.Time has gone by, and still Holden has little time for orthodoxy. This is true even when that orthodoxy comes from the ‘green’ side. Take livestock as an example. For the last decade, in the face of climate change, the sustainability movement has had a considerable beef with ruminants and the ‘long shadow’ they cast, ecologically speaking. “Look, in West Wales it rains a lot,” he says. “We grow good grass. About 90% of the land in the county is temporary grass. What are you going to do? There’s a strong anti-livestock bandwagon rolling at the moment and it’s particularly anti-ruminants. But they’re the only animals that can digest the cellulose in clover and grass. So ruminants need to play a central part of that. I have really become a campaigner for the role of ruminants in sustainable foodsystems