Britain's first organic dairy farm

Brynllys farm

The pioneering origins of Rachel's Organic Dairy really began with Rachel Rowlands' grandmother, Elizabeth the first ever woman Dairy Technologist at Aberystwyth University, Wales. Having fallen in love and married Abel Jones, the Professor of Agriculture, Elizabeth was tragically widowed at the age of 45. With no job and three young children to care for, she soldiered on as a tenant farmer and single mother.

In 1942 she moved to what was eventually to become the family farm Brynllys, near Borth. At that time, practically all farms were 'organic' in that they were farmed using traditional methods. However, by the late 1940s, the shortage of food during World War II had prompted many farmers to switch to more intensive forms of agriculture, using chemicals to boost yields. But Rachel's family firmly rejected this option, preferring to stay true to their beliefs in traditional organic farming - working in harmony with nature, the elements, the seasons and wildlife.

It was Rachel Rowlands' mother Dinah who became one of the earliest people to sign up to the Soil Association, thus supporting the foundation of the organic movement in Britain. Following a visit in 1952 by Soil Association founder Lady Eve Balfour, Brynllys became the very first certified organic dairy farm in the UK.

Information taken from www.rachelsorganic.co.uk