Why pedigree status matters for Gelliargwellt

by Paul Price, director and co-owner of Price & Co Farming

When my great-grandfather first started farming at Gelliargwellt Uchaf back in 1906, I don’t think he could ever have imagined where we’d be today - milking 750 Holstein Friesian cows every day and running a business that has grown alongside our family for over a century.

Last week, we received confirmation from Holstein UK that our herd is now officially recognised as pedigree. It’s something we’ve worked towards for decades, and for me, it’s about more than just an accreditation.

Pedigree status tells our story of careful, consistent breeding over generations. It means every animal in our herd has a traceable bloodline, and we’ve worked hard to strengthen the gene pool, improve yields, and protect herd health. It’s about quality, resilience, and trust.

Left to right John Stride – herdsman; Edward Morgan - assistant herdsman; Alun Price - co-owner and director; Paul Price - co-owner and director; Michael Halliwell - M&R consultancy; and Gospodin (“Deano”) Gospodinov – milker, holding the Merit Trophy for Outstanding Dairy Entrepreneurs, awarded at the Glamorgan Farmers Show 2024

Winning the Merit Trophy for Farmers as Outstanding Dairy Entrepreneurs at last year’s Glamorgan Farmers Show gave me the final nudge to make it happen. That award reminded me just how far we’ve come — and how proud we should be of what we’re building here.

But pedigree status is much more than a badge; it’s about the future. We’re proud to be part of the Bryn Group, where sustainability is at the heart of everything we do. By processing cattle slurry and local food waste through the anaerobic digestion plant, we generate renewable electricity for the national grid and produce a natural biofertiliser that goes straight back into the land to grow silage crops, which in turn feed our herd. It’s a closed-loop system - and it means our cows, our land, and our community benefit together.

From this point on, every calf born on the farm will carry the Gelliargwellt pedigree name. It’s a proud milestone for us — but it’s also just the beginning of the next chapter.