ISSUE
Gleadell Agriculture Limited
2
Viewpoint SPRING 2016 • SERIES 2
Inside this edition of Viewpoint Market Outlook Pages 2 and 3 From feed wheat to malting barley, and from OSR to oats and pulses – Gleadell’s crop experts provide a steer on the twists and turns of the market.
A big decision – whichever way you look at it On June 23rd the UK electorate will have the long-awaited chance to vote on whether we stay in or leave the European Union. One of the founding principles of what began as the European Economic Community was to ensure that, following two devastating world wars, Europe would never again be torn apart by political discord. A further key principle was that Europe’s people would never be allowed to starve again. For this reason, agriculture and the production of food – in other words the Common Agricultural Policy – has been and remains a vital part of overall EU policy. Critics of the EU are not hard to find in the agri-business sector. In the combinable crop arena we have seen our industry handicapped by intrusive, non-science-based product withdrawals, by a refusal to adopt new technologies that are embraced in other countries and by red tape seemingly created to make running a profitable business almost impossible on occasions. However, it is also very important to acknowledge the benefits of having tariff-free access to the European single market and, via
the EU, advantages from many other trade agreements around the world. Conversely, the ‘leave‘ campaign says that any UK government, even a cash-strapped one, could be relied upon to support British farming in a post vote-toleave scenario and that other EU member states, and other countries around the world, would all swiftly agree to sign up to trade agreements with the UK in a post-Brexit world. The problem is that none of this is backed by facts or by stated intentions from our trading partners that they would be willing to accommodate the UK’s wishes so readily. There is also a danger that, if we want to have the same access to the EU market as we have today, we would firstly have to abide by EU rules and regulations and secondly have to pay, as Norway does, for access to the single market. For many, especially with regard to an emotive issue such as Europe, the way one chooses to vote will be based as much on emotion as it will be on business reasons or facts. Sometimes the devil you know is better than the devil you have yet to become acquainted with. This thought may warrant careful reflection in the context of this referendum, especially for the agricultural industry. David Sheppard, Managing Director, Gleadell Agriculture
RAGT – cutting edge science driving yield and quality Pages 4 and 5 RAGT is at the forefront of gene marker technology. We review the way this innovative business is translating high level scientific expertise into practical reality with highly respected new variety Skyfall and even newer RGT Illustrious, both of which deliver in today’s demanding market.
The Gleadell Small Seeds Website service Page 8 Simple to use, convenient and already highly popular. Gleadell’s new small seed service provides farmers and growers with easy, online access to a whole range of crops: including game cover, greening options, environmental crops, grasses and forage. Over 50 different varieties all in one place.