HARVEST 2013 • ISSUE 245
www.thefarmersclub.com
Farmers Club INSIDE Paterson’s pointers p4 Leckford estate p6 Weather forecasts p8 Bordeaux uncorked p10 Education upswing p11 Red tape fears p14 Planning changes p19 INSERTS Buckingham Palace New Year’s Eve dinner
Royal Jerseys Queen welcomes Club to Windsor Great Park p12
Chairman’s Comments • Stewart Houston
Farmers Club
money raised by the Estate itself. It is valuable work. These children are the consumers and farm staff of tomorrow and I certainly think there are lessons to be learned from this project south of the border.
Over 160 years of service to farming 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL Patron – Her Majesty The Queen
It was a pleasure to see the Beef Shorthorn and White Shorthorn cattle farmed in a traditional way on the Morrisons farm, which looked a nightmare to run, intersected by main roads, ancient bridges with weight limits and rainfall so high they must have webbed feet!
FRONT COVER Royal Jerseys were a highlight of the Club’s visit to Windsor Great Park and Royal Farm .
Contents
Disclaimer: The articles published in The Farmers Club Journal do not necessarily reflect the views of The Farmers Club. No responsibility for the quality of goods or services advertised in the magazine can be accepted by the publisher. Advertisements are included in good faith’. All rights reserved.
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Chairman’s Comments Summer tours provide food for thought
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Paterson explains Secretary of State Owen Paterson fielded questions from members during his first formal visit to The Farmers Club
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Looking to Leckford Waitrose farms its own estate in Hampshire to help develop relationships with farmers, and grow its own-label produce
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Weather quest A new web service aims to offer a better forecast
10 Bordeaux uncorked When Club members visited Bordeaux they were in for a treat, sampling fine wines, cheeses, caviar and oysters.
11 Writtle in focus Farm education is on the up as students flock to courses with excellent prospects of employment
12 Royal farm
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Chairman’s Comments
Farming within the confines of Windsor Great Park presents challenges and opportunities aplenty.
14 Red tape risks EU red tape is a real risk to on-farm innovation
16 Kenyan foray Digging a fish pond in Kenya brings new connections
17 Obituar y: Derek Watson Long-serving editor of The Farmers Club Journal
“Children are the consumers and farm staff of tomorrow and I think there are lessons to learn from this project south of the border.”
WOW, what a great spring and early summer for the Farmers Club, with a host of fantastic visits, all fully booked and the weather gods were kind to us too. Janet and I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of the event hosts, who have all gone out of their way to make the visits enjoyable and informative. They too enjoyed the visits, and being put through their paces by questions and comments from very knowledgeable Farmers Club members. At each venue we were all struck by the quality of the staff and their dedication and enthusiasm. This issue of the Journal reports on our visits to the Waitrose estate at Leckford in Hants and the Royal Farm at Windsor, which were both excellent. But maybe I can relay the highlights of our visit to Scotland, where we looked at the Morrisons farm on the Dumfries House Estate near Ayr and then travelled to Edinburgh to visit SRUC. We were all enthused by many of the diverse projects being instituted at Dumfries House, which is supported by HRH Prince Charles, but were particularly taken with the efforts to connect with school children. The Scottish Government is co-funding the project in collaboration with
In complete contrast, next day we moved to the high tech world of SRUC, where we heard about and experienced the work they are doing on greenhouse gas emissions from cattle, freedom farrowing for sows and the use of infra-red imaging to give early warning of a health breakdown in livestock. All fascinating uses of technology. It's been great fun for Janet and I to meet members who are new to us, members who enjoy the visits, but don't necessarily come up to London often. I discussed this recently with a member who has been a friend of mine for years. He thought the visits were only for the "regulars". Not so, everyone is welcome. My apologies to those who will miss it, but I asked the Secretary to cancel our visit to the Royal Welsh Show. We just could not settle on an appropriate venue and time, so I hope that those of you who wish it to happen next year will start your lobbying with the Society soon. Nearer home, the Secretary of State impressed us all with his performance at the Club in early June. Some might not agree with all of his thoughts, but he knew his stuff, and kept us entertained for a good couple of hours. Next up is the AGM and I hope that the open lunch with Christine Tacon speaking will attract more members to this important event. Further into the autumn we have the Club visit to Italy, which I know many of you are looking forward to. Janet and I are already half way through our year and have thoroughly enjoyed meeting so many people. We look forward to meeting more of you over the coming months.
Stewart Houston
18 Under 30s Under 30s chairman looks forward to upcoming events
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19 Planning changes Under 30s author considers planning rule changes
20 Club News and Calendar Details of upcoming events
22 Club Information and Contacts Full reports of Club visit to Dumfries House, Morrisons farm near Ayr and SRUC at Edinburgh will appear in the Autumn edition of the Journal.
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www.thefarmersclub.com • 03
Charles Abel • Defra Policy
Defra Policy • Charles Abel
environmental asset has a value, so we need to do something of equal or greater value nearby instead. It will move things on faster, improve the environment and mean less work for the legal profession.” Helping with paperwork was a key, with less red tape the aim. “My mantra is that we want to get out of your hair.” He admitted animal movement records vexed everyone, but he was reluctant to make changes until CAP reform was agreed, to avoid costly changes afterwards. Rural broadband was paramount, to catapault rural businesses and communities into the world market. “We’re investing a shed load of money in this – £1.2bn – bringing 100,000 properties a week onto broadband coverage.” Dire rural mobile phone coverage needed enhancing too.
unrepentant. He suggested pillar two could help with training and guarantee a long term future for the sector. “I dispute the suggestion that the success of UK farming depends on getting exactly the same as other farmers in the EU.” Obsessing about CAP was unhelpful, he suggested. “It never has been a level playing field. The trick is to wake up to the fact that subsidy will reduce, because tax payers won’t put up with it unless there is a public good coming back. I’m afraid it is brutal, but that is my view.” Defra’s policies on TB, GMs, pesticides and CAP are increasingly clear. Mr Paterson’s desire for change is evident. The recent CAP reform package gives him new tools to achieve that. This new broom may not sweep all before him, but his determination to shake the industry is all too evident.
Owen Paterson, Secretary of State at Defra
Bovine TB
Paterson Secretary of State Owen Paterson robustly defended Defra’s agenda when he made his first formal visit to The Farmers Club. Charles Abel reports
“I dispute the suggestion that the success of UK farming depends on getting exactly the same as other farmers in the EU.”
LIKE a breath of fresh air Owen Paterson swept into the Farmers Club to deliver his views on food, farming and the rural sector. Like an autumn squall he swept many preconceptions aside. Like a blast of icy air he was crystal clear about future CAP support. Confident from the outset, clear and concise throughout, and almost always smiling, he delivered a state of the sector overview, before fielding a wide range of questions. Messages were delivered with gusto, some with humour, and all with a sense of ruthless efficiency. This is one Defra secretary who is not afraid to voice his opinions. He will stand up for farming, as in the case of TB, he will back science, as in the case of GMs, and he is explicit about how far he will push in the knife – as with CAP reform. All the while the smile changes little Defra’s priority is to grow the rural economy, he stressed, but that had to be consistent with improving the environment, and supported by protecting the UK from animal and plant diseases. “I see food and farming as being very much a massive contributor to getting the country out of
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its economic problems. It is the largest manufacturing sector in the country, and we should never let anyone forget it.”
Food trade The UK’s 22% imbalance in food trade was mentioned repeatedly. Too many dairy products were imported, despite a successful home dairy industry, for example. He wanted a big boost in exports too. “There are massive opportunities. China has a middle class of 300 million people. They’re prepared to pay $10/litre for fresh milk flown in from Australia. We have rigorous traceability, which is a great selling point.” Robust animal welfare was another sales point, making a virtue of the ‘stupidity’ of not having animal welfare legislation properly applied across the whole of the EU. He applauded the Food and Drink Federation’s goal to boost exports by 20% by 2020.
Environment On the environment, he said it was not either/or, but a question of finding a balance, with a clear place for off-setting. “What we need to say is the economic project is vital, so we try to mitigate the environmental impacts, and if we can’t, then the
Turning to bovine TB he branded the current spread an ‘absolute horror’ and a ‘national disgrace’. “Having had levels below 0.01% in 1972 and let it go, we now need to relearn the art of managing it.” He urged farming not to demonise badgers, but instead to seek healthy cows and healthy badgers. When asked, he conspicuously failed to rule out reactive culling. He admitted to being “absolutely astounded” by progress with controlling the disease in Australia and New Zealand, where cattle movement controls, skin testing and cattle slaughter had worked alongside wildlife management to drive levels below 0.02% and freedom from TB in the eyes of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE). “Be under no illusion, it is our intention to be OIE TB free here in 25 years. All we are doing is catching up with the rest of the intelligent world.” The Chalara fraxinea outbreak in UK ash trees stemmed from authorities paying too little attention, he admitted. “It is extraordinary how it wasn’t picked up.” A taskforce is being developed to better protect the country, which needs to learn from Australia, where passenger vetting and bag checks are complemented by intense checks on imports, to the extent that even imported secondhand machinery is stripped down and fumigated. “There is a lot more we can do, even within the constraints of the EU.” Efforts are being co-ordinated with Ireland in a bid to protect the animal and plant health of the entire British Isles.
PESTICIDE LOSSES The EU’s decision to ban the use of neonicotinoid insecticides in oilseed rape highlighted the danger of policies based on emotions and perceptions, Mr Paterson noted. Clearly uncomfortable with the overly cautious precautionary principle favoured in Brussels, he stressed the need for decisions to be based on sound science. Interestingly, in Hungary, the world’s third largest honey producer, the use of neonicotinoids on 2m hectares of arable crops had coincided with a rise in bee population. “We will do more field trials because we simply can’t have products withdrawn on the whim of a well organised campaign,” he said.
ANDERSONS SEMINARS
CAP REFORM AND RURAL ESTATES
The strongest audience reaction [positive] was reserved for his encouragement for GM crops. With 12% of the world’s arable area growing GM, with no adverse effects, careful negotiations were needed with member states to prevent Europe falling any further behind, he said.
CAP reform The greatest audience anxiety [negative] surrounded Mr Paterson’s determination to move CAP funds from pillar one to pillar two. Questioners argued that was anti-competitive. Mr Paterson was
This autumnm there are twelve venues nationwide with events running through February and March.
THE ANDERSONS CENTRE
www.thefarmersclub.com • 05
Farm Visit • Charles Abel
Charles Abel • Farm Visit
Power of provenance Waitrose makes much of its farming roots at Leckford Estate in Hampshire. Farmers Club members ventured onto the estate to learn more IS it a farm, is it an estate, or is it a premium shopping brand? The small village of Leckford, just north of Stockbridge, lends its name to one of the UK’s foremost farming enterprises, a name global retailer John Lewis is leveraging to meet the penchant for provenance of its affluent consumers. From wine to apples, flour to eggs, and apple juice to mushrooms, the Leckford brand can be found up and down the food aisles of John Lewis Partnership’s Waitrose stores and on-line at ocado.com and WaitroseDelivers.com. Putting substance behind Waitrose’s food marketing message – estate manager Iain Dalton.
and we have addressed that,” says estate manager Iain Dalton. “We still have some expensive food, because it is very, very good food, but we also have value products too.” There are other aspects to Leckford, as the 74 Farmers Club members who visited on a fine late spring day discovered. Like all John Lewis enterprises, the estate is subject to Partner Voice, a process empowering all the group’s 80,000-plus employees to question business policy and senior manager decisions. It certainly underlines the importance of accountability, notes Mr Dalton.
Leckford-branded produce trades at a premium over its non-farm branded competitors. It is a salutary lesson. Consumers value provenance; where their food comes from matters, and the story that goes with it makes a difference. That has never been more so than since the horse-meat fiasco.
Leckford itself is an accident of history, the estate acquired in 1929 by John Spedan Lewis, founder of the Partnership, as a private estate with 20 miles of fine fly fishing on the River Test, as attested to by Club chairman Stewart Houston.
Shifting the focus of Waitrose’s food offering has been a big project. “We were unrealistically expensive
Predominantly grade three loam over chalk, with some clay caps, the estate supports a diversity of
enterprises, supplying Waitrose with 5 million litres of milk, all its brown mushrooms, branded Cox’s apples and juice, fresh poultry and eggs, packed flour and, all importantly, marketing stories linking premium produce back to the estate, says Mr Dalton. “It’s part of why we are different, we have a farm and we don’t play at it, it’s a proper commercial farm, but doing everything right.” With long-time Farmers Club stalwart Lord Don Curry as chairman of the estate’s management committee the attention to doing the job properly is no surprise. Conservation is a key theme, with all the estate being in ELS and extensive areas in HLS. Stone curlew plots have encouraged three successful fledglings. Waitrose values of treating partners, suppliers, customers and the environment well apply equally to the farm. “Are we doing enough? No. But that’s what we’re working on,” Mr Dalton notes. Being part of the Partnership brings benefits too. “Yes, having John Lewis as banker helped with the loan for the dairy, but it was at fully commercial rates, and the rent we pay is commercial too,” he stresses. The 600 cow herd lies at the heart of the estate, the year-round calving Friesian Holsteins averaging 8,600 litres/year through a large rotary parlour installed in 2006. All milk goes to Waitrose stores via Dairy Crest. “Customers expect cows to go outside, so they do, at some point, with paddock grazing available around the dairy,” Mr Dalton explains. The fruit farm is being revitalised to better meet the needs of Waitrose shoppers, who are prepared to pay a premium for crisp, crunchy apples handpicked from the chalky site. That is just as well given yields that are a third lower than Kent orchards. Old trees are being grubbed out and replaced with new plantings on more sheltered sites to boost output. Out-grades go for juicing, or cider-making, the Leckford brand again ensuring a price premium. The latest venture is a 5ha (12 acre) vineyard on a south-facing bank of thin, chalky soils similar to those in Champagne. The Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Meunier grapes will soon be producing English sparkling wines to grace Waitrose wine departments. A free-range broiler unit supplies 6,500 chickens a week to Waitrose, while eggs come from 12,000 free-range Colombian Blacktail layers in houses powered by wind turbines and solar panels – all part of the Waitrose provenance story.
Leckford’s 600-cow dairy delivers the cow care customers expect.
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Mushrooms have become a very lucrative enterprise, generating a quarter of the farm’s annual £13m turnover, ever since moving out of commodity white mushrooms. “It was the best thing we ever did,” says Mr Dalton. Now 21 tonnes a week of brown and chestnut mushrooms meet all Waitrose’s needs, with spent compost boosting the fertility of the light soils.
Salisbury Cathedral made for a spectacular introduction to Hampshire, where members, including (l-r) chairman Stewart Houston, past chairman Denis Chamberlain and deputy secretary Robert Buckolt, received a personal welcome from former Farmers Club chaplain Bishop Nick Holtam.
Magnificent Longstock Water Gardens, a Leckford treasure beside the River Test.
Intriguingly, 100t of compost arrives every week direct from Belgium, ready ‘seeded’ with mycelium. That is despite one of Britain’s biggest mushroom compost suppliers being based alongside the farm. “We used to source from them, but for what we are growing now the Dutch pre-planted compost better meets our needs,” says Mr Dalton. Arable cropping comprises wheat, barley and rape, most of the wheat going to Marriage’s in Essex for milling and packing into retail size bags for sale as Leckford flour through Waitrose stores, which is more profitable than supplying an in-store bakery. John Spedan Lewis valued conservation highly. Eighty years later Leckford continues to espouse the merits of producing quality food in harmony with the environment. When that harmony can be fully monetised through a value-added retail brand the logic really does come full circle. A new farm shop will create an even closer connection with the public.
“We have a farm and we don’t play at it, it’s a proper commercial farm, but doing everything right.”
www.thefarmersclub.com • 07
Weather • Jim Bacon
Jim Bacon • Weather
A new summer ensemble A novel approach to analyzing weather is creating more useful forecasts, as former TV weather man Jim Bacon explains
“I found the portal very good indeed and I equally value the telephone service, used in tandem, to help us keep on top of crop spraying in a challenging year.” – R J Moore & Partners, Halvergate, Norfolk
WE are now well into this year’s weather challenge for farmers and growers. A cold spring left us a few weeks behind the curve and now it looks like dryness and sudden thundery downpours will be the weather features making life difficult.
Ensemble Forecasts How can we cope with such variability? At Weatherquest we have developed a new web-based subscription service for agriculture, using modern meteorological techniques, to offer much more than the simple forecasts available through more traditional media. The portal introduces the concept of ensemble forecasts. These allow us to say much more about the probability of an event happening and the spread of possible weather outcomes. But what is an ensemble forecast? Each traditional forecast you might see represents one particular evolution of the atmosphere. So, by using multiple ‘runs’ of a forecast model, each with slightly different starting conditions, an ensemble of results can be created, showing how sensitive the atmosphere is to small changes.
Most business decisions can be better informed by proper analysis of the weather risks and farming is perhaps the most weather sensitive business of all. Ten-day probability forecasts for a postcode can minimise farm losses linked to temperature, rainfall or heat stress. Knowing about important shifts in the weather up to 10 days ahead is a clear bottomline advantage. It won’t make the weather better, but it will keep you ahead of it! We have recently added a water balance 10-day probability forecast (Pic B) to help estimate likely irrigation requirements and plan water budgets accordingly. The 10-day rainfall probability will also pick out the prospect of a hay-making window, or the risks of it failing part way through. The solar radiation forecast gives a valuable insight into fruit ripening or grain-fill, or even an idea of the likely output of on-farm solar panels.
We check 50 discrete runs to identify the possible range of weather outcomes. The resulting ensemble gives a valuable insight into the extremes of what is possible, but also shows where most of the outcomes lie.
Monthly Forecasts
Through the Weatherquest portal users can see how likely the forecast is to be correct, and what the likely alternatives might be. Harnessing that information can help farmers avoid costly losses.
Where longer lead times are required, monthly forecasts (Pic C), updated twice each week, show the average conditions of temperature, rainfall, solar radiation and pressure for each of the next four weeks.
A recent example happened at a January farming conference. The ensemble forecast showed the possibility of a major shift to much colder weather over the following 10 days (Pic A). This was at a time when minimum temperatures were still mild, at around 7˚C. As temperatures plummeted to a damaging -13˚C the following week it was clear the ensemble forecast had provided good guidance. This advance warning of severe frost risk could have been used by growers to ensure timely protection for sugar beet clamps, or by suppliers to make sure necessary stocks were in place, such as tarpaulins.
The trend information over four weeks in these charts helps spot sudden changes in the weather, so important tasks can be re-scheduled. Each week is accompanied by a forecaster commentary, explaining the main features of the week’s weather.
Short term weather Obviously, farming is largely about day to day decisions and the portal provides a detailed analysis of the next five days, showing weather conditions every three hours to help identify quieter spraying windows, for example. The section is postcode specific, updated four times a day (Pic D) and is accessible anytime, even via email each morning to a mobile device.
Ensemble forecasting gives better picture of upcoming weather, says Weatherquest’s Jim Bacon.
Historical weather The portal can also be used to look at local historical weather records, including degree-day data, to help analyse crop development and disease-related issues. Over the years we have listened to what farmers have told us they want from a forecast service. We are continually adding new items and are always pleased to hear new ideas about what your ideal weather advice service might contain. Final thought; if you spend valuable time on the web every night, checking the myriad of forecasts (probably all different ), then be sure to cost your time before you compare it to the cost of a bespoke farming forecast. At less than a pound a day it could be very good value.
“As a producer of hay and straw a reliable forecast is vital to our operations. I am delighted with your service.” – G W Tickler, Bourne, Lincs
Weatherquest • Multiple forecasts analysed • Operating over 10 years • UK team of 12 • University of East Anglia links • Anglia Farmers member discount Contact: info@weatherquest.co.uk for free trail www.weatherquest.co.uk
Pic A: Minimum temperature graphic shows range of potential results.
08 • The Farmers Club Harvest Journal 2013
Pic B: Water balance info helps schedule irrigation
Pic C: Monthly weather data is simply displayed.
Pic D: Daily forecast helps prioritise farm tasks.
www.thefarmersclub.com • 09
Club Tour
Education
Bordeaux uncorked In early summer the Farmers Club visited Bordeaux to learn about, and sample, the region’s food and wine. Here is a taster of what they experienced
(appellation controllee), vine quality (growth) and wine quality (cru), for instance Appellation St Emilion Premier Grand Cru Classe. St Emilion, the oldest appellation in Bordeaux, is the first UNESCO World Heritage vineyard area. Fine wine depends on topography, terroir, climate, grape variety and human expertise. A wet spring risks mildew; phylloxera and oidium are also constant threats, for which preventive measures are used. Hot dry seasons can recover vines, but if root disease strikes vines are removed and the soil fallowed for five years, before replanting. Viticulture includes biodynamic and organic cultivation methods, such as manual pruning, hoe weeding and the use of horse drawn implements to avoid soil compaction and stress on root stocks. Twice daily vineyard inspections involve grape and pip tasting for tannin, preventive treatments of disease and harvest forecasting. Critical factors in wine quality are not only the date and year of the grape harvest, but the expertise in tasting at each stage. In modern winemaking the neutral qualities of concrete or stainless steel are favoured for maceration and fermentation vats. Modern computer assisted technology combines with human expertise to manage gravity transfer of grape and juice, optimum temperature, and humidity control per individual vat according to harvest date.
Above left: Tasting sessions highlighted the nuances of fine wines. Above right: Wine expert Alex Hall – enthusiastic, knowledgeable and humorous guide. Bottom right: Production methods may have modernised, but human skill remains a vital ingredient.
WE visited five picturesque Chateaux vineyards in the Medoc and St Emilion wine regions, plus horticultural, caviar and oyster enterprises, and walked, dined, wined and slept each night in central Bordeaux. A packed itinerary! Uncorked Wine Tours had come up with interesting vineyard and fishery visits with convivial dining experiences, and the opportunity to taste produce at each visit. In a cheese shop, for example, we sampled 15 delicious artisan cow, sheep and goat cheeses from French mountain and lowland farms, each expertly aged and matched with Bordeaux wine. Alex Hall, a local expert in Bordeaux vineyards, held our attention such that no nuance was lost in translation. Part of Bordeaux’s success is a temperate Gulf Stream climate, with the river Garonne rising in the Pyrenees and carrying gravel deposits to the Medoc coastal region, where permeable soils (terroir) hold the sun’s heat to favour viticulture. Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillion and Muscadelle vines produce half the value of Bordeaux labels, including 60 Grand Cru Classe wines. By contrast the clay, sand and gravel soils on limestone rock bordering the river Dordogne are cooler, favouring early ripening Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines. Winemaking is regulated by two classifications, the Medoc 1855 Classification and St Emilion 1954. Classification is noted by vineyard location
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In ageing and fining the wine French oak barrels help develop distinctive aroma. Oak forest is state owned and wine makers negotiate cooperage contracts for the finest grain in the trunk. Split on the grain, one seasoned trunk makes 50 barrels, which winemakers use once before recycling for brandy production. Seasonal hire of labour, cultivation machinery, barrels and a mobile bottling device help bring economies of scale to small vineyards. At Arachon Bay we explored caviar and oyster cultivation, learning that inland sturgeon farming uses geothermal hot water to nurture juveniles, from which eggs are harvested after six years, sacrificing the potential lifespan of 50 years. In the sheltered Atlantic waters Canadian Gigas oysters were imported to restore the commercial industry. The harbour is lined with fishing huts where trade takes place, an informative museum and a seafood café that was well worth visiting! All in all a most informative and enjoyable trip.
College celebrates 120 years Farming needs skilled workers and farm colleges are rising to the challenge. With a 120-year heritage Writtle College is eyeing the future with enthusiasm
Agriculture is attracting fresh student interest at 120-year old Writtle College.
PRODUCTION agriculture is sexy again, appealing to students who want a good job, a respectable income to help pay off their student loan, and a sense of doing something worthwhile.
Other projects range from the use of essential oils to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from ruminants to the genetic diversity of large cats, including Asian snow leopards.
From such enthusiasm comes the entrepreneurial spirit the industry craves. At Writtle College, which celebrates 120 years of agricultural education from its campus in Essex this year, that ethos is alive and well.
The college’s 220ha (550 acre) estate and access to commercial farms locally ensures farming, horticulture and environmental science courses are all grounded in the real world.
Recruitment numbers were up 15% last year, with a combination of block-release and full-time students now contributing to a roll call of 1000 full-time equivalents in higher education courses and a similar number in further education, including around 60 MScs and 40 PhDs, enthuses the college’s head of higher education Dr Jeremy Strong.
Bridging the gap between farming and the environment is a key focus. “Farming can’t afford not to be aware of the issues, but at the same time the environmental sector has to understand farming, if change is going to happen,” Dr Strong notes.
Industry demand is driving the surge in interest. “We had more visitors to our stand at the Cereals Event wanting to employ graduates than we had students enquiring about courses. That is quite a turnaround. It is the measure of a sector where a lot of people are now approaching retirement, just as demand for produce is soaring, as the world population approaches 9 billion.” Students aiming to return to the family farm are now a minority. New blood is flooding in as students recognise real career opportunities. “It is astonishing to see how many enrol onto the Animal Science course, intending to working with chinchillas and rabbits, and finish the course as experts in the carcase composition of livestock. They can see production agriculture is on the rise.” The college is attracting substantial research funding, such as a new £820,000 BBSRC-funded cow locomotion study. Leading a group including the Royal Veterinary College and Exeter and Essex Universities it is looking at new ways of monitoring cow health and behaviour by analyzing data from small collar-mounted movement detectors.
“Education has value, but education linked to vocational training has added value” Writtle principal Stephen Waite.
Indeed, Writtle is working to foster a better awareness of business ethics as well as the simple drive for profit. “We run mock House of Lords select committees, with students taking the roles of all sectors, from millers to War on Want. Public communication of science is so important we think our students need to be able to speak across all levels of the industry, from farmers to policy makers, and to see all their perspectives. “Our aim is to develop strong enthusiasms, so you could say we are staying true to our vocational roots in that sense,” Dr Strong notes. New principal Stephen Waite echoes that view: “Education has value, but education linked to vocational training has added value.”
Below: Learning in the context of the real world is the goal – Writtle’s Jeremy Strong.
WRITTLE COLLEGE • • • • • • •
Started as County Laboratories in 1893 Five name changes in 120 years Chelmsford site since 1940 2,000 students inc MSc/PhDs Cutting-edge research Strong vocational focus www.writtle.ac.uk
www.thefarmersclub.com • 11
Charles Abel • Estate Visit
Estate Visit • Charles Abel
Royal Farming
Good farming and public access can go hand in hand – estate deputy ranger Philip Everett.
The Queen’s herd of contented Jerseys – yielding 6,500 litres through robot milkers.
Farm shop fully leverages Royal connection.
Royal provenance brings a small price premium for the farm, and a huge mark-up for the farm shop.
Farming in a Royal Park has upsides and downsides, as Club members found when they visited Windsor Great Park. Charles Abel reports
Savill Garden - a profusion of azalea and camellia colour.
FARMERS Club membership has many benefits, including a varied programme of visits and tours. Earlier this year, reflecting Her Majesty the Queen’s patronage, members visited Windsor Great Park and its associated Royal Farm – one of just four groups given such privileged access this year. On a beautiful early summer day 75 members were welcomed on behalf of the Queen and the Crown Commissioners to the York Club for introductory coffee, having arrived by car, or by coach from the Club for those who dined and stayed there the night before. The tone of the day was quickly set. This is a commercial farm, within an estate managed for the good of the public, as well as the benefit of the Royal Family. Although representing just 2% of the Crown Estate, which has property in London, 300,000 acres of farmland and increasingly valuable maritime assets, Windsor Estate makes the biggest loss. With two to three million public visits to the estate each year the £1.5m deficit is equivalent to just 50p per visit, notes deputy ranger Philip Everett. “It’s a shame we can’t charge £1 a visit – we’d be sitting pretty then.” But providing an amenity area for the public, and the Royal family, is all part of the burden the Estate and the Royal Farm must carry. The Royal Farm accounts for 1,000ha (2,500 acre) of the 6,400ha (15,700 acre) overall estate, occupying
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a 13 mile long corridor, surrounded by urban areas, and requiring a 43 mile round trip to visit every field. Whilst it reflects the Queen’s interests in best practice agriculture, it is no hobby farm. It is fully commercial, paying a full market rent to the Crown Estate. Of course, the Royal connection has benefits, not least being a useful premium for meat supplied to the impressive farm shop, which is run as a separate profit centre. Created 11 years ago with a start-up investment of £1m the shop has more on-site butchers than the farm has workers, and little wonder when it retails fillet steak at £47.95/kg and mince at £9.95/kg.
£3m farm shop It attracts 6,500 shoppers a week, and with a tea room alongside is a destination in its own right, with a turnover of over £3m, the meat counter alone contributing £1m. Produce is 60% sourced from the estate or surrounding area, with all meat from the Royal Farm. The horsemeat scandal saw a 20% jump in meat sales, which has not dropped away. Beef is predominantly single-suckled purebred Sussex, although two Simmental bulls arrived recently. One of the 30 animal herds is organic. Finishing 180 animals to meet the shop’s year-round needs means spring and autumn calving and careful management to achieve a R4L 320-325kg carcase. The farm shop also takes 725 pigs and 750 lambs from the farm.
Although averaging 6,500 litres on a favourable Channel Island milk contract, making it the UK’s highest yielding Jersey herd on forage, the 179cow dairy is running at a loss, as it services a £1m investment in new buildings and robot milkers made in 2009, explains farm manager Mark Osman. Cow welfare is well catered for, with slatted floor slurry storage and a self-propelled gps-controlled scraping robot to keep the building clean and minimise foot problems. Dunlop water mattresses prevent pressure sores, while 750 acres of grass grown on Thames River-bed gravel means animals can snatch graze three times a day from Valentine’s Day onwards. After the 2007 foot and mouth outbreak, which brought culling to within one farm of the dairy, the Queen’s keen interest in blood lines saw her direct intervention to ensure 17 distinct breeding lines within the Jersey herd were dispersed to satellite farms. The dairy provides milk and cream cheese to the Queen directly, although not from the wonderful 1858 Prince Consort creamery, a spectacular building fully lined with Minton porcelain tiles and stunning double glazed stained glass windows. Despite lying directly beneath Heathrow airport’s main flight path, with huge Airbus A380s thundering overhead, inside was peace and calm, a reminder of a quieter age. A 480-hind deer herd on the heaviest Berkshire clay is a separate operation, run as part of the overall
estate, which is mostly designated as a site of special scientific interest, including some of the country’s finest ancient woodland, with numerous circa 700 year old oaks and one of 1200 years. The estate also embraces Ascot racecourse, a golf course, polo pitches, the impressive Savill Garden visited as part of the tour, and three planned biomass plants. Arable cropping on 400ha (1000 acres) of mainly grade three London clay is supported by 20t/acre of ‘magic ingredient’ muck from the livestock units. First and second wheat usually yields 10t/ha (4t/acre) for feed, with a break of oilseed rape, or fodder beet for high energy, high protein stock feed, further underlining the farm’s desire to embrace the best current practise. On such a splendid early summer’s day – the sort of day when England looks its very best – this was a truly memorable visit.
ROYAL ROBOTS Three Fullwood Merlin 225 robot milkers have transformed cow welfare, making mastitis a thing of the past, thanks to individual cups being removed up to two minutes apart, thus avoid over-milking of individual quarters. Cull rate is down from 37% to 12%.
www.thefarmersclub.com • 13
Policymaking
Strangled by red tape? Will EU red tape suffocate the UK’s nascent agri-science strategy? Experts say no, but there is a battle to fight
“Do Members of the European Parliament understand the decisions they are making and the impacts on farmers and consumers in their own countries” – Defra minister David Heath.
Policymaking
RED tape spewing forth from the Brussels policy factory is having a dramatic impact on UK agriculture. So much so that there is real concern it could kill the UK’s agri-tech strategy stone dead. At one of the UK’s top farming events, Cereals 2013, earlier this summer, Defra minister David Heath shared his views with a panel of experts and an industry-wide audience. Over-shadowing the event was this year’s EU-ban on the use of powerful neonicotinoid insecticides in oilseed rape, despite a valiant science-led battle. “We couldn’t have asked Defra to do more, but we still lost,” reflected David Caffall, chief executive of the Agricultural Industries Confederation. With 40 pesticide active ingredients at risk through the endocrine disruptor review, including crucial Septoria fungicides, not to mention the pressure on key slug killer metaldehyde, the industry could not afford to lose further battles, he warned. The neonicotinoid issue wasn’t over yet, Mr Heath insisted, and neither would EU red tape derail the UK’s agri-science strategy. “We have demanded further field research to tell us what is really happening, and I think we are getting acceptance on that from the EC.” Eleven other member states have supported that call. “We are determined to take forward the agriscience strategy, because our first rate institutes need to direct what they are doing to what will most benefit agriculture.” But he feared the role of the European Parliament. “The Commission and Council of Ministers find ways of meeting all interests, but the European Parliament is open to political pressure, often without the full information, and that is having a very serious impact. “Do Members of the European Parliament understand the decisions they are making and the impacts on farmers and consumers in their own countries,” he asked. He saw no areas as taboo, including GM crops, the ultimate example of red-tape restricted technology. “GM is not the be all and end all, but it is a component part. We have institutes that can develop this, to help cope with increasing populations in the UK and around the world. So will we allow the slowest member states in the EU to restrict that? No. We work in a global market and it is in the interests of the EU to work with technology and take it forward.” GM was a series of applications of a technology, that needed considering individually, and licensing as robustly as any other high technology, he argued. It should not be treated as a theoretical, philosophical, or almost theologial concept, to be accepted or rejected as a whole. Meurig Raymond, NFU deputy president agreed the agri-science strategy was a step in the right direction and that innovation was needed. Precision
14 • The Farmers Club Harvest Journal 2013
Private investment in R&D is dwindling in the face of onerous EU red tape – NFU’s Meurig Raymond.
Well targeted regulations encourage intelligent solutions – Richard Macdonald, Farming Regulations Taskforce.
technology, for example, helped use increasingly costly inputs where they were most needed, a key to sustainable intensification. But recent EU decisions highlighted the dangers. The neonicotinoid ban was a backward step for UK and EU farming. BASF’s withdrawal of 200 GM scientists from Germany to the USA further highlighted the risks of excessive red tape. “We are losing a lot of private investment in the sector, because of EU policy decisions, and that is extremely concerning.” With crop yields on a plateau another green revolution was needed, and GM could help. “Last year I sprayed 10 times for potato blight, while GM blight resistant potatoes at a research institute had no sprays. That’s much better for the environment.” Richard Macdonald, chairman of the Farming Regulation Taskforce, had little doubt the UK’s agriscience strategy would survive, but noted that Defra and its agencies needed to change their culture, to better understand and embrace farming. “There is a real need to get out of the grandstand and get onto the pitch.” Regulations needed to be more holistic, looking at whole systems, rather than putting issues like nitrogen, phosphate and potash pollution in separate silos, he continued. Similarly, CAP reform needed viewing in terms of outcomes, rather than processes, to avoid a repeat of the mistakes following CAP reform in 2003. He applauded well targeted regulations, like Catchment Sensitive Farming, which encouraged those most involved to find intelligent solutions, rather than indiscriminate blanket bans, which were less likely to engender support.
Public distrust in big agri-business is a threat too – Prof David Harvey, Newcastle University.
Professor David Harvey of Newcastle University agreed that the agri-science strategies would survive, but suggested the breakdown in trust between farmers, consumers and the environment lobby was a worry, as was the disconnect between public and private sector research and development. Put very simplistically science lost the GM debate because the private sector was seen to be pursuing its own agenda. “Privatising so much of the research sector was a big mistake, which lost us 10-15 years of development, especially in plant breeding,” he said. “The public is not willing to trust big agri-business developing technology to line its own pockets. It should be a public good, with information freely available, provided by the public sector.” A green revolution was needed, it needed to be doubly green, causing less damage to the environment, and even triply green, requiring less fossil fuel. The holy grail could be leguminous nitrogen fixing wheat, possibly through GM. But if agribusiness achieved that first, at huge profit to itself, the public response could be quite different to a public-funded institute making the technology freely available to all. “You’ll never get enough evidence to convince opponents they are wrong. So we need to ask them what alternative futures might look like. They are never obliged to articulate how the world works and how it might work better,” he added. Maybe that is the key to ensuring the UK agri-science strategy can deliver for UK farming, despite the flak it must endure from EU red tape. * The debate was part of the Arable Conference at Cereals 2013 organised by the Oxford Farming Conference and chaired by OFC Director Adrian Ivory.
www.thefarmersclub.com • 15
Charity
Obituary
Farming Figures
Obituary – Derek Watson DEREK Watson, who died in May, was editor of the Farmers Club Journal for 22 years, and a much respected farming journalist, PR specialist and member of the Farmers Club.
A quick look at a topical issue within the food and farming industry by way of some key statistics www.farmafrica.org/dig-for-good/digforgood
£1.5 billion Farmer spending on farm machinery in 2012
13,951 Total tractor sales, worth £770m, equivalent to an average of £55,000 per tractor
14%
Bottom left: Debbie Keeble and Teresa Wickham get stuck into Farm Africa pond digging project in rural Kenya.
Proportion of tractor sales above 200hp
1,140 Combine sales, 65% up on the more typical 750 units/year, due to capital allowance changes
940 Plough sales, up from 2006 low of 580, as farmers return to trusted answer to weeds and wet weather
2:3:4
Approximate ratio of self-propelled, to trailed, to mounted sprayers, totalling 1020 units overall
20% Surge in UTV buggy sales, as comfort and tougher-to-steal credentials continue to undermine ATV sales
1:2:10 Ratio of conventional, to big square, to round baler sales, big square baler sales up 21% in two years
1 million Tractors estimated to be working on UK farms Source: Agricultural Engineers Association, as reported in Farmers Weekly
16 • The Farmers Club Harvest Journal 2013
African pond digging SPENDING five days in rural Kenya digging an Olympic size fish pond was an invitation Debbie Keeble and I could not resist. In late May, together with 14 other senior women from the UK food and hospitality industry, we travelled to rural Western Kenya with the aim of digging a fish pond 300m square and a metre deep, in four days! The pond would be owned by 16 women from the AFULA co-operative, who would be digging alongside us. Farm Africa’s Aquaculture team would support the women, supplying 1,000 fingerling baby tilapia, and providing advice on production and marketing. These fish are farmed in eight months and are able to provide a source of nutrition and income for the community for years to come. After an overwhelming reception at the farm we walked the mile or so through the fields down to the site, which had been pegged out for us. It looked enormous. After two hours of digging with either a spade or hoe we
returned to our hotel covered in mud but feeling we had made a great start. The system was simple: one person dug, with spade or hoe, heaving the soggy wet soil onto old rice sacks, which two people would cart to the side to deposit on the banks. When a good layer of earth had been dumped on the banks, we would break off and do a ‘compacting dance’, singing African songs accompanied by a giant ghetto blaster sited beneath a mango tree. Having started on the Saturday afternoon we finished on the Tuesday evening and shared a typical British/Kenyan meal with our new found friends. Shopping for and cooking this meal was an adventure in itself. We returned home feeling fit, despite some blisters and minor sunburn, but overwhelmed with awe at how those women were managing their daily life. Hopefully, we have made some small difference. • Teresa Wickham
Born near Godalming in Surrey, educated at Charterhouse, and called up to the Prince of Wales Dragoon Guards in 1947, Derek tried farming after leaving the army, but soon switched to farm journalism. He developed his expertise at Farmer & Stockbreeder, before moving to the weekly Farming Express, set up by Lord Beaverbrook as part of his campaign against the UK's membership of the Common Market. In agricultural PR he spent time with Agripress, running the company’s news service, and provided PR support to the NFYFC in the 1980s, bringing his professionalism to bear upon an organisation that was not so worldly-wise in media relations. As editor of The Farmers Club Journal he moved it from a rather staid black and white publication to include colour images and a more journalistic flavour. He was an enthusiastic Council member of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists, its treasurer for many years and a founding Trustee of the Guild's Charitable Trust. Tributes on the Guild’s website reflect his deep knowledge of the farming media, and his unfailing wit and humour. Renowned for his patience and generosity to emerging journalists, one former colleague reflects: “He was never too busy to
explain; always prepared to answer questions and find out more, if asked. A kind man, reliable and genuine; good humoured and amusing. His presence at a press briefing gave one confidence in the product or concept being launched. He was greatly respected and valued.” Never flustered, Derek was the life and soul of any party. His hospitality as PR host in the Royal Smithfield Show press room was appreciated by all who sampled it. As Farm North East editor Eddie Gillanders recollects: "Derek looked after the Scottish press particularly well, always with a bottle or two of Scotch on hand at what became designated as 'Scotch corner' in the press room! Not sure if it was named after the whisky or because the Scottish contingent made the most use of it!" Derek’s final years were spent in the comfort of the Journalists' Charity nursing home in Dorking. He received tremendous support from the GAJ Charitable Trust and from individual trustees, says his daughter Tessa Bevin. "He also received excellent palliative care from St Catherine's Hospice in Crawley, where the staff seemed as concerned for our welfare as for my father's." Perhaps the final word for this kind, cheerful, and industrious journalist should go to another former colleague, who remembered Derek as a spirit-lifting, lovely man, great company and a true gentleman. • Further tributes at www.gaj.org.uk/news/derek-watson Charles Abel •
Food Exports
Letter to the editor Dear Editor, I wonder whether anyone else remembers the quite delicious harvest of lamb’s tails at docking time? My Mother used to cook them delicately with onions and milk. I can remember the shepherd skinning them, sort of popping them out from the woolly cover! Of course he took his share of this seasonal delicacy too. My recollection was triggered by the article “Exporting meat success” (p4, FCJ 244, Summer 2013), which explained the rising popularity of ‘fifth quarter’ cuts of meat to the Far East in particular. I also remember being terribly shocked after I moved from Northamptonshire in 1979. My new butcher said I must place an advance order for supplies of sweetbreads and pigs feet! How times have changed. • Suzanne Thompson-Coon, Emsworth, Hampshire
The Editor replies: A quick look at www.vintagerecipes.net offers this tempting recipe, originally published in HandBook of Practical Cookery (1884). Ingredients: About 6 lamb’s tails 2 ounces of bacon 1 bay-leaf, 1 clove 2 sprigs of parsley 1 sprig of thyme 6 small onions 1 carrot cut in four pieces Broth and white wine Salt and pepper
St George brand helps meet French consume r demands for convenience.
Instructions: Put in a stewpan the bacon cut in slices, with the bay-leaf, parsley, thyme, clove, onions, carrot, then the tails; cover the whole with broth and white wine, half of each; add salt and pepper. Place the pan in a moderately heated oven; it will take about four hours to cook. Take the tails from the pan and put in a warm place, strain the sauce, skim off any excess fat, and reduce till rather thick. Place the tails on a puree, turn the sauce on them, and serve.
Expor ting meat success
In the second part of exports sector we our series examining efforts to boost consid Agriculture and Horticu er some successful case studies the £12bn-plus food supported by the lture Development Board Coals to China
LAST May a new trade deal for UK signed with China pig meat was worth a potential two years. Previousl £100m over y only live breeding be sold to China pigs could from the UK, but breakthrough this major was secured after nearly 10 years of patient negotiati ng China-Britain Business by AHDB, Defra and the Council.
This exciting developm ent came in spite being easily the of China world’s biggest pork producer, an output of 70 with million tonnes, compared to the 6 million tonnes Peter Hardwick or so – AHDB of ‘coals to Newcastl produced in the UK. A case Head of Trade Development. e’ on an epic scale. A major opportun ity for this market selling parts of will be in the pig carcass which have little no value in the or UK, such as heads, offal – putting tails, trotters and real added value back into the UK pig supply chain. The pig meat breakthro ugh has helped sectors too – AHDB’s other Potato Council, is already using the contacts developefor example, Hardwick, Head of Trade Developm d by Peter beef and lamb ent for AHDB’s and pig divisions.
04 • The Farmers
Club Summer Journal
Encouragingly, despite starting from a low base, China has become the UK’s fastest for food exports. growing market It took time though, starting in 2003, AHDB efforts just two years after foot and disease hit the mouth UK industry so hard, with full taken of Guangxi account – China’s process gates’ to allow of ‘opening the foreign business in its country companies to do more of 1.2 billion people. “AHDB represent atives have accompa ministers on all nied UK agriculture trade missions China, providing to both technical and strategic expertise and always presenting Defra industry perspecti with the ve, but doing so with helping to build relationships a knowledge of what home farmers and processo rs can and can’t says Mr Hardwick provide,” . “For example, our knowledge and advice on safety has proved food a key asset in helping Chinese confiden us establish ce in the UK pig industry and there’s every prospect this will continue to play well as talk more and we more to possibility of supplying our China contacts about the them with beef, potatoes,” he lamb and adds.
2013
www.thefarmersclub.com • 17
Jeremy Dyas, Chairman; Beth Hockham, Vice Chairman; Lisbeth Rune, Secretary • U30s
U30s • Jeremy Dyas, Chairman; Beth Hockham, Vice Chairman; Lisbeth Rune, Secretary
U30s
Permitted Development Rights
Chairman’s Jottings
In a bid to stimulate the rural economy, new planning regulations have been introduced and have taken affect as of the 30th May 2013 for an initial period of three years. In part they allow the change of use of an existing agricultural building to a range of commercial uses, without submitting a full planning application, subject to meeting certain criteria.
As farmers across the country commence the 2013 combinable harvest we can only hope that all this season’s hard efforts, with such difficult planting conditions for many last autumn, are rewarded with good quality and high yields. It would be nice if the weather played ball for once too! I recently headed to the Royal Agricultural University at Cirencester, along with Club Secretary Stephen Skinner and Under 30s Vice Chairman Beth Hockham, to help promote The Farmers Club, in particular our vibrant Under 30s section. As an ex-Harper Adams student I was not sure if I would need an armed escort! However, I am pleased to report the students were very hospitable and a great deal of interest was shown. I also intend to promote the Club at Harper Adams University in Shropshire. By the time you read this article the Under 30s will have held their Pimms and Supper evening at the Club, which is normally a very enjoyable evening. As it is held midweek it often attracts more members that work in the City, as well as the usual stalwarts. Our September Dining Evening is to be held on Friday 6th September and I am delighted that Andrew Brown, Director of Farming in The Park and The Oxford Farming Conference, is to be our guest speaker. I am sure he will be very interesting and we look forward to an enjoyable event. In addition we have another Farm Walk Planned for October 11th -13th in Shropshire. I do hope you will be able to join us at some, or all, of our upcoming events.
contact Jeremy for more information Jeremy Dyas 07877 615444 jezzajones@hotmail.co.uk
18 • The Farmers Club Harvest Journal 2013
Bradley Etchell
Cambridge farm walk Cambridge was the setting for the Under 30s action packed May Farm Walk, with members and guests travelling from as far as Yorkshire for what turned out to be a great weekend based at the Royal Cambridge Hotel. Friday evening began with drinks and a meal at Browns restaurant. On Saturday morning, after a robust breakfast, the cobbled streets and sun-lit quadrangles of Cambridge were swapped for the rolling countryside of East Cambridgeshire to visit Camgrain. This fascinating visit, hosted by two of the founding members, Philip Darke and John Latham, showed off the cutting edge technology employed by the three-year old site at Six Mile Bottom. The U30s received a tour of the 150,000t site giving insight into the capabilities of the new facility and the benefits for members of the wholly farmer owned co-operative, which can store grain long term more cheaply than a single farmer store. As the high-vis and hard hats were set to one side, conversation turned to the supply chain. Camgrain supplies 100% of the wheat for Sainsbury’s in-store bakeries and Mr Latham suggested that if farmers can take more control of commodity supply chains they would be less likely to remain price takers and could add value for themselves. Next stop was Burwash Manor, a 160ha (400 acre) mixed organic farm in Barton, on the outskirts of Cambridge. Mike Radford and family have successfully diversified their beautiful
farm yard from its traditional roots to a bespoke retail park, with shoppers from miles around visiting to purchase clothing, jewellery, fresh organic produce and wine.
For the change of use of a small agricultural building(s) where the floor area is less than 150sqm, the process is less formal and involves writing to the local planning authority (LPA), to give notification of the date the new use will begin, a description of the nature of the new use, along with a plan indicating which building(s) are to be affected.
Following lunch and a tour of the farm, attention was drawn to capital works paid for by the farm’s Higher Level Scheme. New ponds and nectar mixes alongside new hedgerows brought great environmental benefit and further boosted the organic farm’s green credentials.
• Ed Reynolds Under 30s member
Once a change of use has been implemented under ‘Class M’ the use will be treated in the eyes of the planners as Sui Generis (of its own kind/unique in its characteristics) a use class normally assigned when no other use class applies. The significance of this in relation to these new rules is that to change a building to a usage not covered under ‘Class M’ a full planning application will be required. The new changes present an opportunity to review some of your farm buildings and ensure they are being put to best use. When coupled with a sound business plan they offer the potential for a significant boost to the rural economy, providing a valuable opportunity to create and diversify into new businesses by removing some of the red tape and associated time constraints that may usually act as a deterrent. • Bradley Etchell Under 30s member Rural Enterprise & Land Management student Harper Adams University
For the change of use of a building(s) where the floor area is between 150sqm and 500sqm, it is necessary to submit a prior notification application to the LPA. The main factors to be considered by the authority at this point are in relation to highways, noise, land contamination and flood risk issues.
That evening, with a hop, skip and a jump across town from the hotel, an excellent dinner was held in the elegant surroundings of the Mountbatten Room of Christ College. After a quick round of happy birthday to our chairman (in fact 30 but said he was 27!) we headed into the lively streets of Cambridge, where a truly great night was had in a number of establishments. On Sunday we visited Duxford Imperial War Museum, where it quickly became clear not only which U30s had overindulged the night before, but also which had spent their youth gluing airfix models of Hurricanes and Spitfires together. After a good dose of British, Commonwealth and American aviation history it was time to depart, but all agreed it had been a very special weekend. With great thanks to Jeremy Dyas, Will Benbow, Bradley Etchell and Rachel Winter from the Club.
The regulations have been brought in as part of an amendment to the Town & Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995. Part of the amendment introduces a new ‘Class M’. This new class aims to allow the change of use of agricultural buildings to a use falling under the following classifications: A1 shops A2 financial and professional services A3 restaurants & cafes B1 business B8 storage and distribution C1 hotels D2 assembly & leisure
specified under ‘Class M’ is possible, but the LPA must first be notified of the change, as per the procedure that applied to the initial change, as described above.
In order to qualify for the new rights under ‘Class M’ the building(s) concerned must have been in agricultural use since 3rd July 2012, or, if brought into use after that date, for at least 10 years. The regulations do not apply if the site is a Listed Building or Scheduled Ancient Monument.
“The new changes present an opportunity to review some of your farm buildings and ensure they are being put to best use.”
Once an application for prior approval has been received by the LPA, it has 56 days to issue a decision to the developer. Development cannot then begin before one of the following has been received: - A written notice that prior approval is not required - A written notice that prior approval is granted - No decision within the 56 days An important factor to bear in mind when considering these new regulations is that the permission only extends to changing the use of a building. Any development that involves material alterations to the exterior of the building will require full planning permission to be obtained. At a later date after the initial change of use, a subsequent change to another use within the list
Recent rule changes mean the time is right to consider alternative uses for agricultural buildings.
www.thefarmersclub.com • 19
Club News • Stephen Skinner
Stephen Skinner • Club News
Club News Balmoral Show first Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Theresa Villiers addressed Club members at fantastic new Balmoral showground.
The Club was hugely privileged and honoured to hold the first official event at the new Balmoral Showground now located at the site of the old Maze Prison, previously RAF Maze. The Showground has been purpose built and I have to say John Bamber as President of the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (now immediate past president), Chief Executive Colin McDonald and their team have done a truly outstanding job and must be congratulated. The Club held a dinner with 95 members and guests in a quite splendid glass-fronted marquee overlooking the main arena. Our guest of honour and speaker was the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland,
the Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, who was both supportive and enthusiastic about the key strategic import of agriculture to the future of Northern Ireland. As our Chairman Stewart Houston was unfortunately unable to attend, Vice Chairman Jimmy McLean stood in most ably and presented the Secretary of State with a pair of engraved Club whiskey tumblers. He is now well rehearsed for next year – assuming he is elected at the forthcoming AGM! I must also take this opportunity to say how much I was impressed with Robin Morrow’s ability to ‘encourage’ our Northern Ireland members to support the event. With just a few weeks to go we were getting a trifle nervous as names were relatively few and far between. At the next RUAS Council meeting Robin stood up and suggested people might like to attend. And attend they did! Thank you to Robin and to all who attended who helped to make the event such a special one. I should also congratulate the caterers, Hamilton & Kirk who, as always, really did us all proud.
British produce As many of you know, we aim to provide almost exclusively British produce at the Club. We would now like to not only provide detail on the menu of the provenance of particular produce, but also, if we can, source it from our own members’ farms.
The builders will then move on to rooms 14A, 15, 16 and 17, and assuming this also goes to plan we should have all these rooms up and running by mid-August. We then move to the Muddiman Suite for a full refurbishment to create two new bedrooms. While I know some will be disappointed to lose this meeting room, the demand for bedrooms does far exceed that for meeting rooms. We will also soon start converting what was the staff room into a Queen-size double en-suite bedroom.
20 • The Farmers Club Harvest Journal 2013
Much of the above could only progress once we had planning authority from Westminster City Council – and this we now have, along with the authority to develop the Committee Room, Hudson Room and what is currently the Account’s office. So, funds allowing, it is full steam ahead.
Please check the dates carefully as they are sometimes changed and new dates, added for each issue. The majority of club events can be booked up to two months in advance via the Club website, visit www.thefarmersclub.com
SEPTEMBER Honorary Members’ Lunch at the Club (By invitation only) Tuesday 17th
Visit to Buckingham Palace
Let’s stop just talking about it and get on with it!
Friday 27th
OCTOBER
Shaw Room Following a strong call to build on the Business Suite offering and make it even easier to do business within The Club, particularly on a more casual basis, the Shaw Room is now available for informal business meetings of two or three people maximum. Papers may be shown, and iPads and mobile telephones used, but mobiles must be on silent ring.
Harvest Festival
Indeed, the September 2014 independence referendum was a key issue for farming, Mr Lochhead stressed. Less Favoured Areas account for 85% of all farming in Scotland; in England the figure is just 15%. Such different industries deserved different policies, he argued.
Philip Bolam celebrates his 90th Birthday with fellow Club members Richard Halhead, Kirsty Manuel (front) and Rosie Carne (photographer), and Tori Manuel. Philip received a personal letter from HRH The Duke of Edinburgh welcoming him to the Nonagenarian Club and assuring him it wasn't too bad!
Harvest Festival Service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields (Followed by buffet supper at the Club – see p22) Tuesday 8th at 5pm Preacher – The Rt Revd Peter Price, former Bishop of Bath and Wells.
A splendid summer’s evening welcomed 110 Farmers Club members and their guests to a fine reception in the President’s Marquee at the Royal Highland Show, where Scotland’s farming minister Richard Lochhead, was guest speaker. He noted that he had never been to The Farmers Club in London and had never been invited! Club chairman Stewart Houston responded swiftly: an invite would be sent – and well before any passport might be required for the journey.
The net result is that by the end of September we should have increased the Club’s capacity by four bedrooms. As regards the loss of the TV in the Muddiman Suite, we will provide one at the weekends in the Cumber Room. I should also say that for those with iPads, tablets and laptops, you can get TV in your bedrooms by using the Club’s WiFi. BBC, ITV and Channel 4 can all be watched easily and free of charge. If you have a Sky subscription, by downloading the Sky Go App, you can watch Sky too.
Club Calendar Diary Dates
If you are interested, and we can agree a fair price, both myself and our Head Chef, Damian, would be delighted to hear from you. There are so many wonderful opportunities out there and surely we, The Farmers Club, should be a showcase for what is best in British produce?
Plan B at Whitehall Court The refurbishment of the bedrooms on the Upper Ground floor is well underway and I am hopeful that come the first week of July the first three bedrooms will have been renovated, including our first extra single en-suite bedroom.
Highland dinner
Visit to Parma, Italy – FULL Monday 14th to Friday 18th
DECEMBER New Years Eve
New Years Eve Supper Tuesday 31st Application form enclosed
Club Closure From 5.00pm on Friday 20 December to 3.00pm on Thursday 2 January 2014. Members may book a bedroom to stay when the Club is closed on the understanding that it is on a room only basis as no other facilities are available.
Despite Defra secretary Owen Paterson’s reluctance he hoped CAP reform would give Scotland the 15% coupled payments it wanted to help livestock producers, and that more could be done for new entrants. Nonetheless, food and farming was already a success in Scotland, with exports up 51% since 2007, strongly driven by whisky exports equivalent to 40 bottles per second, he noted. Scottish dancing to the Loretto Combined Cadet Force pipe and drum band provided an excellent spectacle ahead of a Highland themed dinner enjoyed by all.
www.thefarmersclub.com • 21
The Farmers Club • Club Information
Club Information • The Farmers Club
Club Information
Further information is available on The Farmers Club Website www.thefarmersclub.com Obituaries It is with regret that we announce the death of the following members: Mr A Carmichael Lincolnshire Mr P Jones Norfolk Mr D Merriam Suffolk Mr P Rix Essex Mr H Sale Northamptonshire Mr G Saunders Hampshire Mr C Smith Kent Mr K Walker Gloucestershire Mr D Watson Surrey
020 7930 3751 • www.thefarmersclub.com Office Holders Patron – Her Majesty The Queen HONORARY VICE PRESIDENTS Peter Jackson CBE, Sir David Naish DL VICE PRESIDENTS Mark Hudson, Roddy Loder-Symonds, John Parker, Norman Shaw CBE THE COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT OF THE CLUB 2013 PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN Stewart Houston CBE TRUSTEES Barclay Forrest OBE (Chairman), Mrs Susan Kilpatrick OBE, Mrs Nicki Quayle, Julian Sayers VICE-CHAIRMAN Jimmy McLean HONORARY TREASURER Richard Butler IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN Paul Heygate CHIEF EXECUTIVE AND SECRETARY Air Commodore Stephen Skinner
Har vest Festival Ser vice and Buffet Supper
CLUB CHAPLAIN The Reverend Sam Wells
The Club will be holding its annual Harvest Festival Service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields on Tuesday 8 October. The Service starts at 5pm; our Preacher this year is the Rt. Revd Peter Price, former Bishop of Bath and Wells.
COMMITTEE Elected 2008: The Reverend Dr Gordon Gatward OBE, David Richardson OBE (Chairman – Journal and Communications Sub-Committee), John Wilson
Do please come and join us for this sociable occasion in the Club calendar. All Club members and their guests are most welcome.
Elected 2009: John Stones
Our traditional Harvest Festival Supper will be held afterwards in the Club from 7pm at £34.00 per person, including wine. You can either apply on line at www.thefarmersclub.com or complete the booking form below. Applications will be accepted on a ‘first come first served’ basis.
Elected 2011: Andrew Brown (Chairman – Membership Sub-Committee) Elected 2012: Mrs Ionwen Lewis, Charles Notcutt OBE (Chairman – House Sub-Committee) Elected 2013: Lindsay Hargreaves, Tim Harvey, Nick Helme, George Jessel DL, Peter Jinman OBE, Mrs Jo Turnbull Co-opted: Jeremy Dyas (Chairman Under 30s), Beth Hockham (Vice Chairman Under 30s), Martin Taylor
Please complete in CAPITALS WITH FIRST NAME and return to Mrs Lauren Wade, Secretariat, The Farmers Club, 3 Whitehall Court, LONDON, SW1A 2EL. Tel: 020 7930 3751 Email: generaloffice@thefarmersclub.com or apply online at www.thefarmersclub.com
THE FARMERS CLUB CHARITABLE TRUST TRUSTEES John Kerr MBE JP DL (Chairman), James Cross, Vic Croxson DL, Stephen Fletcher, Mrs Stella Muddiman JP, The Chairman and Immediate Past Chairman of the Club (ex officio)
New Members The following were elected: UK Members Mr D Darby Mr P Graham Mr T Hassell Mr R Hensher Mr T Hinchley Mr E Holloway Mr P Lambert Mr R Lea Mr T Lister Mr R Price Mr R Price Mr S Rowley Mr E Smith Mr P Ventress Overseas Mr R Pryor Mr O Solegaard Under 30s Mr E Howard Mr C Orpwood Miss A Playfair-Hannay Mr E Skelton Whitehall Lady X Bates Mr Y Cheng Ms M Cox Mr Z Ni
Worcestershire Morayshire Sussex Dorset Nottinghamshire Warwickshire Buckinghamshire Cheshire Gloucestershire Cumberland Nottinghamshire Lincolnshire Aberdeenshire Kent Venezuela Spain Australia Northumberland Roxburghshire Derbyshire London London London London
Queen’s Birthday Honours The Club congratulates the following upon their recognition in HRH The Queen’s Birthday Honours: Mr John F Oldfield, Norfolk MBE
Club Contacts
Dress Code Members are requested to advise their guests of the following: • Gentlemen must wear formal jackets and ties on weekdays. Polo-neck jerseys, jeans and trainers are not acceptable. • There is a Club jacket and a selection of ties at Reception which may be borrowed in an emergency. • Ladies should be dressed conventionally. Trousers are permitted but not casual slacks, jeans or trainers during the week. • Smart casual dress may be worn from 6pm Friday to midnight Sunday, smart clean jeans and trainers permitted. • Children should conform with the above guidelines. • Members must advise their guests of the dress regulations.
Over 160 years of service to farming
Business Suite The Business Suite is situated on the upper ground floor and gives Members the opportunity to use the Club PC or their laptop/tablet pc in a tailor made environment as they are not permitted in the public rooms. Wi fi is also available in all bedrooms and meeting rooms. The Shaw Room, adjacent to the bar, is also available for informal business meetings for three people maximum. Papers may be shown and ipads and mobile telephones used, but mobile phones must be on silent ring. Parking The Club has no private parking at Whitehall Court and metered parking in the immediate area is extremely limited. The nearest public car park, open 24 hours a day, is situated in Spring Gardens off Cockspur Street, approximately 5 minutes walk from the Club. Telephone: 0800 243 348. The Congestion Charge can be paid at this car park. For more information on parking, visit www.westminster.gov.uk /services/transportandstreets/parking. Mobile Phones, Briefcases and Business Meetings Mobile phones must not be used in the Public Rooms. Briefcases should be left in the Cloakrooms and Business meetings must be
I would like to reserve ……….. ticket(s) for the Buffet Supper at £34.00 each (maximum 4 places). Cheque enclosed for ……….. payable to The Farmers Club or you can also pay by Debit or Credit Card (Visa/Mastercard or Maestro accepted). Card Holder’s Name Card No. Start Date
NEXT ISSUE Watch out for your Autumn issue of the Farmers Club Journal, due out in mid-Sep, with all the latest Club news, plus a look at the Morrisons development farm in Ayrshire, novel pig and cattle research at the SRUC in Edinburgh, a closer look at the dairy industry and a novel “cloud-based” web system for keeping tabs on farm activities.
22 • The Farmers Club Harvest Journal 2013
Expiry Date
Security No. (last 3 digits)
Signature Members Name Guest(s) Name(s) Address Post Code
! Tel
THE FARMERS CLUB 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL
Chairman 2013: Stewart Houston
Chief Executive and Secretary: Air Commodore Stephen Skinner Bedroom & Dining Room Reservations: 020-7930 3557 Private Function & Meeting Room Reservations: 020-7925 7100 Accounts: 020-7925 7101 Membership: 020-7925 7102 Secretariat: 020-7930 3751 Personal calls for members only: 020-7930 4730 Fax: 020-7839 7864 E-mails: secretariat@thefarmersclub.com accounts@thefarmersclub.com membership@thefarmersclub.com functions@thefarmersclub.com meetings@thefarmersclub.com events@thefarmersclub.com reservations@thefarmersclub.com reception@thefarmersclub.com u30s@thefarmersclub.com Website: www.thefarmersclub.com
Reciprocal Clubs UK City Livery Club, London (No bedrooms) Royal Overseas League, Edinburgh The New Club, Edinburgh Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh OVERSEAS The Western Australian Club, Perth, Australia (Bedrooms not reciprocated) Queensland Club, Brisbane, Australia The Australian Club, Melbourne, Australia Royal Dublin Society, Dublin, Ireland (Bedrooms not reciprocated)
Stephen’s Green Hibernian Club, Dublin, Ireland The Muthaiga Country Club, Nairobi, Kenya The Harare Club, Harare, Zimbabwe The Christchurch Club, Christchurch, New Zealand (Temporarily relocated to The George Hotel) The Canterbury Club, Christchurch, New Zealand
THE FARMERS CLUB JOURNAL Editor and Advertisement Manager: Charles Abel 07795 420692 E-mail: editor@thefarmersclub.com Designed and produced by: Ingenious, www.ingeniousdesign.co.uk The printing inks are made using vegetable based oils. No film or film processing chemicals were used. Printed on Lumi Silk which is ISO 14001 certified manufacturer. FSC Mixed Credit. Elemental chlorine free (ECF) fibre sourced from well managed forests.
Members wishing to use any of the above Clubs should obtain an introductory card prior to their visit, available from the Secretariat. www.thefarmersclub.com • 23
Summer Opening Summer is a great time to visit London – to meet up with friends, see the sights, visit an exhibition or concert, or simply imbibe the ambience. To make your visit even more enjoyable the Club is staying open between 10 – 25 August as follows: Club open with: Breakfast
7.30am-9.30am
Tea/coffee/sandwiches
10.00am-2.00pm
Bistro style menu available
12.30pm-9.00pm
Bar
11.00am-10.00pm Weekends remain as normal: Breakfast served Saturday & Sunday Saturday bar open 3.00pm-7.00pm
Based in the heart of London the Club is an oasis of calm, overlooking the Embankment Gardens and the River Thames, yet lies within easy walking distance of the South Bank, London Eye, Trafalgar Square and all the entertainments and shopping of the West End. See www.visitlondon.com for full details of what’s on in London.