SUMMER 2013 • ISSUE 244
www.thefarmersclub.com
Farmers Club INSIDE Meat exports p4 Carbon credentials p8 Soil science p9 Planning for success p10 Club developments p12 Nuffield p14 Italy study tour p17 BOOKING FORMS Committee Nomination Form Summer Events Wisley Gardens Visit PLUS Annual Report & Accounts
Pinnacle Awards Farming enthusiasts shine in business management awards p6
Farmers Club Over 160 years of service to farming 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL Patron – Her Majesty The Queen
FRONT COVER Pinnacle of success - business award winner Nicholas Millard of Hadlow College (with cup), and runners-up Joe Phoenix of Reading University and Helen Day of Bridgwater College.
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 Looking ahead to a vibrant summer season
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Meat exports Boosting meat exports has been a major AHDB success. Here are some case studies that really highlight what works best
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Pinnacle of performance Eight candidates competed for glory in the Farmers Club Pinnacle Award, supported by The Cave Foundation and ADAS
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Carbon credentials Improving the carbon footprint of UK farming
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Soil science Modern technologies mean farmers are set to have far more soils data to help manage their field operations in future
10 Planning for success An innovative approach to liberating property asset values
12 Club developments Following the survey of members attitudes the Committee has embarked upon an ambitious programme of improvements
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14 Nuffield Life-changing impact of long-running scholarship scheme
15 Letters to the Editor CAP, Europe, Universities and farm management all get aired
16 St George’s Luncheon Spring finally arrived and 100 members celebrated St George
17 Italy study tour Time to investigate food chains supplying Italy’s famous foods
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18 Under 30s Under 30s chairman looks forward to upcoming events
19 Church notices Under 30s author considers role of the church in farming
20 Club News and Calendar Details of upcoming events
22 Club Information and Contacts
02 • The Farmers Club Summer Journal 2013
Chairman’s Comments • Stewart Houston
If you do have an interest in how your “home in London” is run, can I ask you to consider nominations for the next Committee election – there is a form for this in this Journal. Don’t be shy, the current Officers and Committee members will make you feel very welcome, so let’s see lots of nominations so the winning candidates can join with a strong mandate. Returning to Club events, a visit to Wisley on July 5th has been added to the list thanks to help from Charles Notcutt. Numbers are building up for the visit to Dumfries House/SRUC, but interest in the Royal Highland dinner is a bit slow. I’ve been guaranteed that the food will be great this year. A long standing friend of Janet and I holds the RHS Committee responsibility for the catering!
Chairman’s Comments “I am pleased to report that the Committee has initiated a series of exciting developments to further improve your Club experience.”
WELL, I hope by the time members read this, Spring will have truly sprung. As I travel up and down the country I see very dry fields but still with significant wet patches. Yields are bound to be affected, which means there’s little hope of a reduction in the cost of feed for our pigs again this year. Things are going much better on the Club front. The visits to Leckford and Windsor estates were sold out very quickly and apologies to those who missed the cut off. We try hard to ensure the places available are distributed in a fair and equitable way but there are always going to be disappointed people. That said, we will continue to see whether there are better ways of ensuring all get a fair ‘crack of the whip’. I am aware that the Journal is sent out in a phased way and therefore arrives on members’ doorsteps on different days and thus we try to ensure that on-line booking only starts once all have received their Journals.
We are also taking the Club to the Royal Ulster, Great Yorkshire and Royal Welsh shows. Member attendance at these events has been declining, so it would be helpful if you could let the Committee know if this Club tradition is past it’s sell by date, or whether there is a new tack we have not thought of. Finally, MaryAnne Salisbury has moved on to pastures new and I would like to thank her for her efforts on behalf of the Club over the past 24 years, wish her well for the future and warmly welcome her replacement Lisbeth Rune. Janet and I look forward to meeting many of you at the forthcoming events.
Stewart Houston
CLUB DEVELOPMENTS Following the phenomenal response to the member survey earlier this year I am pleased to report that the Committee has initiated a series of exciting developments to further improve your Club experience. Some will come into play quite quickly, others in the medium-term, but all are intended to respond to the issues you raised. Further details can be found on pages 12 & 13.
Some of you will have seen a note about the October trip to look at Italian supply chains. The itinerary is now set (p17) and looks great and there has been interest in the visit already. Continuing the supply chain theme, whilst at the same time opening up the Committee lunches to members, I’m delighted that Christine Tacon, in her new role as Groceries Code Adjudicator, has agreed to speak at the lunch which will follow the Committee meeting and AGM on July 12th. Christine is, of course, a Club member and I know you will make her welcome and give her the support she will need to deliver for the industry. I hope that the attraction of a good speaker and lunch will also encourage a greater number of members to take an interest in the Club and attend the AGM.
Changes at the Club aim to improve the experience for members.
www.thefarmersclub.com • 03
Charles Abel • Food Exports
St George brand helps meet French consumer demands for convenience.
Exporting meat success In the second part of our series examining efforts to boost the £12bn-plus food exports sector we consider some successful case studies supported by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Coals to China LAST May a new trade deal for UK pig meat was signed with China worth a potential £100m over two years. Previously only live breeding pigs could be sold to China from the UK, but this major breakthrough was secured after nearly 10 years of patient negotiating by AHDB, Defra and the China-Britain Business Council.
Peter Hardwick – AHDB Head of Trade Development.
This exciting development came in spite of China being easily the world’s biggest pork producer, with an output of 70 million tonnes, compared to the 6 million tonnes or so produced in the UK. A case of ‘coals to Newcastle’ on an epic scale. A major opportunity for this market will be in selling parts of the pig carcass which have little or no value in the UK, such as heads, tails, trotters and offal – putting real added value back into the UK pig supply chain. The pig meat breakthrough has helped other sectors too – AHDB’s Potato Council, for example, is already using the contacts developed by Peter Hardwick, Head of Trade Development for AHDB’s beef and lamb and pig divisions.
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Encouragingly, despite starting from a low base, China has become the UK’s fastest growing market for food exports. It took time though, AHDB efforts starting in 2003, just two years after foot and mouth disease hit the UK industry so hard, with full account taken of Guangxi – China’s process of ‘opening the gates’ to allow foreign companies to do more business in its country of 1.2 billion people. “AHDB representatives have accompanied ministers on all UK agriculture trade missions to China, providing both technical and strategic expertise and always presenting Defra with the industry perspective, helping to build relationships but doing so with a knowledge of what home farmers and processors can and can’t provide,” says Mr Hardwick. “For example, our knowledge and advice on food safety has proved a key asset in helping us establish Chinese confidence in the UK pig industry and there’s every prospect this will continue to play well as we talk more and more to our China contacts about the possibility of supplying them with beef, lamb and potatoes,” he adds.
Food Exports • Charles Abel
‘Fifth quarter’ relish
Chinese chef cooks British pork for the first time during a Chinese exhibition at Food & Hotel China, Shanghai – Nov 2012. Accounting for a fifth of the world population China eats a quarter of the world’s meat (twice that of the US).
A financially vital aspect of the developing Far East meat markets is its demand for ‘fifth quarter’ products. That could not only boost sales but also help achieve greater carcass balance for UK producers. Far East imports of UK beef offal, for example, have more than doubled over the past two years. In the UK some of these products – including feet, head and stomach – would otherwise have either nil value or constitute a commercial and environmental disposal cost. Most home consumers no longer share Leopold Bloom’s appetite, in James Joyce’s Ulysses, for eating “with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls... thick giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, liver slices fried with crustcrumbs, fried hencods’ roes.” By contrast Far Eastern consumers relish tendons, tripe, paddywhack, pizzle, neck, tail and cartilage. Lamb testicle pizza is a favourite comfort food. But it’s not only the Far East that goes for these ‘fifth quarter’ delicacies. Tripe and tails are just as sought after in Southern Europe, while cow heels and sheeps’ heads are the flavour of many a month in Sub-Saharan Africa, with cheeks and head meat ever-popular delicacies in France.
Tulip Sales & Export Manager Martin Sauer, at Tulip’s Brierley Hill cold store, with the first shipment of British pig meat destined for China last June.
So with plenty of encouragement and training on dressing and preparation, through a programme of levy-funded work by AHDB’s EBLEX division, offal, or fifth quarter products, are no longer seen by UK processors as waste. And a £2.2m disposal cost has been turned into a new, alternative market worth £15.5m.
Lamb makeover woos French foodies The culinary standards of the French are legendary; their attitude to food far from laissez faire. Former French President, Jacques Chirac, famously said of the English: “One cannot trust people whose cuisine is so bad.” Yet a fifth of all lambs born in the UK will be sold into the French market. French imports from the UK increased by 141% from 2001-11 to account for 60% of all our lamb sold overseas, rising in value from £61.4m to £221m. So how has English lamb managed to break through the old prejudices, the traditional French mistrust of British meat products, kept alive by BSE, foot and mouth disease and disagreements over CAP reform?
new generation of French consumer with an appetite for convenience dishes based on mince, stir fries and quick-to-cook meat cubes. “Our campaign also chimed in with the desire of the younger consumer to be more adventurous, to move away from the traditional offer of rack, neck and shoulder and try new cuts,” says Ms Rivière. “We appealed to the demands of this market for easier, quicker, more creative recipes featuring lamb shank, mini-roasts, mini-steaks and breast, using mince and stuffing,” she adds. The French team backed up this marketing activity by working to organise the supply side, giving demonstrations, educating butchers, stores and the trade generally in the technical aspects of delivering the new cuts.
The answer was little short of UK lamb having to reinvent itself and establish its own form of Entente Cordiale. Carole Rivière, Field Marketing Manager for AHDB/EBLEX in France, based in Fontainebleau, tells the tale of ‘Decouvrez St George’, a campaign to win French confidence in English lamb appealing, in particular, to younger consumers.
It all served up a success story which AHDB/EBLEX is now looking to repeat in Canada, having joined lamb exporters on a UK Trade and Investment mission to last year’s Montreal SIAL food trade fair. Canada currently imports half the 12,000 tonnes of lamb it consumes in a year.
The campaign was launched in parallel with the Agneau Presto, or ‘quick lamb’ brand created for a
• More information at www.eblex-bpex-export.org.uk
Carole Riviere – field marketing manager for AHDB/EBLEX in France.
www.thefarmersclub.com • 05
Charles Abel • Pinnacle Awards
Farming enthusiasts shine in business management awards Management expertise was rewarded in the 16th Pinnacle Awards. Charles Abel reports GOLD WINNER : Nicholas Millard of Hadlow College (centre, holding the Nickerson Cup, presented by NFU President Peter Kendall). Adding value to milk in partnership with a 14th generation grassbased dairy farm was the focus of a bold initiative to create Buckinghamshire’s first local cheese for centuries. With established cheesemaking skills and advice from a network of experts the business plan drew on detailed demand analysis to target affluent consumers via farmers markets, specialist cheese shops and restaurants, with milk and butter sales raising brand awareness before launching the Double Gloucester-style Buckingham 1727 cheese. “It’s ridiculous to sell milk for so little when there is such a potential market on the doorstep.” Marketing would leverage provenance and embrace foodie tourist route initiatives. Meticulous cashflow forecasting took full account of cyclical production.
ENTHUSIASM for farming is soaring and nowhere is that more evident than in the Pinnacle Business Management Awards, which this year witnessed a renaissance of passion for production agriculture. “What is really, really exciting is how the perception of our industry has changed, to be positive and upbeat and looking forward, with agricultural colleges full of young people who are enthusiastic about the future,” commented NFU President Peter Kendall, who presented the awards. “And it’s great to see we’re attracting people from non-farming backgrounds too. “Not long ago agriculture was seen as a risk, with all the costs of foot-and-mouth and BSE, and concerns about environmental damage. Ministers wanted to import food and make us become park keepers.” Global food price spikes changed all that, shifting the focus firmly back to production
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agriculture. “We really do have massive demand right on our doorsteps and that is a fantastic opportunity.” Peter Kendall commended the Pinnacle Awards for encouraging the commercialisation of ideas. “At the NFU we believe building successful businesses is what it is all about. And I do believe farming is going to massively intensify its business management over the coming years, to make the most of the land and the inputs we use.” Winner of the 2013 Pinnacle Award was Nicholas Millard, a second year International Agriculture student at Hadlow College, Kent, who secured the Nickerson Cup and a cheque for £2000 with a meticulously prepared plan to develop Buckinghamshire’s first artisan cheese for centuries. Hot on his heels was £1000 silver award winner Joe Phoenix of Reading University, who presented a comprehensive financial proposal to contract farm additional arable land and build a new grain store.
Pinnacle Awards • Charles Abel
SILVER: Joe Phoenix, Reading University Rigorous financial scrutiny lay behind a robust loan application to finance an expansion onto 120ha of adjacent arable land and a major grain store project to improve on-site efficiency, take greater control of crop marketing and protect the business against a possible compulsory purchase of the existing grain store site by Thames Water. Intake would be geared to cope with a wet harvest, with concrete floors ensuring alternative uses were possible. Other store options were fully costed.
RUNNER-UP: Rebecca Forsyth, SRUC Ayr Creating Belted Galloway cheese from a starter farm in Dalbeattie was the goal. Marketing would use a strong provenance story, unique white banded black wax coating so cheeses look like Belted Galloways and the region’s Savour the Flavour initiative. Realistic budgeting acknowledged a first year loss – “but Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
RUNNER-UP: Guy Holt, Newcastle University A fully costed contract farming agreement to give farmers a partial exit from dairying without losing active farmer status would see the herd sold to finance reinvestment in farm infrastructure. The incoming contractor would operate a simple 6,000litre/year grassbased system, with New Zealand Holstein x Jersey cows provided on a rental basis.
Helen Day of Bridgwater College, Somerset clinched the £600 bronze award with her operational plans for a new dairy farming enterprise, which were firmly grounded in the reality of everyday farming issues. All finalists received Farmers Club membership for a year and a £300 cheque for their college. Sponsored by The Farmers Club, the Cave Foundation and ADAS, the Pinnacle Awards challenge eight finalists to put forward detailed project reports and participate in a day of panel interviews and platform presentations at the Farmers Club in London, chaired by Professor David Leaver, president of the British Institute of Agricultural Consultants and the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers. Competition was intense as the aspiring business managers sought to demonstrate their robust business analysis, realistic budgeting, problem solving skills and innovative business ideas, plus interview and presentation skills. “There was an excellent
RUNNER-UP: Dan Tapley, Reading University Sensitivity analysis of potential cereal and rapeseed yield and price underpinned a detailed proposal for borrowings to finance a new grain store and contract farming expansion on a large arable farm, where the existing grain store needed substantial refurbishment, but was also threatened by compulsory purchase for a new reservoir.
BRONZE: Helen Day, Bridgwater College A comprehensive analysis of operational issues and full budgeting to acquire a 100ha dairy farm near Taunton included plans to switch to two-block calving, wholecrop peas and barley followed by stubble turnips instead of maize to better fit workloads, and investment in PV solar panels to reap a 12% return on capital. An enthusiastic, yet realistic, appraisal of the farm’s potential meant some second-hand machinery would be purchased, complemented by carefully costed contractors.
RUNNER-UP: Harry Warburton, SRUC Ayr As wild stocks dwindle British fish farming needs to embrace cod. Drawing on Scandinavian success the Little Cod Company would cage-rear cod in Little Loch Broom near Ullapool, producing 200t/annum, 80% for processing by Young’s and 20% for direct sale. Three years of negative cashflow would turn to profit as harvesting progressed.
RUNNER-UP: Iain Wilson, SRUC Edinburgh Moving broccoli production to neighbouring farms and expanding cereal production at home farm would better utilise staff and equipment, rest fields from veg and slow the onset of clubroot. Extra income would more than offset costs, including a fair market rent. Reputation as a responsible producer would count for a lot.
spread of topics and the depth and breadth of analysis and innovation was outstanding,” noted Professor Leaver. Significantly, every project hinged around producing food, reversing a trend towards non-food diversification in recent years. “It’s good to see the focus back on core food production,” noted judge Roy Walker, who created the Pinnacle Awards in 1998 with funding from the family’s Cave Foundation. Vibrant enthusiasm from the finalists, particularly those with non-farming backgrounds, attracted strong praise from judge Tony Turner, senior business management consultant at ADAS. “I came out of the interviews really enthused by what I heard. To have three finalists with no background in farming at all says something very positive about the industry. It’s healthy to have people with no preconceived ideas.”
www.thefarmersclub.com • 07
Carbon in farming
Carbon foot-printing THERE is an increasing focus on the carbon footprint of the food-chain, driven in part by the UK Government’s commitment to climate change legislation. Increasingly, businesses are looking to reduce the carbon footprint of food production from farm inputs to retail shelf.
Secretary of State Michael Fallon MP and GrowHow UK chief executive Ken Hayes at the launch of the Carbon Trust accreditation.
However, information is not always based on robust accredited assessment. That is why fertiliser manufacturer GrowHow spent two years working with the Carbon Trust to gain definitive information on the company’s fertiliser products. As Britain’s only manufacturer of nitrogen fertiliser products GrowHow UK’s most famous product is the blue-bagged ammonium nitrate, Nitram, which has been marketed for over 40 years. By its very nature, fertiliser production is energy intensive. The process of creating ammonia and nitric acid – the two constituents of ammonium nitrate – requires natural gas both as a raw feedstock and as a source of energy for production. At its sites in Billingham on Teesside and Ince in Cheshire GrowHow is a significant consumer of natural gas. To address emissions from these facilities an investment programme has been underway for some years, with over £140 million invested in technologies to raise energy efficiency, reduce emissions and improve the carbon footprint of the company and its products. The main investment has focused on reducing the output of nitrous oxide, a key climate change gas, which is an inevitable output from the production of nitric acid. State of the art technology was installed at the older Billingham site, while the more modern plant at Ince was built with abatement engineered into its processes. GrowHow has also sought independent verification of the significant reductions in its carbon
Abatement technology is bringing big benefits.
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footprint, working with the Carbon Trust to create an independent assessment of what has been achieved and to provide carbon footprints for each of its products as they enter the food production process at the farmgate. The Carbon Trust was chosen for its international reputation for independent accreditation. Beginning in 2011, GrowHow worked with the Carbon Trust to establish baseline product footprints. The work was repeated in 2012 to identify what improvements had been achieved as a result of the abatement project. The accreditation process showed an impressive difference. Between 2011 and 2012 the facilities upgrade cut the carbon footprint at Billingham by the equivalent of over 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. This means the footprint of the flagship product, Nitram, has reduced by 40%. This work will be increasingly important to farmers and the whole food industry as pressure mounts for the sector to play its part in addressing the ambitious climate change targets that the United Kingdom has set for itself. GrowHow can now provide customers with a PAS 2050 compliant certified carbon footprint for each fertiliser product. This accredited information can be built into calculations for any food produced from fertilised crops. The importance of the work was acknowledged recently by Michael Fallon MP, Secretary of State for Business and Enterprise who launched GrowHow’s Carbon Trust accreditation in London. “By using Carbon Trust methodology, GrowHow has generated sufficiently detailed numbers to act as a sound and genuine baseline. The company's commitment to a sustainable future will be invaluable, both at a national level and within the agricultural sector, which is committed to its own Greenhouse Gas Action Plan,” said Mr Fallon.
Carbon foot-printed fertilisers, combined with in-field advice and services from FACTS qualified advisers, can help farmers towards their climate change obligations.
Soil Management • Mark Kibblewhite
Soils strategy shift SOIL management information is woefully lacking and needs addressing if we are to safeguard agricultural soils and ensure they make the best possible contribution to addressing the challenges of food and energy security, and climate change.
of policy options and evaluate their effectiveness once implemented.
Everyone, including farmers, recognizes that when soil is degraded there are costs off the farm as well as on it. So soil management is a legitimate public concern, as well as a private commercial imperative.
The Irish EPA has commissioned Teagasc and Cranfield to produce a digital soil inventory for Ireland, using advanced landscape modelling, which will support much better estimates of soil organic carbon stocks, landscape hydrology modelling and a host of other important policy-support tasks. There is no similar initiative in the UK.
Farmers need to know which soils they have and their economic potential. They need to know the state of their soils, field by field, to plan operations. And they need real-time information about soil conditions to make operational decisions.
Furthermore, the UK has no continuing, wellorganized, national programme that can provide location specific soil monitoring information. So, the effectiveness of soil policy can only be evaluated at best qualitatively and at worst anecdotally.
The supply of that information needs improving, and it is a ‘game-changing’ fact that farmers are now generating vast amounts of soil information, on an exponential upwards trend. As well as traditional soil sampling and testing, modern machinery has GPS positioning and increasingly this is linked to remote and ground-base sensors.
This compares badly with, for example, France, where INFOSOL, their national soil information partnership, is able to report on the state and trends in soil by Departments (equivalent to Counties).
It is difficult to overestimate the impact of this information revolution on the farm and the pace at which it will develop. Near market innovations being developed at Cranfield include: • tine-mounted Near Infrared Reflectance (NIR) spectrometry for estimating topsoil carbon and bulk density, as well as texture and nutrients, ‘on-the-go’ and for every five square metres; • field-embedded sensors reporting soil workability and traffic-ability, field by field, to the farm office; However, different machines have different data protocols and this constrains data integration. The information is not all being extracted and used, nor is it being systematically stored; and many if not most farms have no soil map, as it is expensive to produce on a ‘one off’ basis. Regulators and policy-makers will benefit from better information too, using it to assess the impact Vastly improved soil information could help farmers manage their fields far more successfully.
“It is difficult to overestimate the impact of this information revolution on the farm and the pace at which it will develop.”
So, what should be done? Technology means farmers, not scientists, are now the main producers and users of soil data. We need a new governance model to exploit this – a bottom-up, devolved strategy – that puts farmers at the top of the pile. We need farmer-led regional soil information groups, or soil information co-operatives, that employ and direct soil scientists and information engineers in soil information centres. Central government’s role should then be to invest in the things for which there are economies of scale, such as a new digital soil inventory and the protocols, procedures and tools to assist data harmonization. In return, the centres would collate and report landscape scale soil information back to the policy community, alongside their primary role of supporting operational soil management in farms. Perhaps this model could also provide infrastructure for self-regulation, removing some inspection requirements under CAP and environmental regulations, and possibly contributing to a wider shift in the governance of agriculture?
Mark Kibblewhite, Professor of Applied Soil Science National Soil Resources Institute Cranfield University. E: m.kibblewhite@cranfield.ac.uk T: +44 (0)1234 750111 x8015
• For more information see: www.iap.esa.int/projects/food/farmingtruth
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www.thefarmersclub.com • 09
Charles Abel • Rural development
Planning Securing planning consent is far from simple. But given the right approach the chances of success can be significantly improved
MOST farmers and landowners think planning means getting permission for a scheme they already have in mind. In reality, many are sitting on wealth they’ve never even thought they could realise. The real skill lies in identifying how to maintain that wealth by using a small part of the estate for growth, investment and profit. That is just what Farmers Club member Mark Cherrington has been doing for over 25 years, running a successful planning consultancy securing approval for major projects, often in highly sensitive rural areas. Club member Mark Cherrington – seeking innovative solutions to planning challenges.
“Planning is useful – but who plans the planning,” he asks. The word means different things to different people. He believes it ought to include vision; knowhow and contacts; a consideration of long-term investment, profit and environmental benefits; expert management and implementation; and something extra – entrepreneurial skill and imagination. A farmer might decide to retire from farming and sell the farm or, more commonly, release a small amount of inessential land to realise some capital in these increasingly difficult economic times. Maximising development returns whilst preserving or enhancing the value of the core estate is the goal. Mr Cherrington, who farmed for 18 years before spending five years working on large-scale conceptual planning applications for entrepreneur Peter De Savary’s organisation, attributes his unbroken success rate with panning applications to a fine balance between entrepreneurial vision and diplomatic pragmatism.
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Those traits were clearly shown when a Hampshire farmer wanted to sell an un-needed four-acre site in the South Downs National Park. Planning consent was gained for a 14,000 sq.ft. country house as a replacement for a modest three-bedroom cottage and its adjacent dilapidated farm buildings. The South Downs Way runs alongside the development, which made the application extremely sensitive in terms of existing environmental policy. But it was granted, despite initial hostility from the planning authority and without recourse to the appeal process. The site doubled in value as a result. To secure the consent careful attention was paid to the design of the new country house, recreating a farmhouse and associated outbuilding, but linked by a basement running under the full length of the development. Environmental policies mean sustainability credentials are also crucial. In this instance it was planned to avoid oil or gas heating, energy being supplied by air source and solar panels instead. All basement materials were maintained on site and the paddock area raised by approximately 1m, and reinstated with the inclusion of two wildlife ponds and extensive hedge and copse planting to further enhance the National Park. Each project is developed on its own unique basis, with the fundamental aim of enhancing the value of the asset. Significantly, the expense of implementing such planning consents is paid for in full by the incoming purchaser, as part of the purchase price
Rural development • Charles Abel
Ensuring extra development gains can be the key to unlocking previously unforeseen asset value.
of the consented site, so protecting the landowner from such costs. Not once has Mr Cherrington had to resort to an appeal process, even when faced with seemingly major snags. He attributes that to his visionary instinct for what will and won’t work, and for identifying the existence of untapped opportunities and lateral solutions. Planning policy remains full of restrictions, even with the currently proposed changes. The Planning Authority’s job is to interpret and apply those policies on a case by case basis. Cherrington Beauworth’s focus is therefore to construct schemes that, despite rigorous policy opposition, contain enough planning gain to override any such restrictions. This is then presented to the local community, Parish and Ward councillors to ensure they are supportive, and to deal with any concerns. A good example of this was seen on an 1800-acre estate in North Wiltshire, where two substantial residential consents were obtained in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty by using a raft of environmental and sustainability elements. In this instance 145 acres were to be rotationally farmed in association with Wiltshire Wildlife, two new statutory bridle paths created on the periphery of the estate and an intensive 500 cow dairy unit removed in consultation with the local community. A similar approach was used on another Hampshire farm estate, where the landowner
wanted to release funds to create a new farm and a consent for a 13,500 sq ft house on half his 800-acre estate. This case included a Section 106 agreement with the Local Authority to farm in a rotation system, to enhance biodiversity and improve the sustainability of indigenous local wildlife. Further initiatives included permanent passing places on the local narrow road system to the benefit of highways safety, a biomass heating system in the new house to ensure Code 4 or above compliance, new copse creation and hedgerow regeneration across the farm, demolition of two ranges of asbestos buildings and construction of a temporary haul road to avoid construction traffic using the local village for access.
“Maximising development returns whilst preserving or enhancing the value of the core estate is the goal. ”
As it turned out, the project proceeded in two stages. Planning permission was granted and the farm was sold. The new owners then wanted a house located more centrally on their holding, and a fresh consent for a 9,000 sq.ft. house and ancillary buildings was gained in nine weeks under powers delegated from the authority, which recognised the “exceptional circumstances” arising from the many planning gains included in the original consent. Clearly, potential exists for securing exciting planning consents – even in the most sensitive situations. • Mark Cherrington mark@cherringtonbeauworth.com Tel: 07860 201405
www.thefarmersclub.com • 11
Stephen Skinner • Club Plans
Club Survey Gives Rise to Changes A huge response to the recent membership survey has provided a great opportunity to ensure the Club better meets member needs. Club Secretary Stephen Skinner explains
“Members wanted gentle continuous improvement rather than an aggressive Club makeover, and that is what we will endeavour to deliver ”
Plans are under way to provide more bedrooms with en-suite facilities and create three brand new bedrooms.
OVER 1300 members shared their views about the Club in the survey conducted in January – that’s almost a quarter of all members. The Committee is extremely grateful for such a huge level of engagement and the direction it provides for future developments.
Reception
AIR Marketing, who undertook the survey, noted that such a huge response really underlines the level of involvement of our membership. Similar surveys often achieve very much lower rates of participation, so thank you.
Dress code was not a great deterrent for use of the Club, although breakfast was a time when a greater relaxation would be appreciated, which the Committee is considering carefully.
The main message was that members were, in the main, happy with their Club, enjoying all that it has to offer, and not seeking radical change. Overall when members come to London they almost always use the Club and their propensity to stay/utilise the Club is very high. Significantly, much of the work undertaken to support our bid to acquire Number One Horse Guards Avenue has been very helpful in putting together our Plan B. Not least amongst this has been the comprehensive survey of our existing space, putting us in a strong position to move forward with a host of initiatives.
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The Reception Area came in for some justified criticism, with many feeling it provided a poor welcome. Our architect is working on a revised layout, to create a more welcoming area, and work should start this year once we have planning permission.
The Club’s accommodation was well received, with keen pricing and central London location encouraging use. Many recognised and appreciated the improvements already undertaken, but further upgrades and refurbishments were called for, which we will continue to address. Members were, however, reluctant to see significant price rises, so improvements need to be measured. One example is TVs. Not only would they be very costly to provide throughout the Club, there would be a real noise issue too. The House Committee is looking to further improve the WiFi (already available throughout the Club) so members can ‘stream’ live TV straight to their iPads, laptops etc.
Club Plans • Stephen Skinner
Bedrooms As to bedrooms, work will soon start on refurbishing rooms 14, 14A, 15-17, 53 and, to be created, 53A, giving us our first additional single en-suite bedroom. The Muddiman Suite will also be repurposed. This work will not only involve refurbishment of existing bedrooms and bathrooms on the 4th floor, but create two additional en-suite bedrooms – one double and one single. At a similar time, again with appropriate permissions, we will completely overhaul the staff-room, creating an additional single en-suite bedroom for use by members when required. Finally, we hope to completely overhaul the 8th floor bedrooms this December / January, creating five single en-suites, instead of the current six singles sharing one bathroom. This all gives us a net increase of three bedrooms, which may not sound a lot, but will certainly ease the pressure on accommodation.
Dining Members remain very likely to use the Dining Room when in London, but there was a strong call for lighter, informal dining, particularly at lunchtime (bistro style). An improved lounge service would also be welcome, and a lighter “grab-and-go” breakfast option. Continental breakfast will soon be available from 7am and cooked from 7.30am. The lighter lunch option needs careful planning given our limited space and the desire to provide a ‘white tablecloth’ option too. However, it will happen soon. There was 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. Public working spaces were called for to allow informal meetings where papers could be shown, and iPads and phones used. But members also want a clear distinction between public social spaces and work environments. The Committee has accordingly agreed the Shaw Room can be used for informal business, while the bar and lounge remain places where members and guests can relax and enjoy themselves. The rules for using the Shaw Room are being drafted and will be based around there being meetings of only two or three people maximum and mobile telephones may be used, but must be on ‘silent ring’. We will refurnish the room to make it more conducive to business and will ensure the rules are followed rigorously. More generally the meeting rooms and service were felt to be dated and in need of upgrading and the Committee has approved a major refurbishment of the Hudson and Committee rooms, and an extension into the Accountants office, assuming planning is approved. This will provide a much larger space with folding doors to create smaller rooms when required.
Catering changes will extend light meal options.
The general environment of the Club was also felt to need attention, particularly signage, lighting, the luggage room, toilets and disabled access. Most members wanted “gentle continuous improvement” rather than an aggressive Club make-over, and that is what we will endeavour to deliver. The enormous response to the survey has been invaluable and I am delighted that all of the sub-Committees, under the direction of the Club Chairman, have been incredibly proactive in taking forward the wishes of you, the members. The changes will follow the precept of evolution rather than revolution, so should meet the needs of a broad sector of our membership. • Please do contact me directly should you wish to discuss the survey results and Club developments in more detail – e-mail: snskinner@thefarmersclub.com (020 7930 2751).
KEY SURVEY MESSAGES • Most important aspect of the Club: 87% - Accommodation 50% - Social 36% - Dining / Central location for business • Dress code: 77% - Relaxation would not deter use of Club • Club usage predominantly: 66% - Pleasure 34% - Business • Likelihood to recommend membership: 73% • Living outside London: 98% • Purpose of London visits: 42% - business + social 33% - social 25% - business • Farmers Club visits: 17% - Monthly or more often 30% - Several times/year 44% - Once a year or more • Why would you stay elsewhere: 85% – lack of available accommodation
Retaining relaxed atmosphere is a priority.
www.thefarmersclub.com • 13
Charles Abel • Meat industry
Meat myths
A life changing
experience
NUFFIELD Farming Scholarships are often referred to as a life changing experience, and so it has been for 2001 Scholar David Rose. “I was 39 when I was awarded my Scholarship,” he recalls. “At the time we had a home delivery business selling the farm’s produce, which had created a passion to reconnect agriculture with the public.” David’s study How to link producers more directly to consumers took him to America, Asia and Europe to see how farmers were reconnecting with communities and developing local food opportunities. Meat production mis-truths need countering, urged IMS secretary general Hsin Huang.
LIVESTOCK farming needs to do more to counter the myths and untruths peddled about it. One organisation working to do just that is the Paris-based International Meat Secretariat, which is tackling misconceptions amongst international policy-makers and key influencers. “Very often there is a misguided perception that livestock are bad for the environment and health too. But there is not much basis in good science for that view, it is more about a very vocal lobby,” IMS Secretary General Hsin Huang told the Farmers Club committee in April. How had we come to this situation, he asked. “Have we countered those arguments.” Clearly not adequately. Working on non-competitive issues, such as environmental impact, nutrition and food security, the IMS is drawing together the disparate voices of the global meat industry to present coherent messages. Arguments that the grain used to produce a kilo of beef or pork would be better fed to people deserved rebuttal. “Is it comparing the same thing, when meat provides B vitamins, iron, micro-nutrients and protein. We actually need more high quality protein in diets, not less, particularly as we get older.”
“Before I applied for the Scholarship I had a different perspective of Nuffield. I’d always known about the organisation but I thought it was above me.” His 18 month study highlighted the need for better educational links and influence from an early age. Back in the UK he became a food co-ordinator for a London initiative, and two years ago expanded his farm at Screveton near Nottingham into a community care initiative, offering land based studies to over 1,000 school children and other under-privileged groups. His 265ha Farmeco farm now operates with high environmental and animal welfare standards, with an eco-centre for training and visits (www.eco-centre.org.uk) “Nuffield was an experience of a lifetime. I’ve continued to learn and the rewards and contacts from being involved with Nuffield have been exceptional.” His advice to prospective Scholars: “Don’t ever look back and regret not doing a Nuffield. When you take a break and look at your business and personal life you quickly realise what’s important to you. Seize the opportunity – I wouldn’t have got to where I am now without my Nuffield.”
Significantly, ruminants digest things humans can’t, namely the products of photosynthetic light captured from the sun. Pigs similarly act as highly efficient recyclers of food waste. What’s more red meat production has many positive environmental impacts. Grassland is one of the world’s most bio-diverse habitats, it reduces soil erosion and aids carbon sequestration. What’s more a single cow has been shown to support three times its weight in insect biodiversity. “These are things we need to be proud of and need to tell the world.” With sustainability set to become not just business as usual, but a marketing point for food companies and retailers, IMS is developing guidelines for a global lifecycle assessment for the meat industry. UK support comes through the EBLEX and BPEX branches of the AHDB. See www.meat-ims.org
14 • The Farmers Club Summer Journal 2013
Nuffield enthusiast – David Rose of Farmeco, Nottinghamshire.
Around 20 Scholarships are awarded each year to those aged 22-45 years who have been engaged in farming, rural land-based, food and agriculturally associated industries for at least two years, and intend to remain in them. Scholarships are for 18 months and must include at least eight weeks of international travel. Apply online at www.nuffieldscholar.org Academic qualifications not necessary. Deadline: 31 July 2013.
Feedback
Letters to the editor Dear Editor, The Journal gets better and better – interesting artcles which stimulate the mind and lead to debate; the Spring 2013 issue was no exception. Two articles which may not at first appear linked are Cross Compliance, by Charles Mason, and University Challenge by Under 30s member Jake Pickering. The phrase that started me thinking was Jake’s: “Agriculture has changed from being an art to a science. “A bold statement from a young man which might be worth examination. I would say farming has always been a science, since man first began to cultivate the land, although there were no universities or seats of learning. The practical application of knowledge, wherever gained, is really what science is, and always has been about. I would also question the suggestion that having a degree in agriculture makes a student “incredibly
Dear Sir, The article “Paterson versus McGuinness” reminded me I had recently written an article on the subject, but with a longer perspective, which was commended by Lord Stoddart of Swindon. In it I note that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are eager to deal directly with Brussels on CAP matters, and are increasingly treated as separate EU countries for this purpose. So farmers in one part of the UK receiving direct subsidy, could be in competition with farmers in another part who receive none.
employable”. I am delighted Jake is enjoying his university life and qualification, but practical experience remains essential. Fifteen years ago I was seeking manager for our 300-cow herd. Three were short-listed, one with a good degree, two with a year at a farming college and ‘degrees’ from the university of Life & Experience. After an hour amongst the cows and the dairy it was clear the graduate didn’t stand a chance. Universities are of course great places of learning. Indeed, farmers must be willing to benefit from graduates with special expertise. But those experts need to keep a foot firmly on the land and amonst the stock. If you doubt this just cast an eye over some of the really huge farming companies farming by the calendar not the conditions! This leads me back to Cross Compliance. If it was realistic, useful, productive and generally beneficial it would be fine. But much of it appears to have been dreamed up in Defra offices, or worse, in Brussels, by graduates without enough to do with their university qualifications.
It has been one of the achievements of the EU-sponsored regionalism to create unfair situations, setting people in different parts of the UK against each other. Indeed, a 1971 Foreign Office document (FCO 30/1048) shows this was intended to deflect people's “feelings of alienation from government” once they realised how powerless they were in relation to “the remote and unmanageable workings of the Community”.
This has grown to such an extent that it has even created an industry in its own right. The tail may well now be wagging the dog! • Jim Pitts Northamptonshire Jake Pickering replies: An agricultural degree is not intended to be a substitute for experience; but a way of improving the opportunities for running a successful farming business. The RAC ensures students leave with dirty wellies, through a combination of regular farm visits and a 6 month on-farm work placement. Interested potential hosts can contact the RAC. • Jake Pickering Under 30s member
To use an Irish-ism, it is certain that we will get on better together with our European neighbours when we are apart, and not unequally yoked in the alien polity of the EU. • Edward Spalton Derbyshire
So the lunacy, inequalities and opportunities for corruption of a single agricultural policy from Sicily to the North of Finland continue – still hugely bureaucratic, a massive budget item to be funded by contributions from British taxpayers.
Your views Letters and comments to the Editor can be e-mailed to editor@thefarmersclub.com or posted to The Editor, The Farmers Club, 3, Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL.
Past Editions If you have lost a previous edition of the Journal, do not fear. All issues are archived on the Farmers Club website – visit www.thefarmersclub.com and click “The Club” then “Journal”.
www.thefarmersclub.com • 15
Club Event
Farming Figures A quick look at a topical issue within the food and farming industry by way of some key statistics
£500 million Cost of TB to taxpayers in England to date (Defra estimate)
1billion Potential cost to taxpayers over coming decade if no further action is taken on TB (Defra estimate)
38,000 cattle Compulsorily slaughtered in GB in 2012, 10% up on 2011. Almost 134,000 cattle slaughtered in England since 2008
890%
Rise in TB cases in Wales since 1998
1 in 3 Proportion of badgers with TB in TB hotspots
65,000
Responses to badger cull consultation, mostly negative, alongside 45 from invited stakeholders
288,000 Total UK badger population
5,171 New herds hit by TB across Great Britain last year
60 Badger Trust groups, plus 1000 individual supporters
94% Fall in TB in New Zealand since a cull of possums started in the early 1990s
16 • The Farmers Club Summer Journal 2013
Butcher’s Hall provided a fine backdrop for the Club’s St George’s Day luncheon, where Lt Gen James Everard, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff, spoke encouragingly about Britain’s armed forces.
Saint George’s luncheon SPRING arrived just in time for a most splendid St George’s Day luncheon at Butchers’ Hall in the City of London, with 100 Club members and guests sitting down to a fine meal hosted by Club chairman Stewart Houston. With blue skies, sunshine and the thermometer finally peeping above 20C it felt like the long ghastly winter was finally behind us. In the fine surroundings of Butchers’ Hall members enjoyed a luncheon befitting of one of the City’s most food-focussed livery companies. Asparagus fresh from the Wye Valley was followed by a truly fragrant confit of Gressingham duck with Madeira sauce, accompanied by a very acceptable 2012 Ventisquero Reserva Merlot. Speaker for the day was Lieutenant General James Everard CBE, Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Military Strategy & Operations), who spoke
eloquently of the confident future he foresaw for the British military. With forces currently deployed in 37 countries around the world and a defence budget only outstripped by the USA, China and Saudi Arabia (in terms of % of GDP) Britain’s armed forces were maintaining their global reach. Drawing several clear comparisons with the farming industry he stressed how “sweating every asset in a clearer way” meant the military had moved from being in a state of constant readiness, to one of continuous deployment, both at home and abroad. Maintaining a new tradition inaugurated by Club chairman Stewart Houston, grace was given at the end of the meal, concluding a fine celebration of Saint George, England’s foremost champion of good over evil.
Tour to Italy
Tour to Italy The Farmers Club Chairman Mr Stewart Houston and his wife, Janet, invite members and guests to join them on a Farmers Club tour to the Emilia Romagna region of Northern Italy where the focus will be traditional food and wine producers typical of the region
EMILIA Romagna in Northern Italy is considered to be one of the richest regions of Europe and the third Italian region by GDP per capita. Such results were achieved developing a very well balanced economy, based on the biggest agricultural sector in Italy and iconic names in the automotive industry, such as Ferrari, Ducati, Lamborghini and Maserati. In spite of the depth and variety of industrial activities in the region agriculture has not been eclipsed, with farming contributing 5.8% of the region’s output. Cereals, potatoes, maize, tomatoes and onions are the most important products, along with fruit and grapes for the production of wine, of which the best known are Lambrusco, Sangiovese and Pignoletto. Cattle and pig breeding are also highly developed. A specially tailored four night/five day tour, based in one hotel in Reggio Emilia, will start with a British Airways flight direct to Milan, where you will be met on arrival and transferred for the first farm visit near Parma. This family farm produces Salami, Culatello and other cured meat following years of traditions and rules regulated by the local consortium. The Culatello, produced from October to February, comes from the prime cut of the pig leg and is seasoned for 12 months without any chemical additives. A small vineyard is also attached to the farm. Dinner is
included in the hotel on the first evening, allowing you time to relax and refresh from your travels. The following three days include a guided tour of the city of Verdi and the Empress Maria Luigia d’Austria and visits to an organic vegetable farm, a vertically integrated pig farm with its own slaughterhouse, a Parmesan Cheese factory, a large progressive dairy farm milking over 800 Holstein and Jersey cows and producing some of the finest cheese in Italy, and a buffalo farm. And to complete the traditions of the region, a visit to the Medici Ermente wine facility, producer of Lambrusco now run by the fourth generation of the Medici family. Here you will enjoy a tour, wine tasting and dinner!! The tour will run from Monday 14th to Friday 18th October 2013 and due to group flight restrictions is limited to 35 guests. The party will be accompanied by a Farmers Club representative and you will also have an English speaking Italian guide with agricultural knowledge from arrival to departure, plus a driver and private luxury coach. Accommodation has been booked at the Mercure Astoria Hotel in the heart of the historic centre of Reggio Emilia surrounded by the greenery of a city park.
TOUR COST The exclusive study tour package includes: • Return flights with British Airways from London Heathrow to Milan on Monday 14th October returning Friday 18th October 2013. • Hotel accommodation at the 3* Mercure Astoria Hotel on bed and breakfast basis. • 4 dinners and 2 lunches. • All visits throughout the tour. • The tour will be accompanied by a Farmers Club representative, an experienced English speaking guide and driver with executive coach. £759.00 per person – based on 2 people sharing either a twin or double room £879.00 per person – based on single occupancy PLUS Airport taxes of £97.40 per person (subject to change prior to ticket issue)
THE FARMERS CLUB TOUR TO ITALY 14TH-18TH OCTOBER 2013 To obtain a booking form please complete the form below and return by Thursday 11 July 2013. A ballot for places will be held if the tour is oversubscribed. Full Name Address Post Code Tel E-Mail Return to: Lisbeth Rune, Events Manager, The Farmers Club, 3 Whitehall Court, LONDON SW1A 2EL Tel: 020 7930 3751 Email: events@thefarmersclub.com
www.thefarmersclub.com • 17
Jeremy Dyas, Chairman; Beth Hockham, Vice Chairman; Lisbeth Rune, Secretary • U30s
U30s Chairman’s Jottings BY the time you read this article I do hope the prolonged wet and cold weather will be a very distant memory! It is also true to say that the Under 30s should have attended their Spring Farm Walk in Cambridgeshire. Our plan is to visit Camgrain, a wholly farmer-owned grain storage co-operative, the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, and Burwash Manor Farm, a 400-acre arable and livestock farm in HLS and with its own tea rooms and shops. Dinner on Saturday 18th May is scheduled for the Mountbatten Room at Christ College, Cambridge. A fun and interesting programme I think. Recent months have been an extremely challenging time for both the arable and livestock sectors. As I write there is still snow under the hedges in some of our fields in Shropshire! The crops that have been planted are quite a few weeks behind for the time of year, with a lot of catching up to do. The country as a whole has seen a dramatic increase in spring cropping, as many fields were just far too wet to plant, or did not survive the winter, with slug damage being a massive problem for many. Fortunately, our farm in Shropshire is on very light land. Looking forwards to the summer the Under 30s will be hosting a Pimms and Supper evening at the Club on Thursday 27th June. Drinks will be served on the balcony – weather permitting. I do hope you can make it. The Under 30s Committee would very much appreciate hearing your views on what you would like to get out of your membership. I hope you will encourage more friends to join the Under 30s – do bring them along to events to give them a taste of what we do.
contact Jeremy for more information Jeremy Dyas 07877 615444 jezzajones@hotmail.co.uk
18 • The Farmers Club Summer Journal 2013
Club Under 30s guest speaker Helen Browning made a strong case for organic farming, drawing on her experiences of farming, food sales and running The Royal Oak pub in Bishopstone, near Swindon, Wiltshire.
Spring Dining Evening NEARLY 40 members and guests made their way to the Club for a well attended Spring Dining Evening. The evening started in the Cumber Room for a glass of wine and a quick catch up before moving through to the Eastwood Room for dinner. As usual the chef did us proud with a starter of potted salmon, followed by corn fed chicken together with seasonal vegetables and finishing with a white chocolate mousse complimented by a cherry compote. We were fortunate to be able to welcome Helen Browning, chief executive of the Soil Association. Helen kept the occasion very light hearted with a superb talk covering her own experience and overview of the policies of the Soil Association, followed by an opportunity to ask questions. Organic farming proved to be a controversial issue amongst the Under 30s,
attracting a lively round of questioning and interesting responses from Helen. There was no doubt as to which side of the issue some of the Under 30s are on! The group then moved into the bar and there was a further opportunity to chat to Helen in an informal environment. As always a hardcore few ventured out into the night to the Opal nightclub to dance the rest of the night away. In all it was a fantastic evening and the first under the leadership of new Under 30s Chairman Jeremy Dyas and Vice-chair Beth Hockham, who did a fabulous job. The next event is the Spring Farm Walk running from 17th-19th May, which we are very much looking forward to. • Victoria Goddard Under 30s Committee
U30s • Jeremy Dyas, Chairman; Beth Hockham, Vice Chairman; Lisbeth Rune, Secretary
The church – not only at the heart of rural communities, but very active in the farming industry too.
Faith and Farming Is the church relevant to farming? Under 30s member Dominic Kirby thinks so
“The church has a vested interest in our industry, not least because it is a major landowner in its own right.”
WHEN I think of the Church of England, I like to think of sleepy old country churches inhabited by mildly eccentric vicars. But if one looks beyond this cosy Home Counties idyll of cream teas at summer fetes and candlelit Evensong on frosty evenings, one finds the church plays a very important – but sometimes overlooked – role in farming and rural life. There are thousands of churches and chapels – of all denominations – spread over the countryside, with many still at the heart of the rural communities they so steadfastly serve. Aside from the spiritual and practical support the church offers farmers on a daily basis, not just on Sundays, it has a vested interest in our industry, not least because it is a major landowner in its own right. Until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the early sixteenth century, the medieval church was the single largest landowner in the country. Like all the great landowners, its rural property portfolio is much smaller than it used to be, but it is still considerable. These days the majority of the Church of England’s property and assets are owned and managed by the Church Commissioners. It consists of roughly 105,000 acres of high-quality farmland, comprising approximately 330 farms. The Commissioners also hold the Lordship of no fewer than 756 Manors. The portfolio includes numerous land and residential lettings, as well as sports grounds, village greens, common land and woodland, with farmland accounting for roughly one third of property investments by value.
As the established church, the Church of England is able to use its unique position to give high-profile support to the agricultural and food industries. In the House of Lords, the Bishops of Hereford, Exeter and Wakefield are the church’s main spokesmen on agriculture and rural affairs. The church recently lent its support to the NFU’s Buy British Food campaign, with the Bishop of Hereford stating: “British farmers produce great British food. Everyone knows where it comes from, thanks to logos such as the farm assurance Red Tractor.” His colleague, the Bishop of Wakefield, went one step further and called on people to pray for the whole food production chain, from struggling farmers, to people who simply do not have enough to eat: “The UK has seen dreadful weather that has ruined crops and disrupted harvests. The end result is that many farmers face a cut in income of up to a half. Now we see consumers uncertain about what they are eating and wasted ready meals being thrown away because the labels can’t be trusted.” The church is also engaged in practical solutions to help farmers through organisations like The Arthur Rank Centre, an ecumenical Christian charity based at Stoneleigh, which ‘serves both the spiritual and practical needs of the rural Christian community’ through a range of projects, resourcing and training. It has a particular concern for the almost one million rural households who live on or below the poverty line, many of them in remote areas. The Church of England also takes a keen interest in environmental matters. Through Shrinking the Footprint, its natural environment campaign, the church is committed to a carbon reduction target of 80% by 2050, with an interim target of 42% by 2020. Far from it being a Vicar of Dibley style organisation, the church’s ownership of farms and farmland, its strong support for British agriculture and its deep rooted historical and cultural links with the land, means that it will continue to be a force for good in our countryside for many years to come. Amen.
www.thefarmersclub.com • 19
Stephen Skinner • Club News
Club News Busting myths around bedroom bookings I am pleased to say the Club has been busy for the first three months of the year and demand for bedrooms remains high. The downside is that I am regularly harangued by members about bedroom availability and the associated booking system. Indeed, it was the key issue raised in our recent survey membership survey. I would like to take this opportunity to explain what we have, what we do, how we do it and maybe dispel a few myths. First, the Club currently has 52 bedrooms. Six of these are singles with en-suite bathrooms; 11 are singles without en-suite; 31 are twin/doubles with en-suite; and four are twins/doubles without en-suite. During the working week demand for bedrooms often exceeds what we have available. We do run a waiting list system for cancellations and are also able to suggest alternative accommodation nearby. At the same time we continue to examine ways of increasing the number of rooms we have. Significantly, demand for bedrooms with en-suite bathroom facilities far exceeds that for bedrooms without. Also, understandably, demand for single bedrooms with bathrooms is highest during the working week. Having failed to acquire the neighbouring One Horse Guards Avenue property last year the Club’s Plan B fall-back option, which was approved in large part at our recent General Committee Meeting, is now setting about increasing the number of bedrooms, as well as the proportion with en-suite facilities. It is also worth noting that our booking system was changed four years ago. Previously members could book no more than two months in advance.
20 • The Farmers Club Summer Journal 2013
At the time we spoke with many other London Clubs and researched what hotels in London generally do. The result was, and remains, to be able to book 12 months in advance, with cancellation free of charge, up to 48 hours before arrival, thereafter, if we cannot let the room, you will be charged. Since introducing this system, approved by the House and General Committees, questions have been frequently asked. But we have yet to find a more equitable solution. So far no one has suggested a better system – one which is fair to all, satisfies the needs of the maximum number of members and enables the Club to make best use of its facilities. What we have in place is no different to the vast majority of similar institutions. Of course any system is open to abuse. While not actually breaking the rules a couple of members have gone against the spirit of the rules by making a series of bookings and then regularly cancelling them. Where we have spotted this, we have acted, and we remain alert. However, in the main, this behaviour is very rare. There is also a belief that large numbers of Peers and other members not only block book far in advance, but also get priority treatment. The reality is that no more than six members use the Club on a very frequent basis (when the House is sitting), and another six use the Club a great deal, but not all at the same time. As for priority, all members are treated equally. I appreciate this is an emotive subject. But having looked at it numerous times I have still to find a golden solution to satisfy all, all of the time. But we do try! We are creating more bedrooms and will continue to monitor usage most carefully, whilst at the same time trying to provide a service members can be proud of.
Professor Sir Colin Spedding CLUB member Professor Sir Colin Spedding, who has died aged 87, was well known to many in farming, following a distinguished career in agricultural research and animal welfare. The son of a Methodist minister he left education in 1939 with no qualifications. Following three years wartime service in motor torpedo boats he pursued a correspondence course for an external degree in Zoology at London University. Thus equipped he joined the Grassland Research Institute at Hurley, Berkshire, where he became deputy director, before transferring to Reading University where he became Professor of Agricultural Systems, head of agriculture, director of the Centre for Agricultural Startegy and pro-vice chancellor. Prof Spedding considered himself an “old-fashioned, public service guy”. He held numerous senior roles, including chairman of the board of the Science Council and president of the Institute of Biology, and championed animal welfare, helping create the “five freedoms” – freedom from hunger and thirst; from discomfort; from pain and disease; from fear; and freedom to express normal behaviour. An engaging speaker, he had a passion for proverbs, a favourite being: “If you want milk, don’t sit on a stool and wait for the cow to back up to you.” His wife Betsy died in 1988. Their son and daughter survive him. Another son predeceased him.
Booking bedrooms at The Farmers Club
Club News • Stephen Skinner New events manager and Under 30s secretary Lisbeth Rune
Club Calendar Diary Dates
Lisbeth Rune joins us WELCOME to Lisbeth Rune who has taken over from MaryAnne Salisbury as Events Manager and Secretary to the Under 30s. Lisbeth is Danish by birth but has been in the UK for many years, most recently as an underwriter at Lloyds of London. She is married and lives in London with her five year old son, Lukas. As to farming connections Lisbeth has an uncle back in Denmark with a large dairy, pigs and arable farming business. We wish Lisbeth every success in her new role.
Please check the dates carefully as they are sometimes changed and new dates added for each issue. Details of Club events circulated in the previous issues are available online at www.thefarmersclub.com
MAY Suffolk Show Drinks reception Wednesday 29th Booking form in previous issue
Visit to Windsor Great Park - FULL Friday 31st
Windsor Great Park
Visit to Ayrshire and Dinner at the Royal Highland Show Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th RHS dinner application form in previous issue
Livestock 2013 MAKE a date for Livestock 2013 the nation’s premier event for the livestock sector on 3 and 4 July at the NEC, Birmingham.
JUNE
JULY Visit to RHS garden at Wisley Ayrshire and RHS
Friday 5th Application form enclosed
Great Yorkshire Show Reception Tuesday 9th Booking form in this issue
Annual General Meeting, Whitehall Court Friday 12th at 12 noon
The rescheduled event is being promoted as an opportunity to get far better prepared than usual before autumn.
Royal Welsh Show Reception Monday 22nd Booking form in this issue Summer show receptions
“I’m among thousands of livestock farmers facing an indisputably tough year and keen to pick up as much early advice as I can to start planning my winter feeding, housing and general management,” says Ian Macalpine, chairman of event organiser RABDF, who farms a 250 cow pedigree Jersey herd in Lancashire. New for 2013: • National Dairy Show – 240 cows, seven breeds • National Charolais Show – 80 performance recorded cattle • Forage Field – demonstration to make more from grass • Machinery Hall – largest single span building exhibition of agricultural machinery Tickets £20 on the day; or £17 pre-booked at www.livestockevent.co.uk
SEPTEMBER Honorary Members’ Lunch at the Club Tuesday 17th
OCTOBER
Harvest Festival
Harvest Festival Service at St. Martin-in-the-Fields (Followed by buffet supper at the Club) Tuesday 8th at 5pm Preacher – The Rt Revd Peter Price, Bishop of Bath and Wells.
Visit to Parma, Italy Monday 14th to Friday 18th Further information on page 17
Italy Tour
www.thefarmersclub.com • 21
The Farmers Club • Club Information
Club Information 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 Farmers Club Charitable Trust Bursary Awards 2013 1. Mr Roger Clarke Duchy College
To study the comparative sustainability (economic, social and environmental) of large and small farming enterprises in Poland and identify what lessons there are for dealing with change on UK farms.
2. Dr Jan Connell SRUC Ayr
To increase technical expertise in grassland science. Develop links with Universities to enable agricultural students to participate in studies overseas.
3. Mr Martin Edwards Sparsholt College
To study innovative vertebrate pest control techniques developed and used in New Zealand and assess their feasibility for UK application.
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 CLUB CHAPLAIN The Reverend Sam Wells COMMITTEE Elected 2008: The Reverend Dr Gordon Gatward OBE, David Richardson OBE (Chairman – Journal and Communications Sub-Committee), John Wilson Elected 2009: John Stones
4. Mr Henry Matthews To assess key indicators on three different farms in two countries (Argentina and Ukraine) where large scale farming Writtle College is the norm and evaluate the implications of increasing farm size for UK agriculture. 5. Mr Mark Riley Liverpool University
Understanding the social aspects of agri-environmental actions – European Comparisons (Holland, Switzerland and Norway)
6. Mrs Anya Westland To look at strategies to improve beef production in Canada Myerscough College and consider their relevance to UK farming. 7. Mr Mark Yearsley Reaseheath College
To study practical aspects of the management of on-Farm Anaerobic Digesters in the UK, USA and Denmark.
Elected 2011: Andrew Brown (Chairman – Membership Sub-Committee) Elected 2012: Mrs Ionwen Lewis, Charles Notcutt OBE (Chairman – House Sub-Committee)
2013 GOLF DIARY
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
Date
Match/Competition
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)
Thursday 23rd May Friday 31st May
v British Veterinary Association GS, Saltford GC, Bristol v Farmer members of HCEG, Muirfield
Friday 7th June Monday 17th June
v WCF, Badgemore Park, Henley on Thames, Oxon v The Forty Club, Royal St. George’s, Sandwich, Kent
Thursday 4th July
Club Golf Championships, Blackwell GC, nr. Bromsgrove, Worcs
Thursday 26th & Friday 27th September
Mixed Autumn Meeting Frilford Heath GC, Abingdon, Oxon
Tuesday 8th October
Bath Club Cup, Woking GC, Surrey
Thursday 31st October Friday 1st November
v HCEG, Muirfield (2 day meeting) Ganton GC, Scarborough Seaton Carew GC, Hartlepool
NEXT ISSUE Watch out for your Harvest issue of the Farmers Club Journal, due out in mid-July, packed full of content including a look at PV solar energy, a novel weather forecasting system, and full reports on Club visits to Leckford Estate in Hampshire, Dumfries House and SRUC Bush Estate in Scotland and Windsor Great Park. 22 • The Farmers Club Summer Journal 2013
If you would like further information about the matches and competitions, kindly email secretariat@thefarmersclub.com
Club Information • The Farmers Club
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 H Buckley Yorkshire Mr D Godfrey Eire Mr A Green Cambridgeshire Mr J Harrison Sussex Mr M Hinton Kent Mr D Worrall Sussex New Members The following were elected: UK Members Mr A Airey Mr R Bailey Mr P Bloomfield Mr R Brogden Mr M Brown Mr R Campbell Miss J Carmichael Mr S Cash Mr J Courtney Mrs M Creswell Mr E Crookes Mrs M Cross Mr A Davies Mr N Falshaw Mr C Gentry Mr J Gilbertson Mr D Harwood Mr J Hobbs Mrs L Houlford Mr J Howard Mr I Jenkins Mr D Kiddy Mr M Lightowler Mr N Marten Baroness D Massey Mrs E Philip Mr J Priest Mrs C Ramsden Mr W Rose Mrs J Stack Mr R Taylor Mr J Theobald Mr L Turney
Mr T Vaughan
Devon
Mr O Zahn
Surrey
Overseas Mr J Russell
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)
USA
Club Contacts THE FARMERS CLUB Over 160 years of service to farming 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL
Under 30s Mr T Ashton Mr A Bedford
Shropshire Belgium
Mr A Bishop
Gloucestershire
Mr J Bolesworth
Cambridgeshire
Mr J Bosworth Miss P Chambers
Yorkshire Sussex Suffolk Nottinghamshire Surrey Lincolnshire Wiltshire Yorkshire Gloucestershire Surrey Berkshire Midlothian Carmarthenshire Yorkshire Suffolk Cambridgeshire Hampshire Surrey Devon Buckinghamshire Glamorgan Suffolk Essex Wiltshire Sussex Yorkshire Staffordshire Suffolk Lincolnshire Sussex Suffolk Essex Devon
Northamptonshire
Mr D Wilkins
Essex Somerset
Miss A Evans-Bevan
Channel Islands
Mr P Evans-Bevan
Channel Islands
Mr A Greenwell
Suffolk
Miss E Hayward
London
Miss H Matthews
Staffordshire
Mr T Nuttall
London
Mr J Scholey
Yorkshire
Miss I Shayle
Gloucestershire
Mr H Tincknell
Cambridgeshire
Miss K Wells
Chairman 2013: Stewart Houston
Warwickshire
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.
Chief Executive and Secretary: Air Commodore Stephen Skinner
• There is a Club jacket and a selection of ties at Reception which may be borrowed in an emergency.
Bedroom & Dining Room Reservations: 020-7930 3557
• Ladies should be dressed conventionally. Trousers are permitted but not casual slacks, jeans or trainers during the week.
Private Function & Meeting Room Reservations: 020-7925 7100
• Smart casual dress may be worn from 6pm Friday to midnight Sunday, smart clean jeans and trainers permitted.
Membership: 020-7925 7102
• Children should conform with the above guidelines. • Members must advise their guests of the dress regulations. 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.
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
Accounts: 020-7925 7101 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 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 see the sights, visit an exhibition, soak up the atmosphere at a concert, or simply imbibe the ambience of one of the world’s great capitals. To make your visit even more enjoyable the Club is staying open between 10 – 25 August with the following catering services available. 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.