WELSH rugby international Dan Lydiate has swapped the rugby field for the farmyard – and is now building a new future in egg production.
Dan, who currently plays for the Dragons and has 75 caps for Wales and the British and Irish Lions, was among the recipients of Powys County Council’s business growth grants last year, which totalled just under £1 million.
He has launched his own company, No6 Egg Company, on his family farm in Abbeycwmhir. The name is a nod to the number 6 shirt he typically wears as a blindside flanker.
The company received just over £4,000 from the council in 2024 to invest in farm management software. The grant helped fund the purchase and installation of BigFarmNet, a software and database system aimed at improving the efficiency of organic free-range egg production.
Dan, who is a director of the company, said: “I want to sell more eggs directly to local customers and retail outlets, and the software package is a big help with that.
“It allows me to increase production by providing real-time access to farm settings through a computer and apps. With better control comes higher productivity, and as demand grows with packaging operations, I’ll be able to employ more staff.”
No6 Egg Company was already supplying eggs to Waitrose and Marks & Spencer before applying for the grant.
Councillor David Selby, Powys County Council’s Cabinet Member for a More Prosperous Powys, said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to support 84 businesses over the past 18 months with our growth grant scheme. Projects like Dan’s, which support farm diversification, are exactly the kind of innovation we want to encourage.
“We wish him every success in business, just as he’s had on the rugby field.”
Powys Business Growth Grants were designed to support capital schemes and one-off revenue projects. They were administered by the council’s Economy and Climate Service and funded by the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund.
Dan is also among many entrepreneurs who have accessed training and business advice through Business Wales.
For more information on support for businesses in Powys, visit https://en.powys.gov.uk/businesses or contact: [email protected]. Additional help is available via Business Wales at https://businesswales.gov.wales.
Picture caption: Dan Lydiate with his free-range chickens at Abbeycwmhir (Pic: Powys Council)
