Meet your AMTRA Registered Animal Medicines Advisor (RAMA) Lowri Williams, Tregaron Store Manager

Wynnstay has a dedicated team of RAMAs, fully trained and legally qualified through AMTRA, (Animal Medicines Training Regulatory Authority) to advise, prescribe and supply certain veterinary medicines. In this issue, we meet Lowri Williams, store manager at the Tregaron store.

Coming from a pedigree sheep farming family in West Wales, Lowri was always drawn to combining this with a career in animal health, an aspiration she followed after studying agriculture at both GCSE and A Level, before achieving an Agricultural Science degree at Aberystwyth University.

“We have been producing quality shearling rams for breeding and commercial buyers, farming pedigree Texels since 1989 before I established my own flock of Beltex sheep in 2014. As a family, we broke the centre record at Worcester Livestock Mart last year, selling a Texel shearling ram for 32,000gns. That will be a day we will forever remember,”

Lowri feels the knowledge she has from home and through her family sets her in good stead, enabling her to have confidence in that she is providing customers with the advice they can trust.

Initially starting her journey with Wynnstay in 2018 as a store assistant, Lowri quickly signed up to undertake her training to qualify as an AMTRA RAMA, and has subsequently taken the step up to become a store manager.

“My day-to-day activities include giving professional RAMA advice to customers, making sure they are feeling comfortable and trust what I advise, and are left satisfied and confident they have the right product to suit their animals and farm system.”

As a RAMA, Lowri feels the most important aspect of her role is to provide the best advice, and to ensure customers understand the importance of using medicines correctly and sensibly. “It is important to keep up to date with CPD AMTRA training to make sure we are aware of any recent changes, and we get any up-todate information across to the customers correctly. I also like to make sure customers are aware of what product to use in which season. For example, coming into the autumn months, I want to make customers aware of the importance of using flukicides and making sure the ewes are up to maximum health and body condition for tupping. I think it’s very important to discuss with the customer what type of farm and animals they have and take into consideration their farming systems as this can have a big influence on what products to use.”

As such, Lowri feels the power of communication is vital. That means listening to the customer and understanding what they want to achieve from their farm, then talking through the options to ensure she can deliver the right fit for them. “When giving advice it’s important you realise you are dealing with their way of farming, you must understand they know their farm better than anyone else. It’s vital to get the customer involved in the discussion. Always value their opinion and it will lead towards building a better relationship, ensuring they are getting the right product and the right service.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming months, Lowri’s attention will turn to tupping time for ewes, ram health, liver fluke and possibly fly strike if the weather gets wetter and milder. “I find that the SCOPS website is a great tool in remaining vigilant when discussing fly strike and I think many farmers will benefit from making use of this Resource,”

“Over the coming months I will be disusing different flukicides, combination fluke and wormers, boluses and vitamin drenches and making sure ewes and rams maintain optimal health”. With many rams purchased in the autumn back-end sales, it is important for Lowri to ensure those rams are looking fit and healthy and ready for work. She will also be concentrating on cattle health such as mag buckets, bolusing, vitamin drenching and fluke and worm drenching.

“Most importantly, with so many challenges facing us as farmers, it is important that I can provide support and let my customers know I am always available for advice, or even just a quiet chat. Hopefully, that lets them know they don’t have to face those challenges alone.”