News

VERTICAL FUTURE PARTNER WITH CRATE TO PL ATE TO PROVIDE ADVANCED GROWING SOLUTIONS FOR THEIR URBAN FARMS – IN THE UK & GLOBALLY

Farmers have a great opportunity to retire following Defra’s announcement of the Lump Sum Exit Scheme and shouldn’t feel guilty for doing so. According to Catherine Vickery, associate director at Old Mill rural accountants, now is a prime opportunity to start thinking about retirement for a number of reasons. “This is an opportunity for farmers, particularly if they have no one to pass the business on to.” Inheritance tax (IHT) can be a barrier to retirement for some farmers but there are ways to lock in the tax benefits. “Farmers genuinely don’t have to keep farming until the day they die to be able to protect the family from IHT,” explains Ms Vickery. The Lump Sum Exit Scheme will offer up to £100,000 to farmers who want to retire, based on the area payments they would have received until the end of the transition period in 2027. “This means now is a great time to look at the potential benefits and tie it in with retirement plans. At present, capital gains tax is as low as 10%, providing a great opportunity to pass on assets, but at some point those rates are going to go up.” Farmers should think about where they want to be in the next five years, she advises. “Do you still want to be farming the same way you are now? What if you start to struggle physically? I think that’s an important aspect to be considering.” Retirement can also help the next generation. “It can enable farming families to help their children financially and see the impact it has on them – it’s called giving with a warm hand, rather than waiting until death to pass over the money.” But don’t leave yourself short of money, warns Ms Vickery. “When I’m doing IHT planning and looking at gifting to the next generation the last thing I want to do is leave the parents short of money. I want to make sure they have the means to look after themselves for the rest of their lives. “Whether that’s investing in assets which will generate a strong income, living off the capital or other pension planning - if there is a little bit of lead time there are steps we can put in place. We can put a bit more money into pension funds and discuss what investments might be suitable.” The key thing is that farmers don’t have to carry on farming. “There’s no need to feel guilty about wanting to retire,” says Ms Vickery. “Now is the perfect time to get planning with the prospect of these payments as it takes a while to retire.”

High-growth technology com‐pany specialising in con‐trolled-environment-agricul‐ture (CEA), Vertical Future, is implementing its ‘Con‐tainer Lab’ solutions across urban farm‐ing business, Crate to Plate’s, new pro‐duction sites. Bringing sustainable, local production of leafy greens to urban communities, Crate to Plate is a London-based urban farming business – growing the freshest possible produce, totally free of pesti‐cides and toxic chemicals. Their brand ethos centres around efficient, sustain‐able production and maintaining a min‐imal carbon footprint, using significantly less water and space to produce the freshest possible produce with the highest nutrient value. Customers of Crate to Plate include Ollie Dabbous, chef patron of Michelin-starred restaur‐ant, HIDE, as well as independent gro‐cers like The Notting Hill Fish Shop and Artichoke in Hampstead. Vertical Future’s innovative Container Labs (built within 40 ft shipping contain‐ers) are comprised of a fully contained growing environment complete with tune‐able multi-spectrum LEDs, full climate control, dual irrigation, software integra‐tion, and medical grade materials ensur‐ing an ultra-clean, controlled climate for crops to thrive. By transitioning to Ver‐tical Future’s Container Labs solutions, Crate to Plate will be able to upscale their systems across the UK and interna‐tionally and improve output and product quality, returning more value to end con‐sumers. The partnership will start with two new Container Labs at Crate to Plate’s new site in Bermondsey, London, followed by

a further three planned containers at a new site in Stratford, London. From each of these locations, Crate to Plate will be able to produce over five tonnes of fresh produce per year (including lettuce, rocket, kale, herbs, microgreens and more), all delivered to consumers within 24 hours of harvest, with zero carbon footprint in transporting from farm to cus‐tomer. This is also just the start of Crate to Plate’s growth plans, with many more sites planned across the UK and more broadly. Jamie Burrows, CEO of Vertical Future says: “Our Container Labs create the op‐timal growth environment for growing fresh produce and can be deployed close to points of consumption, using minimal space. Using zero chemicals and grow‐ing crops in a controlled environment en‐ables our partners to meet demand all year-round, as opposed to regular food production systems which are reliant on seasonal limitations. Our advanced tech‐nologies, built in our Container Labs, also allow our partners to play tunes with taste, aesthetics, and nutrition.’ Sebastien Sainsbury, founder of Crate to Plate, says “Our partnership comes at a very important time of growth and devel‐opment for both our ventures. It’s been incredibly encouraging and exciting to align with another dynamic, innovative and enterprising British business, which will help us to scale up our vision and ex‐ecute our exciting opportunities both na‐tionally and internationally.” Using Vertical Future’s systems will equip Crate to Plate with more efficient growing capabilities and more tools re‐quired to meet consumers’ increasing de‐mands for eating sustainably – in a world that demands speed, quality, and perfec‐tion.

Royal Highland Showcase to pr omote Scotland's food, far ming & r ural life to global audience

The Royal Highland and Agri‐cultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) is gearing up to host their livestreamed 'be‐hind closed doors' event the Royal Highland Showcase in Partner‐ship with Royal Bank of Scotland. Taking place over the week of 14th to 20th June, the Showcase, a first of its kind event in the UK, will see the best in livestock judging, equestrian, food & drink and rural skills streamed live and in high definition from the Ingliston show‐ground in Edinburgh to a global audience online. The Showcase was created fol‐lowing the cancellation of the Royal High‐land Show earlier this year. Thousands are expected to tune in online

to watch farm animals, witness Scot‐land's delicious larder and experience the country's vibrant culture including music, traditional crafts and rural skills – all from the comfort of their home. All online access will be free, and with four live streams providing nine hours of action on each of the seven days, the Showcase will give the audience an un‐precedented view of the finest livestock in Scotland and also provide a greater in‐sight into the world of judging than has been possible before. It will also have hours of on-demand con‐tent which can be accessed throughout show week. It will provide high quality programming and exciting insights not only for the agricultural enthusiast, but for those who might never have been to the Show before. The Showcase will include pre-recorded features on the Scottish Championships for Bread, Dairy & Handcrafts alongside Sheep Shearing, Forestry and Farriery skills, and a range of presentations and industry talks provided by our partner or‐ganisations. Educational content from the Royal High‐land Education Trust (RHET) will include engaging videos, suggested activities to do at home or the classroom, a teacherfocused webinar, and meeting their vo‐lunteers. Over 5,000 schoolchildren have already signed up to participate in the Showcase direct from their classrooms. For food lovers there is a host of wellknown celebrity chefs lined up for presenting live cookery demonstrations.

The chefs selected for the cookery shows have all featured at previous Shows and come from across Scotland, from Aberdeenshire in the north down to Border country, with a fantastic range of dishes to inspire you at home. Chefs in‐clude Neil Forbes of Café St Honoré and Craig Wilson, 'The Kilted Chef'. The announcement follows detailed plan‐ning in collaboration with the Scottish Government to develop an event that highlights the best of farming, food and rural life, both for a domestic audience and internationally, reinforcing Scotland's reputation as the 'perfect stage' for major events. Work will continue in the run up to the event to ensure that strict Covid-19 pro‐tocols are in place for staff and parti‐cipants making the event happen. All content will be free to view and can be accessed via www.royalhighlandsho‐w.org from Monday 14th June.

RHASS Chairman Bill Gray commen ted:

"Our farmers never stopped through the pandemic, and neither will we. We know how much the Show means to our mem‐bers, the wider agricultural community and the show-going public. This innovat‐ive event will act as a bridge between the no-Show year of 2020 and the planned 180th Show in 2020, the bicentennial an‐niversary of our very first Show. "I'd encourage everyone to log on for what will be a truly unique showcase of the best rural that Scotland has to offer, wherever you are in the world."

Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon said:

"The innovative week-long Royal High‐land Showcase will highlight the very best of Scottish agriculture and rural to an international audience and it's great to see events like this starting to take place again. As one of the first major events to take place after lockdown, I'm sure that a lot of people will be excited to get in‐volved and the packed agenda means that there is a lot to offer people of all ages and all tastes. "I know that people across the Scottish agri-sector enjoy meeting friends and col‐leagues every year at the Show and while we can't all meet in person, the Showcase event will allow them to meet virtually in a common and familiar space where they can socialise, share and ex‐perience the content together, alongside new visitors from across the globe. I can't wait to witness this one-of-a-kind event that will highlight to the world the fant‐astic and sustainable work that our farm‐ers, crofters and rural producers do."

Paul Bush OBE VisitScotland's Dir ector of Events added:

"The 2021 edition of the Royal Highland Showcase will harness the power of the digital world by opening its 'virtual' gates to audiences both at home and further afield. "The innovative programme, which in‐cludes a wide-range of familiar and much-loved show elements, will provide a wonderful insight into the work of our farmers and local producers, as well as the opportunity to get up close to the country's top-quality livestock, excep‐tional larder and vibrant culture from the comfort, and safety of our own homes over the seven days."

Bale security and pr otection

PFC Agri solutions premium quality products from cultiva‐tion equipment, hedging saws and baler applicators and moisture sensors. Part of this product line in the inland tarpaulins for baled products. After seeing in recent years straw prices increasing, driven by the unpredictable weather and increased biomass demand tarpaulins have become ever more important in the stor‐age of bales to prevent losses and maximise revenue. With valuable crops baled there are various options. Barn storage is the go-to first choice if it is avail‐able. Inland tarpaulin system of‐fers a cost-effective alternative with increase versatility. Not protecting bales is the fastest way to raise your costs. If stack‐ing square bales 8 bales high los‐ing just the top layer is a 12.5% loss. How many times have sheets be put on round bales for the water to sit in the gaps and cause sagging until either natural failure or vermin cause this water to penetrate the stack. There is no substitute to do a job properly first time which will be the most cost effective. Inland tarpaulins from PFC provide this essential get it right first-time approach. The Inland tarpaulin is suitable for all bale types and sizes. Utilising the patented Super Cinch and ‘J’ hook system allows for rapid in‐stallation with minimal effort. Once the tarpaulin is placed on top of the stack it is simply rolled to the sides and then pulled full length. The ropes are quickly se‐cured to the Super Cinch which acts as a leverage pully and lock‐ing device. Dropping your entire body weight into the tie down sys‐tem allows for maximum tension to be applied. A tight sheet will not flex and wear so regular ten‐sioning is recommended every 34 days for the first fortnight then once monthly as the stack settles. If gale force winds are forecast check the tension before and after the storm. The tarps have a 7-8 year UV protection so if looked after cor‐rectly will have an average life ex‐pectancy of five years. For large square bales, the ‘J’ hook is at‐tached to the bale twine with the rope running through the ring. This provides a secure anchor point. Concerns of the twin or knot failing this will not be the case as the failure point would be the ring on the ‘J’ hook. There is a 550kg pressure required for this to happen, this is double the strength of the nearest competitor and has been proven time and time again across the UK and hurricanes in the USA. For round bale tarpaulins, the system uses either ropes laid on the ground that fix direction into the Super Cinch to secure the tarpaulin or a seat belt webbing with steel rings to allow the ‘J’ hook to anchor to it. The Super Cinch has revolution‐ised the ease of adding tension to the ropes with automatic locking to secure the tarp. When the stack is ready to be used the ropes are simply released by pulling down and out. As the stack is used the excess tarp should be folded back and quickly anchor the ‘J’ hook into another string securing the excess tar‐paulin. Securing the excess tar‐paulin prevents the wind damage and premature failure. Wind dam‐age causes a mosaic effect in the plastic from continuous flexing. As with any material if it is con‐tinuously bent it will break. The unique tie down system prevents this damage from occurring and maximises the tarp life and so re‐duces storage cost. The sides of the tarpaulins do not use the traditional eyelets of cheap copies. Instead of using a 90cm long pipe in every 120cm section, this provides a full spread of any tension and pres‐sure. On tarpaulins up to 35 feet (11 meters) there is one rope per section coming off from a looped rope to evenly spread the load on the pipe. For wider tarpaulins, there are 2 ropes per section. This section style provides excel‐lent load-bearing ability but also allows the tarpaulin to be folded back during the use of the stack. PFC have been providing cus‐tomers with the Inland bale tar‐paulin since 2003 and have proven that the initial capital out‐lay is repaid many times over, compared to builder type tarpaul‐ins or silage sheet.

| News Vantage ASC gr ows fur ther with additional Installation & Ser vice Engineer

Fr uit F ocus r etur ns to Kent this summer

Continuing to deliver their vision for UK customers, Vantage ASC have strengthened their service and support team further with the addition of Mike Coxe. Mike has been working in Agriculture for the last 14 years as both an operator and in management roles giving him a clear understanding of customer needs when it comes to GPS and technology systems in the field. “I have always had an interest in Agriculture and the technology which is involved. Having had experience of Vantage in the past as an operator looking for support in the field, the opportunity to join the team and help others with technology was something I had to explore further”. Mike studied Agriculture & Crop Production at Riseholme College before taking a lead operator role in Lincolnshire which would see his first encounter with Trimble equipment in 2010. Leaving the RTK equipped CAT MT765c behind, Mike continued to operate and manage equipment throughout Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire which includes exposure to controlled traffic farming. Most recently a field manager at a potato growing organisation Mike has been responsible for all aspects of the crop cycle and associated operations. “I have been fortunate to see a wide range of businesses during my career and worked with some inspiring people, it will be a pleasure to use these skills and experience to help Vantage customers. Being able to introduce and maintain precision technology on farms and have access to a great selection of products is exciting, especially during this period of change within UK Agriculture.” Andrew Williams, National Service Man‐ager at Vantage ASC, says ‘we are al‐ways looking for people with the right at‐titude and a passion for our industry and we have been fortunate to find Mike. Based in Nottinghamshire, Mike will strengthen our geographical coverage with an aim to further improve our cus‐tomer response times. Being an experi‐enced operator and manager, Mike has a great understanding of customer require‐ments and priorities with a desire to de‐liver’ ‘Mikes appointment will bring our team of remote personnel up to 12 which is great. Having a strong distribution of sales and service people throughout England & Wales, focussed only on technology is really important for us. We continue to grow in line with our customer needs and continue to develop and move forwards with Mike on board.’

Fruit Focus 2021, the premier event for the fruit industry, will open its doors to phys‐ical visitors on 21 July 2021 with no restrictions. “We have been monitoring the exit strategy after Boris Johnson’s announce‐ment on 22 February to end lockdown re‐strictions in England by 21 June,” said event organiser, Alli McEntyre. “So far we have overcome each stage of the roadmap and are confident that the event will go ahead with no restrictions thanks to good coverage of vaccinations, our spacious outdoor venue, and strong bio‐security planning.” After a year of online-only events due to Covid-19, Fruit Focus is set to returns to Kent in July. “All of our growers and ex‐hibitors are so keen to get back out into the field and meet real people again,” says event director Alli McEntyre. “As well as seeing the latest products and services leading exhibitors have to offer from all areas of the fruit in‐dustry,” she adds. The event's main pro‐gram, the NFU Fruit Forums, is an opportunity to attend in-per‐son seminars with real live speakers, dis‐cussing and debate key is‐sues, chal‐lenges, and developments within the fruit industry. In addition, visitors can take guided tours of the expanded WET Centre and take in other NIAB EMR research centre facilit‐ies. Over 100 exhibitors will showcase the latest products and services. Returning exhibitors include BASF, Bayer Crop Sci‐ence, Berry Gardens, Cocogreen, Fera Science, Fruit Advisory Services Team (FAST), Hargrove, the Fruit Grower, and many more. “At Fruit Focus 2021, there is something for everyone, whether you are interested in finding out ‘Best Practice’ in strawberry irrigation and fertigation technology of substrate-grown, discussing key chal‐lenges and developments within the in‐dustry, seeing new varieties and the latest machinery, or just looking for a friendly place to visit to reconnect with your colleague’s face to face for the first time in over a year,” says Ms. McEntyre. • Tickets for the Fruit Focus event, taking place on 21 July 2021, 8 am –5 pm at NIAB EMR are now on sale.

For more information or to register for tickets visit https://www.fruitfo‐cus.co.uk/

LEAF Open Far m Sunday 2021: Size does matter this year!

On Sunday 27th June, the farming industry's annual open day, LEAF Open Farm Sunday (LOFS) will return to celebrate its 15th event since the initiative was launched in 2006. At a time when food and farming has generated greater interest than ever be‐fore, LOFS organisers, LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming), is calling on farmers to take part and help promote the British food and farming story. There is no doubt that LEAF Open Farm Sunday will look slightly different this year. The trend is for smaller events, with activities where visitors can manage their own learning, such as self-guided farm walks. Every farmer that takes part will still have full autonomy to decide on the type of event they would like to offer, for how long and for how many people. There is also a greater emphasis on us‐ing a free ticketing system, such as Try‐Booking or Eventbrite, to record and manage visitor numbers with both sys‐tems offering an easy, automated solu‐tion. There is also flexibility on when events take place. Central promotion will focus on the 27th but farmers can choose any Sunday in June to open their gates and still benefit from LOFS brand‐ing and resources. LEAF Open Farm Sunday Manager, An‐nabel Shackleton explained why it is more important than ever to take part, "LEAF Open Farm Sunday plays a vital role promoting British farming, dispelling myths and helping people to value the food they eat. We are actively encour‐aging more smaller events this year. A simple farm walk for 30 people is both re‐warding and manageable for all involved. We know there may be some nervous‐ness around Covid and we want to en‐sure both host farmers, and visitors at‐tending, feel safe and confident to go ahead. As theatres, cinemas and dining indoors reopens, remember transmission rates are significantly reduced outdoors. The farming stage – our wonderful coun‐tryside - is the perfect venue to safely welcome visitors." River Croft in Inverness-shire held their first LEAF Open Farm Sunday event in 2017 and in 2018 started using the ticket‐ing service to effectively manage visitor numbers. Michelle Anderson-Carroll ex‐plained why it was so useful: "In 2018, we decided to use the LOFS ticketing system that LEAF offers (using Trybooking) and it really is brilliant! We set up two bookable tours but with a very manageable number of 35 visitors on each and promoted the link on Face‐book. Both events were booked up quick‐ly, but we also maintained a waiting list on the system. It really helped with know‐ing when people were arriving too. The track to our croft is a mile long with very few places for cars to pass – so before the second tour started, we asked the visitors from the first tour not to leave un‐til the second wave of visitors had ar‐rived." Over recent months people have become more engaged than ever with farming, nature, where their food comes from and how their food purchasing decision im‐pacts on climate change With hundreds of farmers across Britain expected to take part in LOFS this year, the industry initiative continues to build community con‐nections and help raise aware‐ness of all that farmers do to maintain the countryside, en‐hance the envir‐onment and pro‐duce our food. Mrs Shackleton said, "Our research shows that 87% of visitors on LEAF Open Farm Sunday found the day changed the way they think about farming from the technology re‐quired to run a farming business through to how more sustain‐able, regenerat‐ive farming is helping to ad‐dress the climate crisis through better soil and water manage‐ment, reducing waste, using re‐newable energy and enhancing biodiversity. "It is also a chance to raise public awareness of the Countryside Code and public access. Recently there has been an increase in damage to grass and cereal fields that look bare to the un-informed and there‐fore deemed acceptable to walk on, but actually are home to our future food. LEAF Open Farm Sunday is an oppor‐tunity to explain why keeping to the des‐ignated footpath is so important, without causing conflict or negativity." All farmers who register their LOFS event at www.farmsunday.org receive a com‐prehensive handbook and free resources There is a network of regional LOFS am‐bassadors and the team at LEAF avail‐able to discuss plans and offer guidance. Farmers do not need to be members of LEAF to take part, but they do need to register their event.

| News Success at the double as cr eamer y's mellow Double Gloucester cheese cr owned best in Wales

Afarmer-owned creamery in North Wales is celebrating after its tasty Double Gloucester cheese scooped a gold award and went on to be crowned the best cheese in Wales. South Caernarfon Creamery's double tri‐umph came at the prestigious 2021 Vir‐tual Cheese Awards where they com‐peted against the best cheesemakers from across the UK. The glittering awards ceremony was hos‐ted by TV and radio food broadcaster and all-round local artisan food champion Nigel Barden. The 13-strong judging panel included MasterChef winner Druv Baker; founder of the Academy of Cheese, Tracey Col‐ley; and Marks and Spencer cheese buyer Chris Dawson. According to the senior commercial man‐ager, Nick Beadman, the twin honours were a major endorsement of the mas‐tery of cheese production at co-operative based in Chwilog in Gwynedd. He said: "Our Double Gloucester has sublime buttery, mellow notes which par‐ticularly appealed to the expert judges. It is quite a young cheese which only needs about two to three months to ma‐ture unlike a rich cheddar which can take up to 12 months. "We are particularly pleased with this Double Gloucester and our faith in it has now been rewarded by such an es‐teemed panel of independent judges making it a double winner. "We are all delighted. This is a real testa‐ment to the amount of hard work we put into producing the best quality cheeses we can. It is a dazzling start to the cheese awards season. "For us to win two top prizes from one of the most important judging panels in the industry is a coup for everyone who works here and for all our farmer mem‐bers." The creamery also makes other ac‐claimed territorial cheeses including Red Leicester and Welsh Caerphilly, along with its popular Dragon brand of table cheeses which are a big hit with custom‐ers all over the Wales and parts of the UK. Nick and the team are hopeful they will also do well at the usual high profile an‐nual cheese competitions which are due to reopen this summer and autumn, providing Covid restrictions are lifted. In the past South Caernarfon Creameries has achieved success at a number of UK and international cheese competitions in‐cluding Nantwich International Cheese Awards, the British Cheese Awards, World Cheese Awards, and Global Cheese Awards. Nick said: "One of the key ingredients in our regular successes is the fact that we consistently maintain the excellence of our products, putting ourselves at the forefront of cheese production in Britain. "This is award is recognition from a panel of distinguished experts that we are get‐ting it right and we are looking forward to further sales growth for our Double Gloucester, alongside our other awardwinning cheeses in future."

The Virtual Cheese Awards competition was launched for the first time last year after the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic to promote and celebrate the best of Brit‐ish cheese and give the industry a boost in a time of great need. In 2020 the Virtual Cheese Awards were the only ones to take place, as agricul‐tural shows, food festivals and similar events across the country were cancelled due to Covid lockdown restrictions. Despite having been organised quickly and in an emergency, the 2020 Awards attracted more than 300 entries and were considered a huge success. All profits were donated to support cheesemakers and farming charities. They were so well respected that it was decided to repeat the awards this year and they had even more entries across eight classes and more than 40 categor‐ies. Nick added: "Everyone who put their all into organising this event both last year and in spring 2021 deserves praise for their professionalism and for the way they have helped raise awareness of some fantastic British cheeses. "The virtual format of the awards has been so well received that the industry is likely to continue with them even when we are hopefully able to put the pan‐demic crisis behind us." South Caernarfon Creameries was foun‐ded more than 80 years ago in 1938 and is still based on its original site near Chwilog on the Llŷn Peninsula, though it has been extended and modernised ex‐tensively in recent years. The dairy plans to increase production over the next three years from its current level of 17,000 tons of cheese a year to 23,000 tons and the growth is projected to increase demand for Welsh milk, from the current level of 150 million litres to more than 200 million litres a year as turnover ramps up. The co-operative produces all its cheeses and butters using milk from its 137 farmer members across North and Mid Wales.

Combining safety with sustainability : mitigating the envir onmental impact of vehicle

From combine harvesters to tractors and all-terrain trucks, heavy vehicles are relied upon every day to perform the tasks that keep farms in business. Protecting them from fire, caused by a dangerous build-up of crop dust or simply an over-heated en‐gine, is therefore essential to ensure safety, and preserve valuable uptime –especially during the busy harvest sea‐son. With the total cost of claims for agri‐cultural fire incidents reaching a stagger‐ing 20 million pounds in 2020, the Na‐tional Farmers’ Union (NFU) has recently introduced insurance discounts for vehicles fitted with approved fire sup‐pression systems. The incentive to install such equipment has never been greater, but as awareness grows of the impact that certain fire suppression agents can have on the planet, sustainability is also becoming a key consideration when choosing a safety solution.

Spotlight on suppression agents

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a widely used component of wet chemical, foam or dual agent fire suppression systems thanks to their abil‐ity to starve flames of oxygen. But in re‐cent years the use of PFAS has started to be questioned due to their non-biode‐gradability and low Predicted No Effect Concentration (PNEC) scores. This means that even a very small amount of PFAS entering soil, ground and surface water can have a harmful effect on sur‐rounding plant and animal populations –an especially concerning factor in agricul‐tural settings. As a result, regulatory bod‐ies around the world, including the European Chemicals Agency, are imple‐menting harsher restrictions on the use of PFAS. So how can farms ensure the safety of their workers, valuable ma‐chinery and crops without causing unne‐cessary harm to the planet? In a typical agricultural vehicle fire, there is little possibility of containing a suppres‐sion agent to within the engine bay. Given the harmful effects agents contain‐ing PFAS can have on the environment, this is a factor farmers must now con‐sider in their choice of suppression agent. Cooling the engine area to below flash point (450⁰C) is another key con‐cern, as this reduces the risk of re-igni‐tion.

To address all these requirements, farm‐ers should look for a reliable, fast-acting system which does not use PFAS, new examples of which are beginning to emerge onto the market. The ANSUL® LVS Non-Fluorinated Liquid Suppression Agent for example, is a highperform‐ance fire suppres‐sion solu‐tion that provides rapid flame knock‐down and surface cooling for reduced equipment downtime – without the use of per fluorin‐ated chemicals. Agents like this can be easily slotted into existing suppression sys‐tems, providing farmers with a depend‐able, easy to use solution that can help them safeguard people, equipment and the planet.

To learn more about how Johnson Con‐trols can help protect agricultural equip‐ment from fire, visit: www.redefined.ansul .com

Macquarie Capital P rincipal F inance bolsters UK biogas platfor m, Adapt Biogas, with new acquisition

Macquarie Capital Principal Finance (Macquarie Capital) has today announced the majority acquisition of Evercreech Renewable Energy Ltd (Evercreech) - a greenfield anaerobic digestion development in the United Kingdom (UK). Macquarie Capital’s investment will fund the end-to-end construction of the plant, which is expected to begin injecting green gas into the UK’s national gas network by early 2022. It will become part of Macquarie Capital’s existing Adapt Biogas portfolio - doubling its capacity of gas to grid biomethane. The combined portfolio will produce enough energy to cover the annual gas consumption of over 5,600 UK homes.1 The Evercreech plant will be constructed on an industrial estate in Somerset, in the South West of England and support the nearby residential population, as well as more than 400 local dairy, brewing and baking manufacturers with a less carbon-intensive waste disposal service. Once fully operational, the plant is expected to save 95,000 tonnes of food waste from landfill each year - the equivalent to food waste produced by over 400,000 homes in the UK annually.2 Macquarie Capital’s investment comes amid growing demand for biomethane as an increasingly important part of the UK’s energy mix - providing much needed growth capital to a sector known for its operational and supply chain complexity. The Evercreech investment follows Macquarie Capital’s 2019 majority acquisition of the company now known as Adapt Biogas, a leading UK-based provider of O&M services, capital, and a strategic partner to new and existing anaerobic digestion plant owners. Since 2009 Macquarie Capital’s Principal Finance team has provided financing and investment capital for over 700 companies, deploying over £26 billion globally. In the last 12 months the team committed almost £3 billion. Patrick Ottersbach, a Managing Director at Macquarie Capital Principal Finance said: “We have been at the forefront of financing innovative developments in the anaerobic digestion sector since establishing our platform in late 2019. Since then, we have supported Adapt Biogas by providing our expertise and the capital they need to achieve their growth ambitions. The addition of the Evercreech plant to the platform is a significant step towards realising those ambitions and becoming an important part of a growing sector that is expected to play a critical role in the UK’s plans to reach net zero.” The financial terms of the transaction remain undisclosed.