Câr-Y-Môr

Thanks to you NatWest Social & Community Capital! #reflectingon25 #aquaculture #sustainability

Farmers in Wales and across the UK are under immense pressure. Mounting costs, increasingly unpredictable weather, policy shifts and the challenge of keeping soils healthy are making it harder than ever to keep farming viably. At Câr-y-Môr, we see farmers—at sea and on land—as the heart and soul of our communities. That’s why we’ve spent the past year developing a range of seaweed-derived agricultural products, tailored to the Welsh landscape, to tackle the challenges they’re facing while supporting our environment. This summer, we partnered up with #FarmingConnect independent grass and forage consultant Marc Jones and a group of farmers for an initial trial of our liquid seaweed foliar spray. The results so far are promising, though we’re still in the early stages of testing: Our grassland trial at Tan-y-Graig farm, Lampeter, saw an average 18% increase per hectare of silage dry matter yield (£92/hectare value). Our organic potato trial at Caerhys Organic Community Agriculture (COCA), Pembs, showed up to a 24% increase in yield for organic potatoes Daniel Evans, who trialled the seaweed biostimulant at Tan-y-Graig Farm, shared his experience: “I was very pleasantly surprised by the results. Visually, there initially appeared to be no difference, but when grass was weighed, the area where we had used the biostimulant showed an 18% increase in yield – which is pretty concrete evidence." Farmers like Daniel are facing huge challenges: rising input costs, irregular weather patterns and the need to keep soils healthy for future generations. By replacing some or all artificial fertilisers with 100% natural, seaweed-derived alternatives, we’re hoping to demonstrate it’s possible to be environmentally responsible while achieving great results. Seaweed’s use in farming is nothing new. For centuries, farmers relied on seaweed’s rich mineral content as a natural fertiliser, but its use declined with the rise of synthetic alternatives deemed to have better, cheaper outcomes. What we need: Farmers/growers to join our Community Benefit Society (CBS), it only costs £1 to become an equal shareholder! Their expertise and experience is crucial to develop the best possible seaweed products for land and livestock. The quickest way to achieve this? For farmers, growers and market gardeners to use seaweed on their fields or soil and measure the results to allow us altogether to refine and tailor future products to better meet their needs. So far, we’ve worked with farmers and growers to test our foliar spray on: - Grassland - Potatoes - Brassicas - Tomatoes - Soft fruit trees We’re now expanding to look at: - Wheat and other cereal crops - In orchards of top fruit and nut trees - Or wherever natural soil enhancement could make a difference Interested in becoming a member/supporter or know someone who might be? Comment below and visit our website. Let’s reconnect land and sea to create a thriving future for Welsh farming. #Farming #Seaweed #CaryMor

We are so very happy to have been included in this year's finalists, many congratulations to Groundswell Agriculture and wonderful to be amongst so many change-makers! #bbcfoodawards #agriculture #aquaculture #biodiversity

Creating a thriving shellfish and seaweed farm is a long journey, often starting at least two years before a single farm can be deployed.   Our first step? Asking local communities if they’d support a Community Benefit Society establishing a sea farm in their waters. Once we have their backing, our skilled marine scientists take over, working on seabed surveys, Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRA), and visual impact assessments. These are just a few pieces of the marine admin puzzle needed to secure a Marine License. Once the application is approved, we move into ongoing environmental and species monitoring to ensure our farming practices protect the marine ecosystem. For every hour spent on the boat, there are at least four more behind a computer! One of the stars of this process is our marine biologist, Beth Marshall. With years of experience in aquaculture and environmental monitoring, she’s one of the hardest-working members of the Câr y Môr family. When Beth’s not out on the water, you’ll find her pouring over side-scan sonar images, checking the health of the seabed, compiling the detailed environmental reports required by our license, or updating our Ocean Farmer monitoring app. She’s also the mastermind behind scheduling the maintenance and stock work for when the weather and tides cooperate. Beth’s vision is to establish Wales’s only seaweed hatchery in the old lifeboat station at St. Justinians. This hatchery would not only provide seedlings for our farms but also create local jobs and inspire others to start their own farms in Wales’s beautiful seas. The Community Benefit Society is working tirelessly with the RNLI, TCE and PCNPA to make this dream a reality. Beth’s expertise doesn’t stop at Câr y Môr either, read more about the pioneering projects she’s contributed to such as PEBL https://lnkd.in/e-MZznap and Project Madoc https://lnkd.in/eJehDnYF which are helping kick-start the shellfish and seaweed farming sector across Wales.

It’s a team effort and creating Wales first seaweed bio-refinery is no small job! As with any big project, we’ve had quite a few set backs to deal with, namely the rescheduling of grant timings, dealing with the complexity of claims as required by DEFRA and the extra time it takes to resolve planning detail issues…but the roof is ON and we couldn’t be more excited for this next chapter in our story. As always we’d love to thank the team that keep this very important milestone moving ahead. Tom Wozniak for seeing us through many challenges and the day to day and of course thanks to Dai Murphy and his JCB team who, in rain or shine, ensure this thing gets built! #Pembrokeshire #Seaweedfarming

Last week we featured on a special episode of BBC Weatherman Walking! You can catch us on iPlayer to watch Derek in Pembrokeshire, walking from St David’s to Whitesands and celebrating the projects that are supported by BBC Children in Need. https://lnkd.in/e7NRGVRt #childreninneed #pembrokeshire

A journey into seaweed across Pembrokeshire! Wales is embracing a new wave of sustainable food production, and Câr y Môr is proud to be at the forefront of this seaweed revolution. This article explores how coastal foraging trips and local seaweed businesses are transforming Welsh cuisine and fostering environmental resilience. At Câr y Môr, we’re passionate about harnessing the power of the ocean to create sustainable, nutritious, and delicious seaweed products while supporting our marine ecosystem and coastal communities. Dip into the full article to discover how we and other businesses are making waves in this ever growing industry! #seaweed #fortheloveofthesea https://lnkd.in/eF3Nat7c

How to prepare the next generation for a sustainable future? Last week we joined Chris Smith from Zombie Plastics C.I.C. and Anna Strzelecki from iSeaSurfwear at the wonderful Cymbrogi Futures, which exists to equip the next generation to deal with a climate changed world. The aim was to help educate the children about bioplastics, recycling and using the 5 R's; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Refuse, Repair. The children from Pembroke Community School got to experience different seaweeds and understand its power as both a food source and potential as a plastic alternative! This project was made possible by https://pobltirmor.wales/ and funding from the Welsh Government’s Landfill Disposals Tax Communities Scheme, administered by WCVA | CGGC

From the surf to the screen! We are delighted to have been featured in an award-winning film highlighting the plastics problem in our seas and on our coastlines. The filmmakers, who lived in Cornwall for three years whilst studying, all love surfing and swimming but couldn’t help noticing the millions of micro plastics on the strand line around the north and south coast of Cornwall. The film came about after the director, Olaf Lawrence found an article about seaweed plastics and how they are starting to be used as a natural and sustainable alternative to single use plastics. #seaweed #plasticpollution #fortheloveofthesea https://lnkd.in/exBbkdtr

We can assume that you follow us because you're fascinated by #seaweed, but how many of you have actually tasted it 🤔? This summer, we welcomed the Pembrokeshire Beach Food Company into the Câr-y-Môr family. Bringing together their award-winning range of seaweed-based condiments with our mission to champion regenerative ocean farming felt like a natural fit. Since then, the team have dolloped, slathered, and sprinkled the range of seasonings and condiments onto our favourite dishes at any opportunity we get... ✅🦀Crab butties ✅🍕Pizza ✅🎣Fish stews ✅🧀Cheese toasties ✅🍟Chips   But it got us wondering… does our audience REALLY understand how tasty it is 😋? So we thought to offer a 10% off code to anyone who wants to try it. Maybe you’d like to start with Kelpchup—an award-winning seaweed-based take on ketchup. Or if you like a bit of heat, try the Sweet Chilli Sauce. Got a go-to dish that could do with some oomph? Try the seasonings. We believe seaweed is that missing ingredient your kitchen you didn’t know it needed. Hopefully now, you will too! Use EARLYBIRD10 to give your taste buds the adventure they’ve been waiting for. Code is live today (Thu 31st) only - so don't wait around before diving in ⏰! Link in comments. Image 1 @ hoogahswansea Image 2 @ near__by__ Image 3 @ scandinathan