10 QUESTIONS WITH... OWENS NIGEL

The rugby refereeturned-cattle farmer on planting trees for the Jubilee and his passion for the Welsh countryside

1

Tell us about your royal appointment…

Working all day on my Carmarthenshire farm, I really benefit from the calming effect of trees and nature. So I was honoured to be chosen as an ambassador for The Queen’s Green Canopy. It’s a tree-planting initiative, inviting people across the UK to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”. In Cardiff, more than 1,000 new trees have helped green up the city. And I’ve planted ten beech trees and a new hedge on the farm.

2 So you’re a nature-friendly farmer?

Most farmers do a great deal to care for the countryside and I’m no different. Of course, there are things we need to do better, but I’m a firm believer that farmers are part of the solution.

3 But you’ve given rewilding the red card?

Being a referee, I appreciate both sides of the fence. We need biodiversity, but we also need to produce food locally. So when quality farmland is bought up for rewilding, it concerns me. Getting the balance right is important. In Wales, farmers are custodians not just of the countryside but of national culture, heritage, our way of life and even our language. If we lose our farming communities, we lose the countryside as we know it, too.

4 Have you always been into agriculture?

Ever since I was a kid, I dreamed of being a farmer. When

I left school, I even worked on a farm before becoming a professional referee. I never thought I could own a farm, as land and equipment were so expensive, but I eventually saved enough during my rugby career. I then bought a smallholding and a herd of 60 Hereford cattle. In 2019, when I landed in Japan for my final World Cup, I was counting down the days until I could get home to them.

5 Which is harder: refereeing or farming?

There’s much less running about when you’re farming – unless you’re chasing an escaped cow – and it’s a relief not to train every day. But there are other stresses. Days can be long, particularly during calving when I might be in the fields at 3am. And it’s financially challenging. At the moment, the animals cost more than they make me. I also lose sleep over TB testing. A positive result can mean that generations of cattle are destroyed in one fell swoop. Refereeing the World Cup final was a walk in the park compared to that. Still, these days, work is more a pleasure than a bind.

6 How do you deal with that stress?

I’ve always appreciated the benefits of being in the countryside for my mental health, especially at this time of year. I love summer evening walks in the fields among the cattle with our two German shepherds. They’re very relaxing company. That takes me away from all the pressures of the world.

7 The Welsh countryside clearly means a lot to you…

It means everything. People say life is what you make it, but I believe life makes you. My upbringing – surrounded by chickens, pigs and horses on my grandparents’ smallholding in Carmarthenshire – made me who I am. There were challenges growing up as a gay man in an old-fashioned community and, in the 1990s, I got especially low. But I finally learnt to accept myself and, still today, live locally on a 60-acre smallholding with my partner, Barrie.

8 So attitudes have changed?

Yes, if I were growing up in rural Wales today, I would find it much easier. People here respect others, but it doesn’t need to be a big show. Pride [which celebrates its 50th birthday this month] is very important, although I’d rather go down the rugby club.

9 Do you miss being on the pitch?

I’ve officiated a few local games since I left international rugby union refereeing in 2019 – and hope to do more. But I don’t miss professional refereeing one bit.

10 What’s your game plan now?

These days, farming is my focus. I’m hoping to show a couple of bulls at a county show, which I’m excited about. Barrie and I are also building a new home on the farm, where we hope to raise a family.