A £500,000 pig unit, which is the first of its kind in Wales, has been officially opened at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor’s Glynllifon campus.

The Welsh Government cabinet secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths opened the facility on 10 November.

The new unit will enable the college to utilise the most up-to-date methods of pig husbandry in a unit which caters for up to 50 sows, promoting each stage from birth to weaning, fattening and finishing.

Observation bays within the unit allow for students and others from the industry to view the animals at each stage within a clean and safe environment which safeguards bio-security.

This new facility will allow ‘Fferm Glynllifon’, the college farm, to carry out research with different breeds and rearing methods in order to develop excellence and efficiency in pig rearing.

Speaking at the opening Dafydd Evans, Grwp Llandrillo Menai, chief executive officer said: “This new unit is a fantastic resource for Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor and the students, the new facility is a far cry from what we had before and will, I’m sure, make the world of difference to the young people studying land-based courses here at Glynllifon."

Read the full story in this week’s north editions of the Cambrian News