We must make terrifying environmental issues a priority, says Charles

Charles warned that humanity's place on Earth could be derailed "for good" if diversity of life continued to be depleted and destroyed.

He spoke of his vision for harmony between food and farming during a 20-minute speech at a conference at Llandovery College in Carmarthenshire, Wales.

Following the speech, he opened the new extension of an organic yoghurt factory, describing the dairy industry in Wales as of "great importance".

Charles visited the historic Strata Florida site in Ceredigion and wore white gloves to examine the Nanteos Cup - considered by some to be the Holy Grail.

He then opened Volac International's new biomass plant in Ciliau Aeron, which uses sustainable wood fuel to produce energy.

During his speech at Llandovery College, Charles said humans were "doing our utmost to test to destruction" the living system of nature.

"This is why I find it so unbelievable when people ask why we should bother with the conservation and protection of the Earth's dwindling biodiversity, or why we should strive to make the terrifying environmental issues we now face such a priority," he said.

"It is, of course, the diversity of life on Earth which actually enables us to have our being.

"Deplete it, reduce it, erode and destroy it and we will succeed in causing such disorder that we risk derailing humanity's place on Earth for good."

He said traditional architecture, crafts, music, education and engineering could be used to tackle the "enormous problems we face".

"This is not backward-looking and anti-science, it is reinstating the discarded baby that was rashly removed with the bath water," Charles added.

He then toured Rachel's Organic in Llanbadarn Fawr, near Aberystwyth, where he opened an earlier expansion almost 20 years ago.

He met Rachel Rowlands, who founded Britain's first organic dairy in 1982 and remains involved in running the company despite selling it in 1999.

Rachel Brittain served Charles a taste of Rachel's Greek-style yoghurt with honey, which he described as "really creamy".

He said it was a "great pleasure" to go to the site and meet employee Nigel Truman, who he remembered from his 1998 visit.

"In that time an awful lot has changed and from what I can gather it is now the most remarkable bit of plumbing I have ever seen," he added.

"I do hope that it will make an enormous difference not only in terms of sales but also in terms of the dairy sector in Wales which is of such great importance."

The heir to the throne next attended Strata Florida, the site of a former Cistercian monastery that was significant to Wales during the Middle Ages.

Children from Pontrhydfendigaid - bridge of the blessed ford - primary school waved Welsh flags as Charles explored the site.

He donned white gloves to examine the Nanteos Cup, which according to some is the Holy Grail - the cup from which Christ and his disciples drank at the Last Supper.

Linda Tomos, the national librarian for Wales, told Charles: "The Holy Grail legend dates to 1905, when it was very fashionable.

"The healing properties are undoubtedly very, very old."

Professor David Austin, of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, said: "The notion was that if you drank from it, you would be healed.

"You would be extra specially healed if you nibbled a bit of the cup. That is why we only have half a cup."

The 13th century mazer cup is believed to have come into possession of the Powell family of Nanteos from the Strata Florida Abbey during the Dissolution of the Monasteries.

Some IOU notes from unwell people who borrowed the cup with deposits such as gold watches have the word "cured" written at the bottom.

mfl

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