The sheep shearing competition is always keenly contested

But Dylan Jones, 29, said the ancient farming skill has altered dramatically over the last decade.

He blamed a rise in red tape for an increase in his and other shepherds' workloads, but he said he still loved his job.

Mr Jones, from Commins Coch near Machynlleth, Powys, received the award at the Royal Welsh Show on Monday.

Judges said Mr Jones showed expertise in animal husbandry, working with sheepdogs, shearing, maintaining veterinary records and preparing sheep for showing or sale.

Mr Jones, who was selected from a shortlist of 11 shepherds, looks after 1,000 sheep, 700 of those are the pedigree Lleyn breed, on his family-owned hill farm.

The bureaucracy has increased dramatically Shepherd Dylan Jones

A shepherd for more than 10 years, he had a year's training at a further education college and also developed his skills with help from his father as a younger man.

But he explained how his 12-hour working day had been extended by paperwork.

"The bureaucracy has increased dramatically during the last decade, and especially after foot-and-mouth," he said.

"There's licensing forms to fill in, forms to fill in about testing for scrapie and many more. There's more stress than there used to be and there's always something that needs doing."

Mr Jones said his daily tasks ranged from checking his lambs to preparing the sheep for sale.

A spokesman for the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) said Mr Jones possessed "the breeding acumen of someone usually well beyond the age group".

Those eligible for the award had to be aged under 30 and must have contributed "in an exceptional way" to rural life.

Mr Jones received �2,000, a certificate and a piece of Welsh Royal Crystal at a presentation at the show on Monday afternoon.

It was presented in memory of a Royal Welsh Show stalwart Dr Emrys Evans, 80, who died on the eve of the event's centenary in 2004.