3
Charles Abel • Committee Members
Farming briefs Potato industry figures are making progress towards establishing GB Potatoes to represent the sector after producers voted to end the statutory AHDB levy last year. Using a voluntary subscription model of £5-10/ha for growers and up to 10p/t for first buyers, it could generate £500,000/year to co-ordinate key lobbying, research and marketing work, they argue.
Skilled Farming Trio
Three new members of the General Committee bring a wealth of farming experience to the Club
Source: FG
A clearer legislative and policy framework is needed if farmers are to play their full role in a pivotal decade for food production, the 2022 City Food Lecture at London’s Guildhall heard. Better coordination between government departments is key to prevent the sector being held back, said keynote speaker Ash Amirahmadi, Arla Foods UK Managing Director.
“The aim is to grow the business and support the aspiration of everyone that works with us by being a strong, vibrant and reliable business, providing secure, enjoyable employment through responsible and prudent business practice, whilst still maintaining a family feel as the business moves towards a more corporate structure,” says Tom.
Source: FG
New Countryside Code guidance from Natural England aims to help farmers and landowners help the public enjoy the countryside in a responsible and respectful way. Advice includes reporting anti-social behaviour, fly-tipping, littering, livestock worrying and other offences correctly, making rights of way more accessible, creating safer environments, including safe bale and log storage and tree management, and installing clearer signs. Search Countryside Code at www.gov.uk
08 • The Farmers Club Spring 2022
TOM RAWSON Farming entrepreneur West Yorkshire-based TOM established Evolution Farming in 2010, building from 60 dairy cows on 150 acres to 3,300 dairy cows on 9,500 acres, employing 55 staff, with units in Cumbria, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Norfolk and Cheshire, as well as Yorkshire (www.evolutionfarming.co.uk). Specialising in farm management, particularly dairy, the focus is maximising stakeholder returns through joint ventures, management agreements and land rental, with nine dairy units plus drystock support, beef, sheep arable, contracting and building enterprises.
The business won Dairy Innovator of the Year in the British Farming Awards and Dairy Employer of the Year in the Cream Awards. Tom has been a board member of AHDB Dairy and vice chairman of the NFU National Dairy Board. A Nuffield Scholar and now a Nuffield Trustee, he is a member of ARAgS and a recipient of the Henry Plumb award. He is a member of Arla’s organic committee and is part of the McDonalds Supplier Group. He is married to Catherine with three children and lives at Thornhill Hall Farm beside the Calder and Hebble Navigation, near Dewsbury, West Yorkshire. At The Farmers Club Tom sits on the Membership Sub-Committee and General Committee. “It’s an absolute privilege to join the Farmers Club General Committee and be able to give something back to the Club that Catherine and I both enjoy using on a regular basis”.
