Interview with Fantasy Farm Park

About the business

Fantasy Farm Park was originally a dairy farm which diversified and opened up for visitors 23 years ago in 1999. The progression into tourism has been gradual and they have tried different things, such as small touring caravans, over the years. Today it is a farm park with farm animals which visitors can pet and feed. Loyd also used to do milking demonstrations, but hasn't done it for a few years. He says “I’d like to start doing it again but after covid everything has gone so strange.” 

 

Other activities and facilities are:

• tractor and trailer ride from the fields to see the animals

• a nature walk

• boating lake with pedal boats

• gokarts 

• outdoor playing area

• indoor inflatable play area with bouncy castles 

 

The park has an average of 20 000-25 000 visitors every year. It peaks in summer at the end of July and throughout August. The easter holidays is also a peak season which can be as busy as august. “Everybody has had a long winter and it’s the first time people get out.” During low season, the outside park is closed and it’s mainly locals that come to the farm. In the summer, 60-65% are tourists and the rest are locals. Loyd says “We have good support locally. We probably wouldn't be able to sustain the business if we didn't have the local support.”  

 

Why did they diversify? 

Loyd tells us that the main reason for diversifying was to look for an additional income. He says: “At the time we started, the milk price was very very bad”. The agritourism business  was started to generate more income. Today other members of the family are also working in the park. He indicates that the diversification made it possible to support the whole family. 

He continues: “The main problem now, especially after covid is that there is more and more bureaucracy which is stifling. Not my business in particular, but it’s stifling businesses generally, because it's so time consuming. And that’s a big problem, because no matter what color of government, they say they’re going to cut back on bureaucracy but they don’t. They keep piling it on. It’s both for farming and tourism. You need licences etc. There’s surveys after surveys, and penalties if you don't do certain things. It’s like a feeling where you're being threatened all the time.” 

 

So, economical factors were the main reason for the diversification. There’s also a frustration aimed towards politics that indicates that the system is making it difficult for farmers to conduct their businesses. 

 

Did they receive any help from any authorities/organisations? 

When asked if the business receives help from any governments/organisations to diversify, Loyd replies: “On the farm side of it you have “rural payment Wales” which we get for the farm side, and we did have help during covid. But other than that we’ve had absolutely no help at all. When we started off we were promised we’d get funding but it never materialised. There are various agencies where you could get it from, but this was 23 years ago. Things have changed a lot, but we haven't really pursued anything to be honest, because it takes a lot of time to hunt down the grants and things. There are grants, don’t get me wrong, if you’re planning a big project I think there is additional funding now.”

 

Loyd’s answer indicates that getting help or funding from authorities to diversify is a complicated and time consuming process. Fantasy Farm Park, managed without it, perhaps because of the gradual progression into tourism. 

 

Has the land use changed?

When asked about how the land use has changed, Loyd said: “Indirectly, our land is still used for food production. So we’re still rearing calves, we still keep lambs, although we sell them in the local market. We don’t sell anything off to slaughter, so someone else takes them on. But we do rear animals, so in the long run we still do have food production.” 

 

So the main objective of the farm has changed from food production to tourism. The animals that they are using as part of the visitors' experience eventually gets sold, and someone else eventually takes them to slaughter. This means that the agricultural land “indirectly” still is used for food production to a certain degree, but the amount of food produced has declined significantly.   

 

Lloyd also implies that changes are about to happen since the government is imposing a change in land use:  “There’s talk now that you’re supposed to take 10% of your land for tree planting and things, but we don’t know yet. It’s being decided on a welsh assembly basis, and it seems that’s what they’re pushing for. We’re already in the Glastir environmental scheme where we don’t use any fertilizers or herbicides. Planting trees wouldn't affect my business, unless it takes some land out of production that we´re probably getting payment for now. I don't know, perhaps we´re getting more payments, I'm not sure what’s happening yet.” 

 

This serves as an example of how governments can be involved in changing land use. It is probably an environmental scheme that might have positive effects for carbon emissions and wildlife. It might however mean that less agricultural land is available for food production. 

 

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How has their everyday life and professional role changed?

We wanted to hear how Loyd’s professional role and everyday life had changed because of the diversification. This is how he replied: “The main difference is dealing with people on a daily basis, which is totally different to dealing with livestock. That’s the biggest change. Some of it for the better, but not always as you can imagine. But generally, 99.9% of people are fantastic and great.” When asked if he still identifies as a farmer firsthand, he says: “Yes, I never cut back on the farming ties.”

 

The diversification means that the work situation is very different and it’s quite interesting that he still identifies as a farmer firsthand. 

 

Has it had any influence on the surrounding area/neighborhood?

Everything bought for the business is bought locally if it’s available. They also provide employment. Loyd says: “Most of our staff live within 2 miles of us. Over the 23 years I think we’ve employed over a hundred, or more than a hundred now, people starting off, leaving school, students… So yeah, I think we’ve had a small impact like that, giving a little bit of employment locally. And as I mentioned, we’ve had a lot of support locally, both from our near neighbours and a little bit further afield as well.”  

 

The local relations seem to be a central aspect for the business. Fantasy Farm Park is supporting other local businesses economically through buying goods. It’s also possible that visitors stop by, for example, local shops and gas stations on their way to or from the farm. The diversification has also created jobs locally and the business gives young people a chance to get work experience. As mentioned earlier, it also provides employment for other family members.   

 

Conclusions

The farm diversified because of economic factors. The land use has changed from mainly food production to tourism. However, they are still (indirectly) producing food, but the production rate is significantly lower. The business has a positive influence on the local society since it is creating job opportunities and is supporting other businesses economically. The local support is also reciprocal. Fantasy Farm Park wouldn’t be able to continue without the local visitors.