Winter2011

WINTER JOURNAL 2011 • ISSUE 235

www.thefarmersclub.com

INSIDE Harvest festival p6 Cornwall tour p8 Shropshire sheep p12 High nature value farming p14 APPLICATION FORM Aida opera event, p22

Expansion plans Purchasing One Horse Guards Avenue p3 & 4

Farmers Club Over 160 years of service to farming 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL Patron – Her Majesty The Queen

FRONT COVER Number 1 Horse Guards Avenue could provide a wonderful new opportunity for the Farmers Club to expand into the 21st Century

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 Horse Guards Avenue acquisition opportunity promises much for the future of the Farmers Club

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Expansion plans The chance to acquire the property next door comes up but rarely.

Here’s what is possible for your Club

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Har vest festival Celebrating all that’s best about British farming

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Cornish tour success From intensive vegetable and bulb production to the latest dairy technology, plus a trip to Eden

10 Biomass opportunities Harnessing plant-power to generate energy

12 Member profile How Shropshire sheep have been taken from strength to strength, plus a look at paperwork and food promotion

14 High nature value farming

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Romania is working to reap rewards from some of the most wildlife-friendly pastoral farming in Europe

16 Buckingham Palace Duchess of Cambridge wedding dress proves a crowd pleaser

17 Farming advocates Young enthusiasts battle it out in debating contest

17 Under 30s Top poultry farmer inspires at autumn dining evening

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19 Common sense Our Under 30s writer considers commons and greens

20 Heat pump technology Novel approach to warming pigs

21 Whitehall Court Ramblings Major new leadership initiative launched

22 Information and Diar y Dates

02 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011

Chairman’s Comments • Richard Holland

Chairman’s Comments

This exciting opportunity comes just as the whole industry is entering an era of vast potential.

I WAS reflecting the other day on the huge commitment our forebears made to endow this Club with the assets that enabled it to become the wonderful organisation it is today. To enjoy such agreeable surroundings, on the banks of the Thames, in the heart of London, and to have fostered such a strong fraternity of membership across the UK and around the globe, really is quite wonderful. We owe them a great debt of gratitude.

The question I now ask myself, and all members, is what are we doing? As you will infer from the front cover of this Journal, the article on page four and recent correspondence from Chief Executive Stephen Skinner and Chairman of Trustees Mark Hudson, this generation of Club members has an extraordinary opportunity to launch the Club into a new phase of its existence by acquiring Number One Horse Guards Avenue.

Not only would this provide a prestigious entrance to the Club, it would allow us to create 18 new en-suite bedrooms, a large new dining room, a range of larger function and meeting rooms, and a fresh office for all the Club’s hard-working staff. A Club premises fit for the 21st Century.

Of course, there is a great poignancy, as this exciting opportunity comes just as the whole industry is entering an era of vast potential, as climate change, renewable energy and global food security agendas all coincide. Talking of global food security wouldn’t it be great if discussions on that topic could do for the World what early discussions on coal and steel in the 1950s have done for Europe.

Speaking of which, I found much food for thought at the annual conference of Biosciences KTN, the organisation that successfully secured funding from the Technology Strategy Board for our Farmers Club EU Research and Development project.

It showed how biotechnology is about to be as big as the industrial revolution, in the early 1800s, with applications in medicine, industry, agriculture and aquaculture.

population growth in the context of climate change.

What a contrast with my first Chairman’s notes, when I quoted EU Farm Commissioner Dacian Ciolos telling the Oxford Conference the Commission could not consider GM, because the public didn’t want it.

His Parliament should be advising the public, not hiding behind it. The 77% might then be 85 or 90%.

The final conference paper, by Surinder Chahal, revealed the UK’s best kept pharmaceutical secret, Croda, a firm that started extracting oil from sheep’s fleeces in Yorkshire in 1925 and now has a global turnover of £1bn and an internal return of 20%.

Incredibly, 70% of its raw materials are plant oils, proteins, carbohydrates and fish oils. Clearly that creates a tension with food production, but it all helps improve the market for agricultural products.

Returning to the Farmers Club EU R&D project, which has now received an extension to its funding from the Technology Strategy Board, I had thought a Brussels office would be able to supply the appropriate forms to apply for EU funding. But it wasn’t like that. Nonetheless, we have now submitted a good argument for the project to be included in the EU’s 2013 Work Programme. We have also sent our submission to all who spoke at our conference in London last March, so that Brussels receives a clear and co-ordinated message from around Europe. I would like to think Club members might adopt a similar approach to our fundraising for Number One Horse Guards Avenue – encouraging everyone they meet to lend their financial support to this exciting once-in-a-lifetime initiative – for the good of the Club and the whole farming industry.

Finally, as this is my last Chairman’s Comments, I would like to thank my fellow committee members and office holders, and our excellent staff, who have provided unstinting support throughout the year, ensuring our Club continues to be such a wonderful organisation and making my time as Chairman not only a privilege and an honour, but very enjoyable too. I wish my successor Paul Heygate, and his wife Sally, every success in the year ahead and hope they enjoy it as much as Caroline and I have. Thank you all for making this a truly memorable year and I wish you a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Richard Holland

Public perception In a perfectly presented wake-up call to Brussels, Nathalie Moll, secretary general of EuropaBio, implored Eurocrats not to let the EU drop too far behind. ‘Policy is not matching public perception,’ she stressed. A recent independent EU survey found 77% of people were prepared to consider advanced technologies to help meet the challenges of

www.thefarmersclub.com • 03

Expansion plans

Opportunity beckons for Farmers Club The Farmers Club has a once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire “the farm next door.” Secretary Stephen Skinner explains

WHAT makes The Farmers Club special? Well, apart from its wonderful location, I believe its ethos and culture, created by past and present members over many years, stands out as an almost tangible and unique quality. Without it, the Club would not be what it is.

In the face of fierce competition from other Clubs and hotels we must jealously guard this special atmosphere. But, we should never forget the Club is still a business and must explore opportunities as they arise. One such opportunity, and a special one indeed, is now presenting itself.

Last year, I heard that the company leasing the accommodation on the end of our building (the MOD end), was looking to move out in March 2012.

Fortunately, the managing director of this company is a member of The Farmers Club and was kind enough to show me around. What an opportunity revealed itself!

With 11,500 square feet of floor space spread over three floors, this is large by any standards and offers the Club, through clever use of the space, the ability to increase the number of bedrooms from 52 to 70; provide larger public rooms; add a sizeable balcony attached to our current one; and give us our

04 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011

own entrance. Our new address would be No 1 Horse Guards Avenue, just around the corner from where we enter the building now.

The space is exceptional. The entrance is special by any standards and already has a fit-for-purpose reception. The room we are intending to use as the dining-room will provide more space and light – an even better environment than we already enjoy. We will provide a larger business suite, essential given the demand we have been experiencing with our current one. The meeting rooms vary in size, offering us the chance to hold seminars or even small conferences, family gatherings and celebrations. As for the new bedrooms, ALL will be en-suite and fitted to the high standard we have been achieving of late.

If, and it is a big if, we are able to acquire the sublease and get planning permission, then the project would take at least a year to complete. Moreover, given we could separate reasonably well the works on 1 Horse Guards Avenue and 3 Whitehall Court, it is hoped there would be minimal disruption to Members, albeit, some must be expected. Given a fair wind, we should be able to occupy the new space in mid 2013 and have all the works completed by the end of 2013.

Lots more bedrooms, to the highest standard, like recently refurbished room nine (above)

Expansion plans

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(Above) Impressive entrance at No.1 Horse Guards Avenue

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S T U R G I S AS S OC I A T E S

(Right) Clever use of space will offer members lots of extra facilities

More meeting rooms to meet customer demand

I believe passionately that in the long-term, this is the right move for The Farmers Club.

The business plan to support this acquisition and development is near completion as I write. However, it is important that members appreciate that it is most definitely not our intention to raise prices to levels seen in neighbouring hotels. Our philosophy is to maintain value for money and thus prices will be comparable to that which you are paying now – allowing for inflation.

“Why should I be a member when I can’t get a room when I need one?” Almost from the day I started three and a half years ago, this has been a constant refrain. The ‘why’ is pretty obvious.

With excellent value for money, we enjoy one of the highest occupancy rates of any club in London and 52 rooms is not sufficient to meet the demand.

We need more bedrooms.

The size of our dining-room and some of our meeting rooms is limiting too. There are frequent requests from Members to hold dinners, lunches, meetings for 50, 60 or more people and the truth is we struggle. Yes, we have managed up until now by judicious use of the connecting doors between the dining-room and Eastwood Room, but it could never be described as a ‘neat’ solution. The result? We lose out on opportunities that could generate invaluable

income for the Club.

No 3 Whitehall Court is quite an entrance and once again, has served us well over the years. But it is shared with other residents and we have to rely heavily on the porters, who do not work for us. This is less than ideal. To have our own entrance with our own porters at night and receptionists during the day, controlling access and security, is, to my mind, a valuable and important asset – even more so as we look to the future.

Finally, in setting the scene, the eighth floor bedrooms, variously known as the attic or the crow’s nest, were constructed in 1934 as temporary accommodation and have more than served their purpose. However, access to these rooms renders them unusable for less mobile members; there is only one bathroom to share among six bedrooms; and, the construction is most definitely showing its age.

Its life is restricted for our future needs and members’ future aspirations.

Naturally, we have explored the options for developing the eighth floor, but these are limited, not least because we can do nothing about the access. We should look to sell the sub-lease sooner rather than later while it still retains value.

After presenting the outline business case to the Trustees, they approved my taking it to your General Committee who approved the employment of the essential professionals to take this project forward.

With chartered surveyors, quantity surveyors, architects, tax advisors, lawyers, surveyors, valuers, fund raisers and numerous others, we have, step by step, progressed and now have plans on how the space could be used, a detailed business plan and, are well into negotiations with the owner on an acceptable price.

Clearly, none of this comes cheap. Our intent is to raise capital through the sale of the eighth floor and fourth floor accommodation. But even then, we will still need to raise a lot of money through, it is hoped, the generosity of our members. I should say here that Mrs Stella Muddiman, whose late husband generously funded the purchase of our 4th floor accommodation, is more than content for this course of action.

The Chairman of Trustees and I will be writing to every member shortly on how we might look to raise the funds necessary to achieve this unique opportunity for the Club. If spread equitably among every member this would cost approximately £1500 each, although we naturally recognise that not every member would wish to contribute.

Of course, we are searching for generous benefactors and possibly even for companies that may wish to sponsor us in some way. Maybe people would like a room named after themselves or a member of their family? Whatever way we go, I know this will be challenging. However, I believe passionately that in the long-term, this is the right move for The Farmers Club. It will guarantee its future for many, many years to come, allowing it to grow and develop and serve its membership well in to the 21st Century, reflecting our confidence in farming and in the future.

I look forward to hearing your views and, I hope, gaining your support.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 05

Food

Harvest Festival celebration

Richard Holland presents some of Britain’s finest fresh produce to Richard Partridge, head chef at homeless charity Connection at St Martin’s, accompanied by (l-r) Rt Revd Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter who gave the sermon, Rt Revd Peter Hullah, who led the service at St Martin’s, and Revd Peter Beresford of Barsby and Kilsby, Leics, who led the prayers.

FARMING once again took centre stage in London as The Farmers Club staged its annual Harvest Festival at St Martin-in-the-Fields, just off Trafalgar Square on Tuesday 11th October.

A highlight of this year’s event was the donation of fresh produce to Connection at St Martins, a charity that provides food and help to the homeless.

Fine British fruit and vegetables had been collected from New Covent Garden Market earlier in the day, in celebration of two of the market’s wholesalers gaining Red Tractor status from Assured Food Standards.

After doing battle with the city traffic the Massey Ferguson 5450, provided by leading tractor manufacturer AGCO, parked beside St Martins, attracting considerable interest from the public.

Commenting on the donation of the fresh produce, which was gratefully received by Connections head chef Richard Partridge, Club chairman Richard Holland said: “It is particularly pleasing to be able to support the wonderfully

06 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011

Fresh British produce passes through Trafalgar Square en-route to the Farmers Club’s harvest festival at St Martin-in-the-Fields

wide-reaching work that this church does in the community through its Connections charity for the homeless.”

The licensing of wholesalers P&I Fruits and EA Williams, alongside 11 licensed distributors, means New Covent Garden Market is the first UK market able to offer a complete Red Tractor Assurance chain from producer through to kitchen.

“Since 2007 there has been a 24% increase of wholesalers selling UK produce at NCGM, reflecting the growing consumer demand for locally sourced produce,” commented the NCGM’s Helen Evans.

The market supplies 40% of fresh fruit & vegetables eaten outside the home in London and is used by 75% of London florists Inside the church looked a picture, decorated with fresh British flowers, fruit and vegetables, bags of flour and sugar, specially baked loaves, and with pew ends bearing sheaves of wheat, all arranged by Lorna Richardson and her team of helpers.

In a new development of the service Harvest Gifts

Food

Make mine milk Gloucestershire farmers Gordon and Judy Gilder and Michael and Judith Hill joined the Harvest Festival celebration

Grateful thanks to...

Lorna Richardson (above left) and Caroline Holland, who decorated the church with the help of Andrew Richardson, Fiona Willetts, Nicki Quayle, Teresa and Robin Wickham; all at St Martin-in-the-Fields; Gs Marketing; Heygates; Red Tractor/Assured Food Standards; AGCO/Massey Ferguson; New Covent Garden Market.

were taken to the altar: Campbell Tweed presenting the offering of the soil; Tim Bennett fruits and wine; James Cross milk and dairy products; Mark Hudson poultry and eggs; Stuart Houston meat and fish; Anne Chamberlain plants and flowers; Gerald Osborne salads, root crops and vegetables; Richard Butler grains; and Gordon Gatward the harvest loaf.

The service was led by Rt. Revd. Peter Hullah, former Bishop of Ramsbury, Wilts, who is assisting at St Martin in the Fields since Revd Nicholas Holtam’s move to become Bishop of Salisbury. A challenging sermon was delivered by Rt. Revd. Michael Langrish, Bishop of Exeter.

Glorious singing from the church choir included Haydn’s powerful The Heavens are Telling and Howard Goodall’s setting of Psalm 23 as used so evocatively in the TV series The Vicar of Dibley to conjure an image of the rural British village life.

Club members enjoyed a buffet supper of fine British food at Whitehall Court afterwards.

HOW quickly can you down a pint of milk? John Carr scooped the award for fastest pint consumed at the Dairy Event, taking just 3.15 seconds.

By contrast the Make Mine Milk campaign has captivated youngsters for nearly 18 months, using celebrities like Tess Daly and Elle Macpherson to deliver powerful messages, through poster ads, PR and increasingly social networks like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The latest promotions feature Team Milk’s milk-tashed inspirational athletes.

Research shows more than half of teens recognise the campaign, rising to 70% of teenage girls, the mum’s of the future, Chris Linsell of campaign creators Kindred Agency explained at the Dairy Event.

And the message is getting through, the first year seeing a 12% rise in teens happy to be seen drinking milk and 8% more recognising that most milk varieties are less than 2% fat.

But the £2.5m/year campaign, 60% funded by milk companies and 30% by the EU, is at risk. “EU funding is due to end in October next year and without other stakeholders putting their hands in their pockets, it could easily mean the end of the campaign – which would be a huge shame for the industry as a whole,” Mr Linsell warned. (www.makeminemilk.co.uk)

Milk station FANCY a pint? Why not pop down to the milk station and help yourself? That’s the idea behind a new initiative to introduce helpyourself milk-on-demand vending machines to the UK by husband and wife team Tommy Szebeni and Rita Lauer.

The Swiss Brunnimat machines are being piloted by organic milk company Omsco in Lancashire and other clients in the Cotswolds and Cumbria. Made of rustproof stainless steel and fully insulated the milk is held at 2.7-3.9C ready for vending on demand.

“They are already popular in Continental Europe, and with more people recognising the environmental implications of transport and packaging, and wanting to buy fresh products locally to support local farmers, this really is the freshest milk you can get,” enthused Mrs Szebeni.

• www.themilkstationcompany.co.uk Milk at the touch of a button from The Milk Station Company’s Tommy Szebeni and Rita Lauer

www.thefarmersclub.com • 07

Club tour

Cornish delight The Farmers Club autumn visit to Cornwall offered a fascinating insight into the region’s farming and heritage.

Charles Abel and Richard Holland share some impressions WE were blessed with good weather for our Farmers Club trip to the south west where the over-riding impression as we toured Cornwall was one of sheer enthusiasm.

Our first stop was the Hosking’s family farm at Fentongollan on the Roseland Peninsula, where over 250 varieties of rare daffodil bulbs are cultivated, specialist Cornish cut flowers produced and professional grade vegetable plants raised. As warmer springs seem to be becoming the norm they have their work cut out to maintain their competitive edge.

The farm shop, with its multitude of bulb varieties, was a big hit and hopefully, judging by the time it took to get our group back on the bus with all their produce, takings will have been boosted by our visit.

Jeremy Hosking, well known for autumn lambing 1200 Dorsets for the Easter trade, explained how the

08 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011

lamb market and feed economics had prompted him to switch to all grass spring lambing. Aberdale Texel rams from Innovis, with an added prolificacy gene, have transformed the operation, with the Texel rams put to Dorset/Aberdale ewes on an easy care system, with EID selection. The challenge is to avoid four, five or even six lambs per ewe, so rather than flushing, ewes are moved onto the poorest pasture to average two lambs per ewe.

Jonathan Jones then took us on a gallop through the gardens at the centre of Lord Falmouth’s Tregothnan Estate, enthusing about England’s only commercial tea plantation, which has gone from strength to strength since it started marketing its teas in 2006. Honey and tea infusions are also produced from Manuka, a plant much favoured by New Zealand’s Maoris for its distinctive flavour, as well as sustainable coppiced charcoal and asparagus grown on Asparagus Island off the Cornish coast.

Next it was time for a Cornish pasty lunch in Smugglers Cottage near the King Harry Ferry, where General Eisenhower spent six weeks surrounded by American tanks planning the Omaha beach landings in the Second World War. From there we swept up to the north coast of

(Above) The brainchild of Tim Smit the Eden Project is a hive of botanical activity, ranging through tropical, temperate and desert vegetation in the world’s largest greenhouse biomes to a giant honeybee inspecting purple-flowering phacelia in the surrounding gardens

Club tour

Cornwall to Pawton Dairy, which Anthony Wills and sons Mathew and Robert have built up to a highperforming herd of 1100 Willsbro Holsteins.

The farm aims to “breed a profitable herd of long lasting beautiful and functional cows, that repeatedly put milk in the tank and and go back in calf year after year” – and it shows. A five point dairy plan is pursued, based on management, environment, genetics, health and nutrition, with no one factor more important than the other, explained Robert.

Previously the site beside the Royal Cornwall Showground at Wadebridge was an all-arable operation. But having witnessed the scale of dairy operations in California, and admiring the set-ups and ease of management those facilities allowed, the family imported many of the key elements, and design features from California, to ensure the farm provides an environment well suited to the high levels of cow comfort they wanted to achieve with minimal input of labour.

The 60-point rotary milking parlour was installed in 2003 and can milk 350 cows/hour. Additional enterprises on the farm include an extremely successful partridge shoot, as Mathew enthused.

Situated on the Camel Estuary, between Padstow and Rock, the Pawton Manor shoot is naturally laid out to show stunning coveys of fast, challenging birds off rolling hills and over deep wooded valleys.

Bags of between 125 and 300 brace can be provided.

Supper was taken in the Beach Hut at Watergate Bay where Anthony and Vicki Wills and Royal Cornwall Show secretary Chris Riddle and his wife Thelma joined the group. We were also very pleased to have Brian and Ann Campbell from Zimbabwe with us for the tour, who expressed particular thanks for the Club’s arrangement to waive annual subscription fees for members from their country, in recognition of the suffering under Mugabe. We returned to St Austell to the sound of sea shanties from the very successful Port Isaac Fisherman’s Friends CD. The next day, after a fascinating tour around the Lost Gardens of Heligan, it was on to the Eden Project, where we had a perfect lunch, listening to the man who found those lost gardens, Tim Smit.

He was inspirational, talking ‘off the wall’ for over half an hour on subjects ranging from attitudes to risk, praising the Millennium Fund, and his efforts to break the cartel which keeps the margin on heating oil at 41%. What a tribute the Eden Project is to him and his ability to raise funds.

Our tour of the deepest south-west highlighted the entrepreneurial flair of farmers in the region, and showcased its wonderful scenery and rich heritage.

I do hope it whetted everyone’s appetite to return in the future. You will be most welcome!

Gardens restored: at the end of the nineteenth century Heligan’s thousand acres were at their zenith. Just a few years later bramble and ivy drew a green veil over this “Sleeping Beauty”. The devastating hurricane of 1990 should have consigned the Lost Gardens to a footnote in history. Instead, a tiny room, buried under fallen masonry in the corner of one of the walled gardens, was discovered.

It revealed the secret of their demise. A motto etched into the limestone walls in barely legible pencil still reads “Don’t come here to sleep or slumber” with the names of those who worked there signed under the date – August 1914. So was born the desire to bring these once glorious gardens back to life, in every sense, and to tell for the first time not tales of lords and ladies but of “ordinary” people who had made these gardens great, before departing for the Great War.

Mid-day milking saw 60 cows on the rotary parlour at Pawton Dairy.

Visitors can watch the whole process whilst enjoying a Cornish Clotted Cream tea in the viewing gallery

Britain’s only commercial tea plantation at Tregothnan Estate

At Fentongollan millions of broccoli plants are produced at just the right growth stage and level of hardiness for growers further down Cornwall to grow on for about eight months of the year, explained James Hosking. The thought of all the potential problems they face in providing the perfect plants to growers, without resulting in the inevitable phone call if everything isn’t perfect, was enough to make the hardiest visitor feel tired

More information: www.fentongollan.co.uk www.tregothnan.co.uk www.willsbro.com www.portisaacsfishermansfriends.com www.heligan.com www.edenproject.com

www.thefarmersclub.com • 09

Sustainability

THE cost of fuel has been rising rapidly! This affects householders and businesses in many ways, from transport to heating. Concerns over the effect of burning fossil fuels on the environment add further to an impetus to find alternatives.

What is Biomass?

Biomass is a growing opportunity to provide a renewable, clean and cost effective alternative to fossil fuel. Biomass, briefly, is described as the total living matter growing in a given environmental or geographical area. This living matter can be used to produce solid, gaseous or liquid fuels for heat and power generation.

Farmers and other landowners can benefit from existing or dedicated biomass crops including oilseed rape, cereal straw and woodland products. Crop residues, thinnings and crops such as myscanthus grass can be used with very little processing for heat and power generation, often with existing farm machinery. Alternatively they can be processed into briquettes or pellets, preferably close to the site of origin, to add additional value and energy density.

Currently large quantities of potentially usable fuel are wasted due to a failure to harvest residues or carry our planned management of woody crops.

The Forestry Commission in England estimates that there is 2,000,000 tonnes of wood available for fuel every year from unmanaged woodlands. This is on top of existing harvests and includes many farm woodlands not in management agreements.

So far a similar exercise has not been carried out for the agricultural sector to calculate the amount of available crop residues. But interest is rising in the use of non-woody biomass to increase the available resource and grow the sector. A series of articles in Farmers Weekly and other publications have looked at the potential for myscanthus and at the Interpellets 2011 event in Stuttgart there was significant interest in the value of non-woody biomass for increasing fuel supply in a growing market.

Fuelling the future Biomass offers great opportunities for farmers and landowners, as David Thorp and Bob Purvis explain

Robert Purvis Enterprises David Thorp (left), principal renewable energy consultant, was partly responsible for developing and implementing wood fuel policy at the Forestry Commission. He has an Honours Degree in Environmental Management and is a Member of the Countryside Management Association. Bob Purvis (right), principal marketing consultant, has spent 45 years advising leading landowners, farmers and agri-businesses. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Consulting (part of The Chartered Management Institute), a former Member of the Farmers Club Committee and is studying for a part-time MA Degree in Sustainability Development Advocacy.

Which options provide the best return?

The most common way for producers to get their crop to market is as a supplier to a large end user, such as a power station or processor. However, as with most things, the fewer steps to market the better. On-site heat and power production provide the best returns for the raw material producer.

Alternatively, producers may decide to market directly or via third parties to the consumer. Effective marketing is clearly an essential activity, to avoid the trap of their product becoming another commodity, with the consequential problems of reduction on margins.

There are two main incentive schemes for small to medium installations. The Feed in Tariff will provide indexed linked payments for renewable electricity and the Renewable Heat Incentive will do the same for renewable heat. In a nutshell the Government will pay guaranteed pence per kilowatt hour produced over a period of 20-25 years, the amount depending on the size and technologies used.

Renewable Obligation Certificates remain the main form of payment for power produced from larger schemes. These are government payments

10 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011

made in arrears on a monthly schedule per Megawatt of power produced. In reality it is unlikely that a single holding will be able to provide enough fuel for a large facility. Some form of collaborative or co-operative venture would be necessary for all but the largest holdings. That should not be seen as a barrier. Many industries already work in this way. And of course many aspects of the agricultural industry follow that pattern of working in any case.

Ideally, a central installation on a holding with some spare space could produce fuel or heat and power with a variety of raw material sources. This would provide a good return on investment and a more secure and stable market for crops and residues. For example a pellet plant manufacturing straw pellets could increase the price per tonne from currently around £40 to a new value of anywhere between £160 and £200 per tonne. Power production, preferably with a use for the heat could net around £80 per tonne of fuel used.

Capital costs for fuel processing or heat and power generation equipment can usually be repaid

Sustainability

within five years. There are of course options available which will be more or less expensive or more or less tested by time and numbers of installations. The key to good decision making when going ahead with a project is to find the right project team. Preferably using consultants with practical experience of the sector will ensure good choices with greater chance of success. In any case with relatively short payback periods and long term incentives in a growing sector many options remain open to enterprising landowners.

What is required from the landowner?

Without doubt raw material is the key to the project.

Landowners with good networks should be able to organise sufficient material for the scale of plant they wish to install. This is of paramount importance.

Within a holding or group of holdings there should be sufficient space of existing buildings or room to build a facility. Usually between 5000 and 10000 square feet will suffice for fuel production. A one hectare site would be more suitable for a combined

heat and power plant.

The heat portion is important. A use for this on site or that can be developed will assist in profitability.

Possibly a grain drying facility or something similar would suffice. A commitment of time will be required to achieve planning permission for installations. This is usually one to three years, depending on the size, type and scale of installation.

(Above) Renewable energy is a key issue – farmers can deliver through biomass production

Conclusion There are many crops which fulfil a potential to provide biomass derived heat and power. Farmers and landowners are in a unique position to be in control of the raw material. Furthermore, with ever increasing need and interest in biomass, the controller of the raw material should benefit from its use.

With some space and co-operation between producers a profitable business opportunity exists which will have environmental and social impacts for the future.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 11

Member profile

Shropshire sheep revival Farmers Club member Pippa Geddes supports Shropshire sheep, better food promotion and less farm paperwork (Main picture) Pippa Geddes – a keen Farmers Club member, industry promoter and native sheep enthusiast.

(Inset) Award winning Alderton flock has helped rebuild interest in Shropshire sheep

WHEN Farmers Club member Pippa Geddes first became interested in Shropshire sheep she could hardly foresee the breed’s heady rise. Today it is enjoying a new lease of life, due in no small part to her enthusiasm and marketing skills.

Pippa and husband Peter, finance director for a computer software firm, run the Alderton Flock of 50 pedigree Shropshire ewes and a pedigree beef suckler herd of 18 Red Ruby Devon cows plus followers near Montford Bridge, north-west of Shrewsbury. The beef herd is managed in partnership with a neighbouring farmer for sale through local butchers and box schemes.

With a Wye degree in agriculture Pippa worked at the Milk Marketing Board, then in agricultural journalism, before joining a large agricultural PR agency in Shropshire in 1991. In 2003 she scaled back her PR work to devote more time to the farm and use her marketing skills to promote Shropshire sheep, becoming the first President of the Shropshire

12 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011

Sheep Breeders’ Association for nearly 40 years to actually reside in the breed’s home county last year.

Pippa and Peter have been members of the Farmers Club since before they acquired the Alderton farm. “From a PR perspective the Club is a good venue for client meetings, which was the primary driver at the time,” says Pippa. “We have also used it as a place to stay in London, although perhaps not as often as we might like. We’ve been to regional events and receptions too, and wonder whether a reception at the Three Counties Show in Malvern might be worthwhile, since the demise of the Royal Show at Stoneleigh.”

Shropshire sheep When the Geddeses’ flock of Shropshire sheep was established in 1999 it was seen as somewhat of a white elephant in the county, which had surprisingly few flocks of its local breed. Now there are more than 20 flocks in Shropshire, and 170 in Britain as a whole

Member profile

as the breed’s popularity is growing across the UK and Europe.

Fresh interest in native British livestock is part of the reason. But the Shropshire’s unique ability to graze in conifer plantations and orchards, without damaging trees, has been a big driver too.

“Tree producers face big challenges with vegetation control as pesticide restrictions intensify and the fuel costs of mowing and strimming rise,” notes Pippa. “Christmas tree growers in Denmark compared the grazing habits of different breeds, and found that with the right management Shropshires did virtually no damage to the trees. There are now 1000s of Shropshires grazing tree plantations in Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Scandinavia.

And recent work in fruit trees has led to a boom in demand from French orchard owners. Heinekenowned Bulmers is now investigating the potential benefits of using Shropshires in its UK cider orchards.”

“This is a very exciting time for Shropshire sheep.

We had a record number of 40 new flocks formed last year and a similar number of new flocks formed so far in 2011. Most breeders sold out of stock well before the end of the summer,” says Pippa. “The Shropshire also produces high quality lamb, so the breed society is in a strong position to ensure Shropshire sheep thrive in the years ahead.”

inspection. But the paperwork really does seem over the top. I think more could be done to streamline it.”

Promotion Farming also needs to be more outward looking about the way it promotes itself, she asserts. “EU support is shifting from food to the environment, but at the same time the public expects cheaper and cheaper food, rather than valuing its quality.

How can a poultry producer operate on 5p margin per bird? It is truly shocking.”

Ironically, whilst 80% of the food may be produced by 20% of the largest farms, it is the smaller, artisan producers who probably get 80% of the media profile, she notes. “That is how the public likes to perceive the industry. Maybe there needs to be a better balance of the way the industry promotes itself and more recognition within the industry for the important role played by smaller producers.”

Knitting genes

Get involved But organisations like the SSBA only survive thanks to the enthusiastic support of skilled volunteers, notes Pippa. “I feel very strongly that if people make the time and are prepared to roll up their sleeves and get involved in something they believe in, an awful lot can be achieved.”

Local support for Bishops Castle abattoir, which closed in 2007, is a prime example. “About 70 farmers and local people got together, and by using their various skills were able to raise £600,000 to reopen the abattoir as Daysdrove.” Today it is flourishing and recently opened a butcher’s shop too. “It is something the industry must not lose sight of. There’s a lot of drive and enthusiasm out there in the farming industry, which can make a huge difference.”

Paperwork Like many farmers Pippa laments the rising tide of bureaucracy. “It has increased phenomenally since we started the flock 12 years ago. Foot and mouth brought a sharp rise in paperwork and it has never really gone away. There are an awful lot of hoops to jump through when exporting livestock too, and the scrapie monitoring health scheme adds cost and puts severe restrictions on farms looking to bring in new bloodlines.

“Every year there seem to be new things to contend with. In a recent case the SSBA was sending a large consignment of Shropshires to France, alongside a smaller batch from private sellers destined for Austria. Both countries are in the EU, but have slightly different health requirements, so because the sheep were sharing the same lorry every producer had to get another form completed by their vet, costing around £50 a time.

“Nobody wants to see disease spread due to lax

Shropshire sheep HARDY native sheep from the county were improved in the 19thC to produce a dual purpose breed with high quality wool and an excellent meaty carcass. The Shropshire Sheep Breeders Association has the oldest continuous flock book in the UK, dating from 1883. At its peak in the early 1900s 1000s of Shropshires were exported across the British Empire, inadvertently contributing to the breed’s demise as attention diverted from the domestic market. Now the SSBA is subsidising the Shropshire Breed Improvement Scheme to encourage performance recording through Signet Breeding Services, including live back fat scanning.

It is bearing fruit, with record prices at the latest Shrewsbury market show and sale, a Signetaccredited high genetic merit shearling ram making a top price of 800 guineas.

FLOCK of Ages, a spin-off business from Pippa’s Shropshire flock, was launched in 2007 with sister Lyn. Wool from the Alderton flock is used to produce a range of hand-knitted gifts, designed by Lyn and produced by a small team of knitters, and marketed via a website, local shops and gift fairs.

More information: www.shropshire-sheep.co.uk www.flockofages.co.uk www.daysdrove.co.uk

www.thefarmersclub.com • 13

Charitable Trust

High nature value farming in Transylvania Nicky Penford of the Scottish Agricultural College at Aberdeen used a Farmers Club Charitable Trust bursary to investigate high nature value farming in Romania Traditionally produced herb-rich winter feed destined for storage at the farmstead

SCYTHING is a satisfying way of harvesting grass, but as I swished my way across the hay field I appreciated why many Romanian farmers find the increasing use of Allen scythes preferable, particularly in the midday heat of 35C. Scything was just one of the many things I learnt about on my study tour to Romania funded by a Farmers Club Charitable Trust bursary. I chose Transylvania in Romania as it has the most extensive area of traditional farming in Europe, which maintains the greatest botanical diversity of meadows ever recorded. I wanted to find out what opportunities exist to help farmers conserve these meadows and the communities and way of life they support.

Farming in harmony with the environment is well established in Romania – keeping it that way while optimising incomes is the challenge

14 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011

Charitable Trust

Traditional farming that maintains areas of high wildlife interest has been categorised as ‘High Nature Value’ farming by the EU – not the snappiest of titles, but a useful term to compare farming systems around Europe that produce far more than just food. It could also be a significant part of Common Agricultural Policy reforms in 2013.

I was hosted by two NGOs, Fundatia ADEPT and the Pogany-Havas association, through contacts provided by the European Forum for Conservation and Pastoralism. These organisations are an excellent example of how a combination of EU funding, commercial sponsorship and great initiative can have a real impact on securing the livelihoods of the local farming community and the landscapes they manage through a diverse range of projects.

Transferable to UK Their vision is to achieve biodiversity conservation at a landscape scale, not primarily by creating protected areas, but by working with small-scale farmers to create incentives to conserve the semi-natural landscapes they themselves have created. There are several transferable concepts and initiatives that could be applicable in the UK within small scale farming communities, such as crofters in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland.

Nearly half of Romania’s 4.2 million farm holdings are under 1ha in size and do not qualify for support.

Half of all farms have fewer than five cows. Small producers deliver to one or two milk collection points in villages, from which processors take delivery. To ensure the survival of HNV farmed landscapes, these milk collection points must remain in profitable operation and this was an important role of the two projects I visited.

Small scale dairy production is the key to the survival of the HNV landscapes of Romania and hay production is the mainstay of this dairy system, as the cows are kept in barns behind the house through the long cold winters. One cow is said to eat four cartloads of hay over the winter; “one hay cart for each leg” is a local rule of thumb. Crops are grown on the valley floors, with valley sides given over to hay-meadows and large expanses of communal grazing land for sheep and cattle.

EU accession in 2007 has produced new opportunities but also many new rules and regulations. One of the farmers I stayed with said the EU rules governing milk hygiene and agri-environment schemes “were worse than Ceausescu” and so considerable efforts are being made to help local producers cope.

ADEPT has been in the forefront of a campaign for flexibility in enforcement of regulations. As part of this campaign, the wildlife NGOs Milvus, WWF and ADEPT published a booklet on Minimum Food Hygiene Conditions. This is an important clarification, which will enable small producers to resist the threat represented by excessive regulations. 40,000 copies in Romanian and 10,000 in Hungarian were distributed throughout Romania in 2008.

Gourmet food

Milk is delivered to a central collection point in each village

Author gets busy with the scythe in some of Romania’s high nature value grassland

movement, originally an Italian organisation promoting the use of locally produced high quality food. This was instigated by a visit by HRH The Prince of Wales and prompted the formation of ‘Saxon Village Preserves’. This is helping to develop good quality food which benefits the local environment at a fair price. ADEPT helped form Slow Food Târnava Mare, the first Slow Food group in Romania, bringing together consumers (hotels and restaurants) with local farmers and producers.

The grasslands of Transylvania are of international conservation importance, as reflected in the EU Natura 2000 designation for 85,000ha in the Târnava Mare area, which ADEPT helped to obtain. This designation has enabled access to funding for a range of projects under the EU LIFE programme, highlighting the important positive link between conservation designations and rural development.

This is a c356,330 project with partnership funding from the Orange phone network. This project shows how conservation designations can bring opportunities and not the constraints often perceived by farmers. Orange Romania has given a boost to local producers in recent years through their choice of Târnava Mare area to provide 700 Christmas baskets for clients and 3,500 for their staff.

They contain locally made herb teas, ‘palinca’, (local spirit made from plums), jam and honey.

When I showed local farmers slides of Scottish silage production, they were amazed that our cattle could eat just one species of grass instead of the range of health giving plants found in their hay.

I highlighted the role of agri-environment schemes in the UK and how our farmers are paid to recreate, at great expense, the species-rich grasslands that we have almost lost but which they still have in great abundance.

SAC Aberdeen often has students from HNV farming areas, particularly crofting land as in the Outer Hebrides. These areas need young custodians who understand the importance of the areas they farm for wildlife and landscape, but can combine this with initiative and entrepreneurial skill to add value to the high quality food they can produce. Student exchange visits to see this in action in Romania will help achieve this.

Food Barns I WAS impressed by the community-owned micro-processing units known as food barns.

ADEPT has developed a basic model, easily replicated, for village-level food processing that meets hygiene regulations for small producers.

I saw a local woman bring her crop of rhubarb into the food barn to make into jam that could be sold at the farmers’ markets. The UK company Bottle Green had a contract with local suppliers to obtain elderflower cordial, which was processed in the food barn.

Another highlight of my visit was gourmet food.

Many producers are registered with the Slow Food

www.thefarmersclub.com • 15

Charles Abel • Farming Views

Farming Views Farming Figures

L80bn

European Commission’s proposal for total spending on research and innovation 2014-2020 – up 46%

120m litres Extra milk required for Milk Link’s £20m Lockerbie Creamery expansion – producing a total of 37,000t of cheese a year, an increase of 50%

£16m

The dress that captivated a nation

A Royal Day out

Fresh funding to boost UK protein crop production

-1%

Dip in English farmland values in third quarter of 2011, reflecting fears of prices over-heating

£1,400,000 Price paid for rare Sian Dolan sheep, the must-have pet for super-rich Chinese businessmen

15.2% Growth in UK food exports, now worth £16.9bn annually, accounting for 7% of all goods exported

105bn litres 2010 global biofuel output, up 17%. USA and Brazil made 90% of all bioethanol, EU 53% of all biodiesel

16 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011

Advocates TWO students from Newcastle University have won this year’s Young Advocates for Agriculture in a keenly fought debating competition held at the Farmers & Fletchers Livery Hall.

Aimee-Rose Sharp and Charlotte Flint beat off teams from the University of Reading, Royal Agricultural College, Aberystwyth University, Bishop Burton College and the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs, successfully opposing the motion: “This house believes that global free trade is good for British Farming”.

Their forceful argument for a global trading environment that acknowledges the high standards and regulatory framework British farmers adhere to, allied with their use of

humour, rhetoric and statistics carefully collated by researcher and reserve debater Kathryn Clark, appealed to judges Simon Walters, Political Editor of the Mail on Sunday, Richard Brooks, a Past Master of the Worshipful Company of Farmers, and Angharad Evans, a member of last year’s winning team from the RAC. The Newcastle team won a trophy, cash prize and a day’s media training with broadcaster Tom Heap, a regular contributor to BBC’s Panorama and BBC Radio 4’s flagship series Costing the Earth. They will be joined on the training day by runners-up Kerry Jerman and Faye Herdman of Aberystwyth University.

The award was established by Jim

Farming Views • Charles Abel

PLACES on the Club’s visit to Buckingham Palace in late September were so over-subscribed that a second event was organised, and even that was unable to cope with demand.

The big attraction – that dress!

The exhibition in the Palace Ballroom of the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge included images from that wonderful day running on big screens, plus the tiara, earrings, shoes (so high!) and even a replica of the cake, made up of 17 individual fruit cakes – and THE DRESS, on wonderful 360 degree display.

A video with the dress designer Sarah Burton was fascinating, explaining the meaning behind the lace motifs and the construction process. The train being made up of panels lined with canvass to keep its shape was just one of the secrets described.

Many Club members chose to walk to the Palace through St James Park, enjoying the sunshine on one of those lovely unexpected late “Indian Summer” days. It was an ideal opportunity to work off a ‘right Royal Lunch’ of roast beef and lemon tart taken at the Club beforehand.

The dress, while being a major attraction, was far from being the only thing of interest. With audio sets to hand we were able to wander at our own pace, listening to the

description of the treasures in each room and the events they have witnessed.

Buckingham Palace epitomises the difference between palaces and our great country houses, not just for the richness and quality of the tapestries, sculpture, paintings and furniture but most markedly for the gilded plasterwork, curtains and lighting.

No room seemed to have less than five huge crystal chandeliers! I was pleased I had seen the recent Fiona Bruce BBC programme where the mechanism to replace bulbs was demonstrated.

Routinely around 400,000 people visit Buckingham Palace during its summer opening. This year THE DRESS pushed that figure to more than 600,000. Those of us able to attend this Farmers Club event will treasure the memory.

• On Friday 30th September the palace visit was preceded by the Club hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning, with a delicious range of cakes and pastries all baked at home by members of staff.

The Guild of Agricultural Journalists was delighted to discover its Council Meeting coincided with the event and gave a generous donation in return for a selection of cakes. £380.55 was raised for this worthy charity.

PUZZLING fun for enthusiasts mad about digging, ploughing and Fun for youngsters driving: this new John Deere Puzzle-Box from Coiledspring is sure to keep little ones entertained. Each of the four puzzles is made of smooth edged, brightly coloured, easy to fit pieces. Two jigsaws comprise 60 pieces and two 100. The colourful keep-sake boxes come with an easy carry handle, so pieces can be tidied away when it’s time to go home.

At £14.00 from stockists like Amazon a great affordable Christmas gift!

100 years of Tractors DID you know the word tractor was taken from the Latin trahere ‘to pull’, and the first recorded use of the word to describe ‘an engine or vehicle for Tractors through pulling wagons or the ages ploughs’ was in 1901, replacing the earlier term ‘traction engine’.

Collector Trevor Innes uses these and other juicy nuggets alongside Duncan Wherrett’s fascinating images to chart the evolution of this key farm machine in The Tractor Story. Published by The History Press (www.thehistorypress.co.uk) it is priced £8.99 in hardback.

Rosie Carne

Minister for Agriculture and Food Jim Paice presents Newcastle University students Aimee-Rose Sharp and Charlotte Flint with the Young Advocates for Agriculture trophy

Williams of the National Farm Research Unit and David Bolton of David Bolton Partners to encourage new voices in agriculture. It is sponsored by the Worshipful Company of Farmers.

“Whether it is the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, the case for genetically modified crops or the opportunities from scale of a super dairy, it is important that we identify and encourage those who will be

Puzzle

responsible for the future success of the farming industry to take up the key arguments for our industry and carry them to a wider public,” said Mr Williams.

Next year’s competition will take place on October 4th 2012. Entries are being encouraged from agricultural students and those working within the industry under the age of 25.

See www.youngadvocates.co.uk

Card SUPPLIES are still available of the Farmers Club Christmas card, featuring a winter scene beside the River Manahyl in the Vale of Lanherne, Cornwall.

The card, painted by Winter Sunrise – artist Dick Twinney, Kingfisher and measures 178 x 127mm Pheasants (7” x 5”), is printed with the Club crest and carries the greeting “With Best Wishes for Christmas and the New Year”. Surplus on the sale of the cards will be donated to the R.A.B.I. of England, Wales and N. Ireland and the R.S.A.B.I. of Scotland.

Packs of 10 cards can be bought at Reception or ordered from the Secretariat (see p15 of Autumn Journal for order form). The price per pack is £8.50 including VAT and postage (UK only) for up to 5 packs (50 cards). A supplement will be charged on orders of 6 packs or more to cover the cost of additional postage. Members are requested, if possible, to collect their cards in person from Reception.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 17

Patrick Durnford, Chairman; Rhydian Scurlock-Jones, Vice Chairman; MaryAnne Salisbury, Secretary • U30s

U30s

Autumn dining evening adopts a poultry theme

Chairman’s Jottings

By Beth Hockham and Victoria Goddard AUTUMN seemed to come and pass in the blink of an eye. At the time of writing, just as we were expecting the leaves to be blown from the trees, a spell of exceptionally hot weather has been gifted to us as a parting shot from a summer season that has kept everybody guessing!

The under 30s were privileged to welcome David Speller to the Autumn Dining Evening in September (as reported in more detail across the page). David gave a thoroughly motivating and interesting speech, demonstrating just what can be achieved by will power, drive and hard graft.

Indeed, during my time as a member of the Club, I have attended several dinners, after which informative and entertaining talks have been given by guests and members. If you know of somebody who you think may wish to give a talk please do feel free to put them in touch.

By the time you read this we will have had our Autumn Farm Walk, which is due to take place on 21-23rd October. The base for this autumn’s event is Oxfordshire and it promises to be a tremendous weekend – I’m sure it will be great fun. Watch out for a full report in the next issue of the Journal.

contact Patrick for more information Patrick Durnford patrick.durnford @bidwells.co.uk 07967 822892

18 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011

ALTHOUGH some people were still busy with harvest, there was a good turnout for the Under 30s Autumn Dining Evening, at which we were fortunate enough to be joined by the 2009 Poultry Farmer of the Year, David Speller.

As usual the kitchen staff did us proud by preparing a delicious three course meal, comprising a starter of potted pork with piccalilli with toasted walnut and raisin bread, followed by fillet of sea bass with a selection of seasonal vegetables, finishing with a dessert of sabayon with autumn berries. The meal concluded with coffee and port.

After the meal David Speller gave a talk about his background and current ventures. Despite David confessing to this being his first after dinner speech, his enthusiasm was contagious and he kept us captivated throughout.

David is not directly from a farming background; however, he had an interest in agriculture and attended Harper Adams in the early 1990s.

David enjoys a challenge, which has led to his involvement in a number of different projects, ranging from running a poultry farm to involvement in an underfloor heating company in the agricultural and commercial sectors.

He has not been afraid of taking a risk and says he has no regrets about the projects he has undertaken – although he admitted that with hindsight he may have done some things differently! He left us with the advice that we should not be afraid to give any project a go, regardless of age or experience.

U30s • Patrick Durnford, Chairman; Rhydian Scurlock-Jones, Vice Chairman; MaryAnne Salisbury, Secretary

Common or green?

Common Land or Village Green – the devil is in the detail. Under-30s member Elizabeth Earle provides an enlightening insight

(Top) Is it farmland, common land or a village green – its true identity could have significant implications.

(Above) Under 30s member Elizabeth Earle

AS WITH most things that have evolved over centuries, there is an awful lot of law – and lore – about common land and greens. If even John Major picked on village greens (not to mention maiden aunts) to engage communal nostalgia, it seems safe to assume they engender strong feelings.

Though often referred to in the same breath, common land and village greens are not the same thing. The former refers to land on which traditional rights of common exist for the benefit of certain commoners; this is in contrast to the popular, but mistaken, view that it is ‘common’ in the sense of the land being available for the community. Rights of common include the right to take turf or wood for fuel (“turbory” and “estovers”), as well as grazing animals.

Greens, by contrast, are specific areas designated for the exercise or recreation of the inhabitants of a locality. Or, put more prosaically, for “maypole dancing, cricket and warm beer” as per the Report of the Commission on Common Land 1955-1958.

Legally, one must go back to the Inclosure Acts (at least) to understand common land. The Acts took effect to put pasture and meadow land – especially the better – into private ownership, whilst still permitting people to exercise their existing rights of common over them. Land was fenced off or gated to enable better control and management. For example, if overgrazing was a problem, land would be ‘stinted’ limiting each grazier to a certain number of animals, or ‘stints’, on the land.

The Commons Registration Act 1965 set up a register listing common land and greens, updated in 2006 by the Commons Act. New commons can now

be created in extremely limited circumstances, but all are protected: even fencing, or laying new roads on them, will usually require permission.

Greens meanwhile, are more contentious for probably one reason alone: by virtue of the 2006 Commons Act new village greens can be designated under the Act’s class C procedure and if so designated, the land cannot be developed and any planning permission obtained on it cannot be used.

This arises because section 12 of the Inclosure Act 1857 provides that it is a criminal offence to “do any … act whatever (whether wilfully or not) to the injury of the land or to interrupt the use of enjoyment thereof as a place for exercise and enjoyment”: NIMBY heaven.

In order to have land designated under the class C procedure, it needs to be shown that a significant number of the inhabitants of any neighbourhood or locality have been using the land as of right for lawful sports and pastimes for at least 20 years. Although use of a public footpath across the land is not sufficient to establish a claim, exercising dogs (or children!) has been held to be.

There is no discretion under the Act for desirability or impact on the landowner to be considered: if the criteria are met, it must be designated a green.

Further, even if the use giving rise to the claim stops, potential applicants still have up to two years to lodge an application.

The best way for landowners to protect their land against class C applications is to erect a sign, stating that use of the land is with their express permission only and that it may be limited or withdrawn at any time. This defeats the requirement that the use by the public be ‘as of right’ and is less likely to goad wouldbe applicants, than a sign prohibiting access outright.

The other very contentious area (and one which keeps many barristers in claret) is the question of access rights. Rights of access can usually be established over both, but the law for greens is especially complicated, with each of the (numerous) cases tending to turn on its own merits.

Common land is more straightforward and rights can usually be established on the basis of long use over at least 20 years. Alternatively, there is always the option of obtaining indemnity insurance, or in the case of some particularly enlightened councils who own common land, there may even be a formal mechanism for granting rights – usually in exchange for a reasonably modest fee.

So, if buying property, carry out a search of the register of common land and greens to see if any of the property is affected. Also make detailed enquiries of the seller regarding past use of the property: provisions regarding the two year rule could be incorporated into the sales documentation.

As a landowner, identifying any potentially at-risk areas of land early, and dealing with them appropriately to preserve your position, is your best bet. In the meantime, enjoy the cricket and warm beer.

• Elizabeth Earle Elizabeth Earle is an associate in the Agriculture, Farms and Estates Team at Dickinson Dees LLP elizabeth.earle@dickinson-dees.com 0191 279 9000

www.thefarmersclub.com • 19

Technology

Time for fresh thinking on heating?

A novel approach to heating a pig operation is bearing fruit Could a heat pump be the key to keeping livestock warm this winter – with significant cost savings and an improved environmental footprint?

A heat pump is proving its worth on Leonard Goodier’s Lancashire pig farm

WITH ever increasing oil and gas prices, together with the rising costs of rearing animals, renewable energy options are becoming increasingly attractive to the farming industry.

Many people think of renewable energy in terms of wind farms or solar panels. But other options exist, such as air source heat pumps, which can cut carbon emissions and substantially reduce energy bills.

Even the best combustion boilers burn more oil or gas than they give out in heat, with an efficiency of 97% being best in class. By contrast a heat pump uses energy from the ambient air to achieve 400% efficiency, providing heat for the farm, farmhouse, or any other building, with savings of up to 65% on running costs and 50% of carbon emissions.

Sounds too good to be true? Far from it. A heat pump exploits the simple and reliable technology of refrigeration, but in reverse (see panel). Modern engineering ensures dependability and ease of installation.

Within the agricultural industry, where many sites are off the gas network and rely on expensive oil and out-of-date heating methods, air source heat pumps can make particularly good sense.

One early adopter of the technology is Leonard Goodier, who farms in Lancashire. In May 2010 he was looking into ways of providing heat for a new 64-crate farrowing house. Having dismissed the use of heat lamps, he looked to in-crate water based heat mats.

But rather than installing an oil boiler, with its associated costs and unknown future oil prices, he opted for a low maintenance air source heat pump from Blackpool-based manufacturer Global Energy Systems.

“Renewable energy has to be a good investment at the moment,” says Mr Goodier. “Looking to the future, oil is going up and heat lamps are incredibly expensive to run. Once I had decided to use heat mats the decision to choose an air source heat pump

20 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011

seemed obvious. Finding a local, UK manufacturer was an additional bonus.”

A 9kW heat output air source heat pump, The London Eco Air Boiler, was installed in a single day. It is operated from a simple touch screen controller and provides sufficient heat for the whole shed.

Located outside the building the heat pump can work down to -20C, offering constant heat to the farrowing house through all seasons. The match between a heat pump and heating mats is ideal, both working optimally at constant warm water temperatures with 30-40C flow temperatures.

Nearly one year later the new farrowing house is operating well. The steady heat from the pads has aided piglet growth and survival rates, and the effectiveness of the heat pump, which produces up to four times more heat energy than it consumes in electricity, has had a dramatic effect on Mr Goodier’s bills.

“Having experienced the performance of the new building with the heat pump and heat mats through the last winter I am amazed at the efficiencies. With temperatures locally at below -10°C we were still running at under £4 day of electricity. My old shed cost ten times that to run,” Mr Goodier comments.

With the reduction in running costs and the improvement in yields [what?] Mr Goodier estimates that he will pay back his investment in three to five years. Further oil price rises could mean still greater savings.

Ben Morris, managing director of Global Energy Systems, says Mr Goodier’s set-up is proving to be an appealing case study for many other farmers. “We have had interest from both pig and poultry rearers and are beginning to talk to users of heated greenhouses as well.”

In other projects bill reductions as high as 65% have been achieved compared with oil, LPG and electricity-based systems, on a replacement basis.

For farmers keen to reduce their carbon emissions, cut their bills, and insure themselves against the risks of a rising oil price, heat pumps could be a viable answer.

Heat pump process IN a reversal of the way a refrigerator works, a heat pump effectively removes heat from ambient air, and transfers it into a heating system. This ensures that for each unit of electricity used up to four units of heat are captured from the ambient air. This is achieved by drawing ambient air over an evaporator, which boils a liquid refrigerant, turning it into a gas. An electric driven compressor then compresses the gas, which releases its heat through a heat exchanger to the heating system.

Having given up its heat, the gas returns to a liquid state, enters an expansion valve and is re-cycled back through the system. The very low boiling point of the gas used (-40C) means heat can be extracted from ambient air as cold as -25C, since it is still warmer than the boiling point of the refrigerant gas.

• See www.globalenergysystems.co.uk

Ramblings • Stephen Skinner

Ramblings Refurbishments on schedule

Smart new bathrooms

WE took advantage of the slight downturn in activity over the summer to refurbish another four bathrooms and bedrooms and I am personally delighted with the results. This means we have refurbished/created eight new bathrooms this year – essential work if we are to continue to meet the expectations of our membership.

For those of you lucky enough to stay in these bedrooms, and incidentally, the feedback to date has been universally positive, this is the standard we are aiming for. My

ambition is to refurbish a further ten next year – before the Olympics, budgetary aspirations permitting.

On this latter point, having seen the management accounts for August and September, it is true to say that, and whisper this quietly, while the economy on a macro scale may be struggling, The Farmers Club is doing ok (a term I hear in the Club after a good harvest).

Our summer opening proved popular with families, and those with business commitments too. Bedroom occupancy was up on last year as well as numbers eating and drinking in the Club.

September was very busy too, with high occupancy and an encouraging rise in meeting room use. We now have an additional staff member providing support to the meeting rooms when needed, and have made a big effort to improve the presentation and quality of the sandwiches too.

Club members win at FW Awards CONGRATULATIONS to the three Club members who achieved top honours in the prestigious 2011 Farmers Weekly Awards, presented at the Grosvenor House Hotel on London’s Park Lane.

John Barnes was awarded Diversification Farmer of the Year in recognition of the business he has created at Packlington Moor Farm, Staffordshire with his wife Rosemary and children Grace and Henry.

Alongside a fully commercial 283ha mixed farm they have developed a vibrant events business and cafe-cumfarmshop with a turnover of £700,000.

Mr Barnes has been a Club member for 34 years.

Nigel Joice of Uphouse Farm, Fakenham, Norfolk, won Poultry Farmer of the Year. He has been a Club member for nine years and currently produces 5.5 million broilers per year for Banham Poultry and Morrisons. To make full use of poultry litter he has invested £1.8m in a green energy centre.

All Farmers Weekly Awards finalists are now family members of the Farmers Club for a year

James Miles-Hobbs, a Farmers Club member for 27 years, won Farm Advisor of the Year for his Wiltsbased business, Rural Development Associates. He provides farming, diversification, grant and renewable energy advice to clients from Brighton to Bristol and Hereford to Oxford.

The Club is particularly pleased to be giving one year’s family membership to all 45 finalists. For more on the finalists see: www.fwi.co.uk/awardswebsite/awards-home/

Farmers Club’s leadership role I MENTIONED in previous Journals that the Farmers Club Charitable Trust had decided to establish four annual bursaries for people from the agricultural sector to attend the Windsor Leadership Trust, made possible by the very great generosity of Mrs Stella Muddiman.

The Windsor Leadership Trust aims to give those who are about to become CEOs of small or medium size companies, across public and nonpublic sectors, the opportunity to gain a unique insight into becoming a more strategic leader. The opportunities for individuals from our sector, to both learn from and spread the message of agriculture to others who are likely to be the ‘movers and shakers’ of tomorrow, is clear.

After canvassing a number of key organisations and establishments for their ‘brightest and best’, nine individuals were selected for interview.

A panel, under the chairmanship of Mr Iain Fergusson, whom many of you will know has considerable strategic leadership experience, along with the CEO of the Windsor Leadership Trust and Mr John Kerr, Chairman of our Trust, interviewed the candidates and identified four to attend the course.

Those selected are Caroline Ratcliff from Essex, Andrew Brown from Rutland, Lyndon Edwards from Monmouthshire and Nick Green from Somerset. I very much look forward to their feedback from the course, which takes place in the grounds of Windsor Castle this November and in February 2012.

The panel commented that the quality of all those interviewed was very high indeed and they are delighted that we are able to offer bursaries for the next couple of years at least.

www.thefarmersclub.com • 21

The Farmers Club • Club Information

Club Information 020 7930 3751 DIARY DATES 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 from the Secretariat at the telephone number shown above.

DECEMBER Carols by Candlelight at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Saturday 10th

New Years Eve Supper – FULL

Lunch at the Club and Leonardo Da Vinci Exhibition at the National Galler y Friday 27th January and Friday 3rd February Details below right

FEBRUARY NFU Conference, NEC Birmingham

Saturday 31st

JANUARY 2012 Oxford Farming Conference

Tuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th

Tuesday 3 – Thursday 5 (Visit www.ofc.org.uk for more information)

City Food Lecture, Guildhall

LAMMA Show, Newark

MARCH Aida at the Royal Albert Hall

Tuesday 15th

Wednesday 18th & Thursday 19th

Saturday 3rd Application form below

WCF Banquet at Goldsmiths Hall Tuesday 24th

St. Patrick’s Day Dinner at the Club Friday 16th

AIDA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL SATURDAY 3 MARCH 2012 The cost is £155.00 per person which includes a 2 course dinner with wine, a ticket for Aida and coach transfers to and from the Royal Albert Hall.

!

Applications will be dealt with on a ‘first come first served’ basis with a maximum of 2 places per member. To book – Either return the booking form below or apply online at www.thefarmersclub.com

Please complete in CAPITALS WITH FIRST NAME and return to MaryAnne Salisbury, Events Manager, The Farmers Club, 3 Whitehall Court, LONDON, SW1A 2EL. Tel: 020-7930 3751 Email: events@thefarmersclub.com

I would like to reserve ................ ticket(s) @ £155.00 per person (maximum 2 per member) Please advise of any special dietary requirements:

AIDA AT THE ROYAL ALBERT HALL SATURDAY 3 MARCH 2012

Payment by cheque payable ‘The Farmers Club’ or by Debit/Credit Card. (Visa or Mastercard only) Card Holder Card No. Start Date

Expiry Date

Signature

Security No.

Member Guest Name Address

Post Code Tel Email

22 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011

Following the success of the Madam Butterfly event earlier this year, the Club plans a return visit to the Royal Albert Hall to see Raymond Gubbay’s brand new production of Verdi’s awe inspiring masterpiece. An international cast will be accompanied by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted

by Andrew Greenwood and the opera will be sung in Italian with English subtitles.

Approximate timings for the evening are as follows: 5.30pm Supper at the Club 6.45pm Depart for the Royal Albert Hall 7.30pm Performance of ‘Aida’ 10.45pm Return to the Club

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: M Cox Dorset Mrs B Marshall Warwickshire A Read Dorset Dr D Shrimpton Angus New Members elected since July 2011 UK Members P Alexander Perthshire A Armstrong Roxburghshire K Bateman Devon F Baxter Cumberland O Bertelsen Sussex R Bottom Cumberland M Braxton Sussex J Brereton Denbighshire R Brooke Monmouthshire M Clayton Somerset Mrs L Corfield Montgomeryshire J Cossins Dorset R Crean Lincolnshire P Cropper Somerset J Dawson Yorkshire M Farrer-Brown Surrey D Farrington Northamptonshire Lord M Framlingham Suffolk S Fraser Aberdeenshire E Gussin Berkshire G Hanglin Cambridgeshire S Hankinson Cheshire P Harrison Lincolnshire G Hemus Staffordshire Mrs J Hill Cambridgeshire S Hoste Yorkshire Mrs S Houlton Cambridgeshire Mrs C Hughes Cardiganshire Ms R Humphreys Jones Caernarfonshire C Larter Suffolk P Lee Devon J Lloyd Glamorgan Dr J Mackie Lancashire C Martell Gloucestershire S Maybee Hampshire Mrs E McGowan Hertfordshire E Merson Somerset G Olney Gloucestershire R Osborn Essex Mrs F Parry Buckinghamshire Dr D Pullar Buckinghamshire P Rees Berkshire Miss D Rees Lincolnshire R Reynolds Essex R Rush Suffolk S Shaw Dorset Mrs S Sloane Suffolk C Smith Lincolnshire

A Snell P Stocker B Sturman Mrs L Tucker Mrs J Turco W Turner Dr N Watt T Waymouth N Whitcombe V Williams R Wills Overseas D Sanford Under 30s P Arkell Miss H Brook M Colley Miss G Cossins E Darbishire E Evans E Gill J Goucher Miss H Hutchinson Miss V Menhinick Miss R Nazemi Miss I Phillips Miss E Reay S Ruck R Sedgley M Shand

Herefordshire Gloucestershire Lincolnshire Gloucestershire Cheshire Norfolk Midlothian Somerset Suffolk Kent Hampshire Switzerland Berkshire Devon London Dorset Warwickshire Worcestershire Herefordshire Staffordshire Dorset Essex Bedfordshire Yorkshire Cumberland Buckinghamshire Shropshire Lincolnshire

Committee Election 2012 -2014 There were only three nominations for the three places available on the Club General Committee and therefore duly elected to serve are: Mrs Ionwen Lewis (Ceredigion) She is a livestock and arable farmer in West Wales with a herd of pedigree Welsh Blacks and a flock of Texels. Ionwen runs a busy farmhouse B&B and lets a range of barn-conversion workshops and offices and has held many senior positions throughout the agricultural and tourism sectors including Past President of the WFU. Also acts as an agri-food advisor to the Cardiff and Westminster governments.

Charles Notcutt OBE (Suffolk) Former Chairman of Notcutt Nurseries and past Governor of Writtle College, Charles is a well known horticulturalist who has led the Club visits to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on a number of occasions.

He previously served on the Club Committee from 2000 – 2010.

John Stones (Leicestershire) was re-elected for a further term.

THE FARMERS CLUB Over 160 years of service to farming 3 Whitehall Court, London SW1A 2EL

Patron – Her Majesty The Queen VICE PRESIDENTS Peter Jackson CBE, Roddy Loder-Symonds, Sir David Naish DL, John Parker, Norman Shaw CBE THE COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT OF THE CLUB FOR 2011 PRESIDENT AND CHAIRMAN Richard Holland TRUSTEES Mark Hudson (Chairman), Barclay Forrest OBE Mrs Susan Kilpatrick OBE, Julian Sayers VICE-CHAIRMAN Paul Heygate HONORARY TREASURER Richard Butler IMMEDIATE PAST CHAIRMAN Mrs Nicki Quayle COMMITTEE Elected 2006: Stewart Houston CBE, Meurig Raymond MBE Elected 2007: Tim Bennett (Chairman House Sub-Committee) Mrs Anne Chamberlain (Chairman Journal & Communications Sub-Committee), James Cross, Richard Harrison, Campbell Tweed OBE (Chairman Membership Sub-Committee) Elected 2008: The Reverend Dr Gordon Gatward OBE, Jimmy McLean, David Richardson OBE, John Wilson Elected 2009: John Stones Elected 2010: David Leaver, Martin Taylor Elected 2011: Andrew Brown, Micheal Summers Co-opted: Patrick Durnford (Chairman Under 30s) Rhydian Scurlock-Jones (Vice-Chairman Under 30s) 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) Chief Executive and Secretary: Air Commodore Stephen Skinner Deputy Secretary: Robert Buckolt 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

CLUB CLOSURE Noon Fri 23 December to 3.00pm Tues 3 January 2012

Leonardo Da Vinci Exhibition Choose between Friday 27 January or Friday 3 February 2012 to meet at the Club for a two course lunch with wine before walking the short distance to the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square to see the “Leonardo Da Vinci: Painter at the Court of Milan” exhibition.

This unprecedented exhibition – the first of its kind anywhere in the world – brings together sensational international loans never before seen in the UK. Limited numbers of tickets are available, priced £55.00 per person.

Please contact MaryAnne Salisbury, Events Manager events@thefarmersclub.com to reserve your place!

Fax: 020-7839 7864 E-mails secretariat@thefarmersclub.com accounts@thefarmersclub.com membership@thefarmersclub.com functions@thefarmersclub.com meetings@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 Email: editor@thefarmersclub.com Designed by: Ingenious, 01323 729515 Website: www.ingeniousdesign.co.uk Printed by: Pureprint Group, Brambleside, Bellbrook Park Uckfield, East Sussex TN22 1PL, 01825 768811

www.thefarmersclub.com • 23

Name(s) • Article/Section

Proposal to expand and enhance the Farmers Club Acquiring 1 Horse Guards Avenue would provide: • • • • •

18 new en-suite bedrooms, giving the Club a total of 70 bedrooms A new, larger dining-room An impressive private entrance An extended balcony area, adjoining the existing Club balcony A number of large rooms, some with views over the river to the London Eye, for: – private dining and member’s family functions – meetings, seminars and potentially conferences • A larger Business Suite than currently available • One large office to house all Club staff

Funding the project: • • • •

Proposed sale of eighth floor accommodation Proposed sale of fourth floor Muddiman Suite Support from membership Commercial sponsors?

24 • The Farmers Club Winter Journal 2011