Farmer Trev with his Highland CattleLeaving the Pembrokeshire Coast behind, The GIN Ladies headed to the Welsh Shropshire border to stay at the eco friendly holiday cottage on Brynmawr Farm, a 400 acre organic mixed hill farm. Today we reveal the trials and tribulations facing an organic farmer as well as discover a genuine opportunity to spawn a number of 'Made in Britain' cottage industries in eco fashion, furnishings and home insulation. Whether you’re an urbanite or rural dweller, this is a must-read for all non-vegan folk interested in organic food, fashion and the revival of Britain’s ‘cottage’ manufacturing base along the lines of 'Industrial Symbiosis'.

Trevor Wheeler has farming in his blood but he didn’t expect it to threaten his life. Trev’s nervous system was under attack. Having visited a number of doctors with no diagnosis in sight, he stumbled upon a former Harley Street doctor who was practicing nearby. The Doc declared “You’re lucky to be alive. Your body is full of poison."

Lucky for Farmer Trev, there was hope. The Doc continued “Don’t worry, if you do what I say, you’ll be alright.” As Trev relates the story he obviously sees the humour, as he recalls with laughter “I couldn’t even drink beer!”. While Trev’s health improved, he still hasn’t regained all feeling in his right hand side and his memory is affected. So what was the culprit? Organophosphate (OP), a neuro-toxic biochemical prevalent in sheep dipping and pesticide sprays up until recently.

With his health seriously impaired, Trevor and his wife Sue decided on the spot to convert their farm to organic methods. With the help of a grant for the first five years to enable organic conversion, it’s taken much toil to achieve Soil Association certification. But going by the beaming smiles on Trevor and Sue's faces, it's a decision they've never regretted.

Sitting in a trailer on bales of straw, The GIN Ladies were taken on the back of a quad bike for a tour of Brynmawr Farm. As Trev whizzed past fields of organic potato crops, he shared “The next season we’ll have swedes planted and then left to naturally fix nitrogen with fields of red clover. In six years time, we’ll put potatoes back in.”

For many hill farmers, it’s a matter of financial survival taking a mixed approach to farming. While several of their farm fields are set aside to grow crops – swede, potato, carrots and leeks which are sold at local farmers markets (Ludlow, Bishops Castle, Harbourne and Birmingham), Trev also has herds of cattle and flocks of sheep.

Brynmawr Farm has Highland Cattle (pictured above), Limousine and Traditional Herefords. The Highland Cattle certainly caught our attention: These beautiful beasts selectively graze on bracken and gorse shoots. Trev pipes up "They’re conservation grazers really”. So this natural heathland control again avoids the use of pesticides and because Highlands are tough, they weather the outdoor conditions all year round. We also noticed Trev’s cows were particularly friendly. Could this signal a benefit of their organic lifestyle?

Trevor and Sue's sustainably restored eco friendly cottage you too could holiday inLater that evening back at Trev and Sue's superb eco holiday cottage we cooked up a storm, feasting on organic Highland fillet steaks - Delicious with a capital D. But it seems a waste their magnificent organic hides have no commercial use. This is where 'Industrial Symbiosis' really kicks in, where the 'waste' of one industry is 'gold' for another, and can be explored at any scale - local, regional, national or even global. Afterall, a Highland hide would surely make for a stylish rug? And what about those amazing horns?!

It was Trevor's sheep that stirred up the most debate. Trev only gets around 30 pence a kilo from the British Wool Marketing Board, which if you excuse the expression, SUCKS. It's a tough life being a hill farmer, and they need as much help as they can sustainably get.

Hebridean sheep, known for its distinctive taste, also fleeces up a black wool favoured by felters and designers - Ada Zanditon comes to mind, and Trevor's wool has certainly attracted a local crafty market. But his 250 strong flock of Lleyn sheep is a missed opportunity. We went in search of a solution and came up with a few feasible options.

A mix of sheep on the organic farmHome insulation. With our climate rapidly warming up, cheap insulation is increasingly abundant, but most insulation materials are far from eco friendly. Sheep's wool on the other hand, particularly the organic variety, is an obvious commercial opportunity for farmers like Trevor. Cutting out the middleman and going straight to the farmer is also viable. This is especially pertinent as most of the wool we source is from Australia or New Zealand. So there's nothing else for it... our Editor will be insulating her roof with Trevor's wool as our research indicates a DIY job with British wool is possible and can meet the needs of a Building Control Officer too. Watch this space as we'll be reporting on this process in the coming months.

For similar reasons, wool could be the ideal filler for upholstery and mattresses. That's because wool is naturally fire retardant, is water repellent and durable. If Britain wants to cut its carbon emissions, support British farmers and source materials as locally as possible, then buying wool from farmers at home, rather than from the other side of the world, makes perfect sustainable sense.

Another exciting solution is to supply the world of ethical fashion. While Lleyn wool would not meet the needs of merino wool labels such as John Smedley, according to the Lleyn Sheep Society, Lleyn wool is increasingly popular among British farmers and is more than suitable to meet the needs of many in the fashion industry.

Matt Hopson from Cornish Organic Wool told us he sources Lleyn wool as it lends itself well as a felt or knitting yarn. Matt says "We blend Lleyn with alpaca wool if there's a demand for softer wool. Some people say they're allergic to wool. What they're really allergic to is the chemicals in the fleece." Yet another reason to go organic...

Cornish Organic Wool is one of only a few outlets that buy directly from the farmer, and crucially pay a good price to farmers. Matt says "We pay 80 pence per kilo and pay up front. Our customers know which sheep field their yarn was sourced from." From field to fashion, the ability to track is the ethical way forward.

There's also nothing stopping labels dealing direct with the farmer. Let's take one of our favourite labels, Still Ethical. Sophie Mason, who has run a successful high-end vintage store in Notting Hill for the last decade or so has recently set up Still Ethical, which sources Bhutia wool on a fair trade basis from the Himalayas. We see the opportunity for labels such as Still Ethical to also work locally with British farmers.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to supply and demand. We have the supply ... Trevor and many other farmers have the supply if they collaborate. It's the demand where the problem lurks. It's up to us as consumers and the designers to create this demand. To make Britain sustainable, we just need to ask. Beg for it even. Britain's future depends on it.

Many thanks to Trevor and Sue at Brynmawr Farm for taking us on a farm tour. Brynmawr Farm offers free farm tours for groups of six or more, an experience we highly recommend. We also encourage you to check out their eco friendly cottage for a wonderful British holiday. Great value, very comfy and highly sustainable.