Farmer Meirion Thomas: Optimistic

For Meirion Thomas the new company cannot come soon enough.

Fed up with falling prices for the livestock he rears on his Carmarthenshire farm, he believes the only way to get a better deal is for farmers to work together.

"As farmers, we are notoriously poor at marketing our produce," he said.

"We need to embrace this marketing ethos, grab it with both hands and make sure it works."

The company has had plenty of support in setting up from the public purse but now it is down to farmers to ensure it succeeds.

To become a shareholder, farmers will have to pay �250.

The aim is to have 10% of Welsh farmers signed up by the year 2002, supplying 800,000 lambs, and 20,000 cattle every year.

Auctioneer Aled Ellis: Closure fear

But that target could prove difficult as many believe the new company will only succeed in making matters worse, forcing local marts across Wales to close.

Livestock auctioneer Aled Ellis said that similar co-operative shad failed in the past.

"If this one fails in a few years' time - or sooner - maybe there won't be some marts for the farmers to come back to," he said.

Meirion for one will be paying his �250 to become a shareholder.

Like many younger farmers he knows something has to be done to improve prices if he wants to continue farming.

The company has set itself a target of just 40 days to attract another 1,000 like him if they are to going to get off the ground.