Farming family fined thousands for damaging rare flowers

A farming family has been fined thousands of pounds for damaging rare plants on land owned by the National Trust.

Lloyd Jenkins, along with his parents Margaret and David, pleaded guilty earlier this month to damaging a protected wildlife site over a period of eight years on land in the Mwnt area of Ceredigion.

They were accused of not allowing sufficient space on the edge of certain fields to allow rare flowers to grow by spreading fertiliser, slurry and weed killer without permission.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW), which prosecuted the family, said the damage caused a "serious decline in the number and variety of rare plants".

The land bordering the Wales Coast Path in Ceredigion was designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 2004.

NRW said the fields were a natural habitat for rare flowers only found in arable land which were believed to have been brought to Britain with crop seeds thousands of years ago.

It said the family ignored repeated warnings over several years not to spread fertiliser, slurry and herbicides in the field's margins without permission, adding that rules protecting the area were broken several times between 2017 and 2025.

"Despite advice, warnings and meetings, the activity continued. Some of the damage even happened after the farmer had been formally warned and was invited to be interviewed under caution," an NRW spokesperson said.

The family, operating as Jenkins Ty Hen Limited of Priory Street, Cardigan, was fined £9,000 by Haverfordwest Magistrates Court on 5 May and ordered to pay court costs of £8,940.66 and an additional £2,000 victim surcharge.

It must also comply with a 10-year order to restore the site to its former condition.

Harry Dickens, the Jenkins' barrister, said in a statement: "The defendants did not go out intentionally to harm the flora and fauna. This was more akin to wilful blindness rather than going out intending to damage the land. It was not a flagrant disregard.

"They are not vandals, they have not been silent and neither have they stonewalled NRW. I said they accepted the need to restore the land and the restoration order and were keen to work productively with the authorities."

David Jenkins, a tenant farmer for the National Trust for more than 15 years, said he had to leave six or 12-metre margins at the edge of the field.

"When you're spreading manure you can't stop it spreading at the six metre mark - with slurry it's easier," he said.

"I have told [NRW] that I would rather leave the fields alone but they tell me I have to farm the fields.

"I lose money farming this small piece of land, I don't get anything back."

Jenkins, 50, added the situation had left him angry and upset and he had sought counselling from a mental health charity to manage the stress of the prosecution.

NRW said similar margin requirements were in place across other parts of the SSSI, where they were being maintained without issues.

It also said it had "no record" of Ty Hen Ltd requesting permission to leave the fields uncultivated but added it was sorry to hear of the impact on Jenkins.

"Enforcement processes can be challenging, which is why we always try to resolve in other ways prior to taking enforcement action," it said.