A Pwllheli farmer is turning his hand to breeding snails in a bid to expand his business after Brexit.

Apart from a very occasional heatwave such as the one this summer, Welsh weather can usually be counted upon to provide the perfect damp, rainy conditions loved by snails. That’s a fact most gardeners know to their cost!

But thanks to Farming Connect’s Management Exchange programme, beef and sheep farmer Richard Hughes is hoping that his proposal to breed edible outdoor snails on his farm near Pwllheli could lead to a lucrative new stream of income.

Snails, often served in garlic butter, have long been regarded as a delicacy by many top chefs and it seems that collecting their slime, more correctly termed mucin or serum, could be yet another money-spinner because of its acknowledged anti-aging properties for human skin!

Richard who farms at Penfras Uchaf, Llwyndyrys, near Pwllheli, recently returned from a Farming Connect Management Exchange visit to Cherasco in Italy, where he attended a course run by internationally renowned snail breeding academy, Istituto Internazionale di Elicicoltura.

“With the uncertainty of Brexit and agricultural grants, we need to consider all kinds of diversification enterprises to safeguard the future of the family farm for future generations,” says Richard.

“I had carried out some preliminary research following a family holiday in France when snails, or ‘escargot’ as they’re known there, which are high protein yet low calorie, were on the menu in almost every restaurant.

“By the time I applied for a Management Exchange visit, I was reasonably confident that there was an opportunity to create a successful snail enterprise here in Wales, mainly due to our climate.”

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