land and our cows.”

Housing the livestock does not compromise their health and welfare, William was keen to point out, saying: “Our cows have all the comforts they need: good air flow, plenty of room to move about, and we have two-inch rubber mats to keep them comfy as well.

“We also have an automatic light system which comes on at 4am and goes off at 10pm. On a dark day, it also comes on during the day, so the cows have the right light.

“We work closely with our vet as well to make sure they are healthy. When it comes to cows’ diet over the winter, we work with a nutritionist who takes samples from the maize and grass silage and then works out the best blend for the cows.

“They’re as happy over the winter as they are over the summer.”

Farming in Wales, Williams says, can’t be blamed for climate change.

He said: “Here on the farm, for example, we produce more milk with less cows now, so we are already working towards our net zero goals.

“Our cows produce more milk now and the herd averages, which used to be 5-6,000 litres per cow per year 30 years ago, have gone up to about 9,000 litres per cow per year.

“Many inroads have been made over the years to improve genetics, feed efficiencies, and production systems and I think farmers are part of the solution to tackling climate change, not the problem.”

Farmers in Wales are already making a positive contribution through sequestering carbon in soils and hedgerows and cutting emissions, and William says that when it comes to carbon audits, the role of grasses and hedgerows need to be taken into account when it comes to calculating carbon storage, rather than simply relying on vast tree plantation projects.

He said: “Planting trees everywhere is not the full answer when it comes to increasing our carbon storage and dealing with climate change.

“Yes, we have patches of land we can use and we will, and most farms have marginal lands which can be used for that, but selling off farms left, right and centre to use the productive land, food-producing land, for tree planting just doesn’t make sense.

“It will not achieve the desired long-term outcomes and puts food production at risk.

“What’s even more disturbing is that we now have big business from outside Wales coming in, buying up farmland to plant it with trees to off-set their own carbon emissions without changing their practises to be more environmentally friendly.”