大象传媒

It鈥檚 winter in Snowdonia. As storms batter the mountains of Eryri, five farming families battle the elements to rear their animals as they prepare for a year like no other.

On the slopes of Cadair Idris, husband and wife Ken and Lisa Markham are gathering their flock of Welsh mountain sheep into the pens, but with the wind and rain beating down, herding their animals is challenging work for them and their team of trusty sheepdogs.

Near the village of Ysbyty Ifan, 24-year-old Beca Roberts works alongside her father Glyn and her mother Eleri. She鈥檚 the fourth of five children but the only one working on the family farm. They鈥檙e preparing the shed for lambing and cleaning out the sty for Beca鈥檚 pet pig.

On the other side of the valley is Guto Davies with his wife Yvonne and their three young children. Guto is also preparing his farm for some new arrivals - his herd of heifers should be giving birth to calves any day. Guto has spent his life in this valley and is immensely proud of his community.

A stone鈥檚 throw from Bala, Geraint Davies is doing his early morning rounds and checking on his herd of cattle as they shelter from the storms. Today he鈥檚 got two little helpers in tow, his daughters Kiti and Betsi.

On the exposed hillside above Llanuwchllyn, third-generation farmer Rhodri Jones works alongside his 82-year-old father Llew. He may have handed over responsibility to his son, but even in his 80s, Llew is still hands-on with the livestock. The Jones recently welcomed the next generation on to the farm, Rhodri and Claire鈥檚 two-year-old son Wil.

This time of year is all about preparation and a few of the farmers are scanning their ewes to discover how many lambs they鈥檙e carrying and what their year ahead might look like. However, as Britain leaves the EU, there鈥檚 a lot of uncertainty about the future, and a bad deal could have a serious impact on our farmers.