South East Farmer February 2022

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Est 1982

February 2022

AUSSIES WIN AGAIN TRADE DEAL WITH AUSTRALIA OFFERS LITTLE FOR UK FARMERS

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www.southeastfarmer.net SOUTH EAST FARMER Kelsey Media, The Granary, Downs Court Yalding Hill, Yalding, Maidstone, Kent, ME18 6AL 01959 541444 EDITORIAL Editor: Malcolm Triggs Email: sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk Photography: Martin Apps, Countrywide Photographic PUBLISHER Jamie McGrorty 01303 233883 jamie.mcgrorty@kelsey.co.uk GRAPHIC DESIGN Jo Legg 07306 482166 jo.legg@flair-design.co.uk MANAGEMENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Steve Wright CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: Phil Weeden MANAGING DIRECTOR: Kevin McCormick PUBLISHER: Jamie McGrorty RETAIL DIRECTOR: Steve Brown RENEWALS AND PROJECTS MANAGER: Andy Cotton SENIOR SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING MANAGER: Nick McIntosh SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING DIRECTOR: Gill Lambert SUBSCRIPTION MARKETING MANAGER: Kate Chamberlain PRINT PRODUCTION MANAGER: Georgina Harris PRINT PRODUCTION CONTROLLER: Kelly Orriss DISTRIBUTION Distribution in Great Britain Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 3rd Floor, 161 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP Tel: 0330 390 6555 PRINTING Precision Colour Print

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F EB RUA RY 2022

CONTENTS

34

44 04 06 07 10

NEWS & REPORTS

Winning more than just the Ashes.

Growers are falling out.

ELMS announcement fails to impress.

Romney tweed is going from strength to strength.

REGULARS

16 MONICA AKEHURST

Monica thought she was a 'goner' when Covid-19 struck.

22 NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS...

Nigel finds out more about an award-winning farmhouse dairy which produces and supplies local shops with an impressive range of products from ice cream to pasteurised milk, cream, yoghurt and butter.

29 ANITA HEAD

31 STEPHEN CARR www.kelsey.co.uk Cover picture: ©Alan West

46 SARAH CALCUTT 51 ALAN WEST

52 NICK ADAMES

Everyone rushed for the exit.

16 53 ADVICE FROM THE VET Get ahead for spring turnout.

54 LEGAL

57 LAND AND FARMS

FEATURES

20 R S BIRCH & PARTNERS This electrical company has built up an impressive reputation over the past 50 years – and not just amongst the clients.

34 FARM EXPO

Farm Expo is back for 2022, with exhibitors ready to showcase the latest developments in agricultural machinery and a line-up of industry speakers eager to share their expertise.

44 PRESSURE CLEAN

Hire option makes light work of tough tasks.

NEWS

WINNING MORE THAN

JUST THE ASHES 4

Australia won more than The Ashes at the turn of the year, in the eyes of the UK’s farming organisations.

News that the UK-Australia trade deal had been finalised brought a swift and unhappy reaction from bodies representing the UK’s farmers, particularly those who fear the impact of larger imports of lamb from down under.

NFU President Minette Batters said there appeared to be “extremely little in this deal to benefit British farmers”, adding: “We will analyse the detail in full but on the face of it, this is a one-sided deal. When it comes to agriculture, the Australians have achieved all they have asked for and British farmers are left wondering what has been secured for them.

“In particular, it is disappointing that the UK government has capitulated to Australian demands to time-limit any safeguards for sensitive sectors.

Despite assurances that these sectors would be afforded some level of protection, we will see full liberalisation of dairy after just six years, sugar after eight years, and beef and lamb after 15 years.”

She went on: “Just as concerning, the UK has agreed to beef and lamb quotas which will favour imports of high-value cuts, despite this being the end of the market where British farmers tend to derive any value from their hard work.

“It’s also difficult to discern anything in this deal that will allow us to control imports of food produced below the standards legally required of British farmers, for instance on land deforested for cattle production or systems that rely on the transport of live animals in a way that would be illegal here.”

Soil Association Head of Food Policy Rob Percival pursued the sporting theme, claiming the Australians had “played a blinder” and dismissing

the deal as “void of common sense”, at least on the UK side.

He explained: “As British farmers are stepping up to meet the environmental challenges of this century, our government signs a deal that undercuts them. And as the British public declares its concern for animal welfare and the climate, we commit to importing deforestation-risk beef from a country ranked last out of 193 countries in the latest UN-backed Sustainable Development report.

“The logic behind the deal is difficult to discern, but it seems to be ‘free trade at all costs’, served with a side of hormone-treated cattle. We must hope that the government’s upcoming response to the National Food Strategy is more coherent and ambitious.”

The National Sheep Association (NSA), whose members face the prospect of quotas for lamb instantly tripling, from 8,000 to 25,000 tonnes per year, before rising over ten years to 125,000 tonnes, said it was “angered” by the deal.

Chief Executive Phil Stocker said his organisation was “disappointed that this deal has been pushed through and now signed without any resolution on how [quotas] could be managed in a way to limit potential damage to the UK’s own domestic trade”.

When the deal was announced in principle last summer, the NSA called for the use of a licensing procedure to manage seasonality disruption and the use of a whole carcase weight co-efficient to help manage high volumes of single and boned out cuts.

Mr Stocker went on: “We have no confidence that this licensing procedure has been or is now being considered. We are told the deal still has to be scrutinised by Parliament and the Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC), but from

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

recent experiences we can be sure this will be a formality rather than an opportunity for positive amendments to be made.”

He added: “NSA warned from day one that the UK sheep sector could end up being the sacrificial lamb for the benefit of other industries in a trade deal with Australia, and indeed New Zealand.

I’m confident the British sheep industry is in a fit enough state to fight back when we have to, despite our standards (many of which carry costs) being ratcheted higher and higher. And fight we will, in order to maintain domestic support for our high-quality products and to access other global markets.”

The NSA later pointed out that the Department for International Trade’s own impact assessment had referred to a “reallocation of resources away from agriculture, forestry, and fishing” of around £94 million and repeated its call for “proper and urgent scrutiny of the deal by Parliament and the TAC”.

Mr Stocker said his organisation was “bemused by the continued dismissal by the Prime Minister and some of his Ministers of the detrimental impact the Australia deal will have on UK Farming” and said UK sheep farmers had been made “a sacrificial lamb to enable cheaper Australian wine to be on UK supermarket shelves”.

Looking forward, the NFU’s Ms Batters called on the Government to “set out a detailed agri-food export strategy, with complementary policies that will enable UK farmers to compete and adjust”.

She added: “I hope that MPs will now take a good, hard look at this deal to see if it really does match up to the government’s rhetoric to support our farmers’ businesses and safeguard our high animal welfare and environmental standards. I fear they will be disappointed.”

O PI NI O N Embrace veganism

“SQUEEZING SECTOR PROFITS WON’T HELP”

Squeezing growers’ profit margins could damage the Government’s long-term plans to persuade the industry to invest in new technology, a recruitment expert has warned.

Doug Amesz, of AG Recruitment, was reacting to news that the Home Office aims to hike the cost of seasonal workers from overseas in a bid to make growers focus on using domestic pickers and bring in more automation.

But he pointed out: “All an increase in wage costs will do is squeeze profit margins, which will make it harder for growers to invest in the automation the Government thinks they should be moving towards.”

Doug, whose company is one of four agencies chosen to recruit overseas workers to help growers pick UK fruit, nonetheless welcomed the three-year extension to the scheme announced by DEFRA on Christmas Eve. It means at least 30,000 foreign pickers will be allowed into the country each year between now and 2024.

“All things considered, it is probably about as good as we could have asked for, given the politics and dynamics at play,” he said. “We have a welcome assurance that we can bring in overseas workers for the next three years and I am certain that the scheme will be extended, as there is no way automation will have advanced that far in that timescale.”

While extending the seasonal workers visa route, the Government has said relying on overseas pickers is “not a long-term solution” and has called on the industry to “make changes to ensure sustainable recruitment”.

DEFRA has also said there is the possibility of adding an additional 10,000 workers to the agreed annual figure, but Doug pointed out that would only be allowed if the four agencies together used the baseline 30,000. “Yes, we are in competition, but we will need to work together to make that happen for the sake of the industry,” he said.

Doug urged DEFRA to continue looking at other aspects of the scheme, including the length of stay allowed, which the December announcement didn’t cover. “Increasing the time limit from six to nine months would keep numbers down,” he said.

DEFRA said changes to the scheme, which has run since 2019, would “force companies to pay those using the route a minimum salary to discourage poor conditions”, adding that the changes followed “a review of the seasonal workers pilot which found the reliance on foreign labour held down wages, disincentivised investment and discouraged workers (both resident and non-resident) into these roles.”

Doug, though, warned that a suggested pay rise for seasonal workers would take the rate above the national living wage, which would discriminate against the domestic workforce and be hard for growers to absorb. It would also make it harder for them to invest in new technology by reducing their profitability, he added.

It’s an old joke (well, probably not that old, given the subject matter), but still makes me chuckle. Q: “How do you know there’s a vegan in the room?” A: “Don’t worry, they’ll soon tell you.”

While it’s as easy to poke fun at vegans as it is at any other minority, although not yet, at least, as likely to land you in court for offending someone, this is a movement we have to take seriously. Carve up the statistics whichever way you like, but Veganuary is a thing – and it wasn’t ten years ago.

A brief internet search suggests that the numbers signing up to avoid meat, fish, eggs and dairy (and in some cases even honey) in January rose from 12,800 in 2015 to more than half a million last year. And these are serious people with serious beliefs.

But should farmers be worried? Clearly they aren’t going to be on the Christmas card list for many livestock or dairy farmers, but vegetables and fruit are also farmed, and there are surely opportunities to take advantage of the rise in plantbased diets.

What we need to do, I suggest, is persuade vegans and vegetarians that the crucial thing isn’t so much what they eat as where it comes from. We all know about avocado airmiles, how much water it takes to produce almond milk etc, but is the ‘buy local’ message getting through to this increasingly large audience? It would, after all, be strange if those who chose veganism for environmental reasons weren’t equally keen to reduce their carbon footprints.

What might help, of course is a war (yes, I’m joking, but bear with me). Carrots have long been associated with seeing in the dark, and generations of youngsters, including me, grew up on that story. But here’s the thing – the story was made up not to boost the nation’s health or support farmers but to fool the Germans.

Surrey airman John Cunningham – one of Churchill’s ‘Few’ – was an exceptional pilot whose success with radio observer Sergeant Cecil Rawnsley made them one of the best-known night-fighting partnerships of the second world war.

Their impressive record was largely due to the success of the RAF’s recently introduced airborne radar, which was more advanced than anything the Germans had to offer. The Air Ministry, though, didn’t want the Germans to know that, so they told the domestic audience (and by extension the Nazis) that his fondness for carrots gave him exceptional night vision.

It was a porky pie that would do some members of the current Government proud, and it worked. I, for one, was in my fifties, and had eaten thousands of carrots in the hope of gaining good night vision, before learning the true story. As for wartime Ace, later Group Captain, John Cunningham DFC* DSO**, he took the nickname ‘Cat’s Eyes Cunningham’ with him to the grave.

MALCOLM TRIGGS - EDITOR

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5

NEWS

GROWERS ARE FALLING OUT

6

Growers are falling out over the best way to fill the gap left by the abolition of the statutory levy on horticulture and potato production following last year’s vote.

Campaigners who took on the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) to end the levy say a new group that wants government-backed research and development to continue via a different body is being “patronising” towards other growers.

The row follows the publication in last month’s South East Farmer of a letter from Philip Pearson, chairman of the Growers Better Levy Group (GBLG), in which he pointed out: “Research, innovation and development remains important to the sector, and the critical work must continue.”

Mr Pearson went on to suggest DEFRA “should retain the discretionary power to raise a statutory levy and work with the industry to change the statutory instrument to make it fit for today’s industry and define what money is raised and how it is spent.”

While he called for the work to be done by a new body, rather than the AHDB, he stressed: “This work is essential for horticultural crops to thrive,” adding: “The fairest way for this work to be funded is for every grower to pay.” He said GBLG felt the costs could be slashed to around 10% to 15% of the current level.

Lincolnshire potato and vegetable grower John Bratley, one of the three men who have become known

as the AHDB Petitioners, disagreed, saying that the new group’s comments “not only go against the result of two votes on the issue but are patronising in telling growers how to fill in the current DEFRA consultation”.

He commented: “There are a number of issues with the latest statements by the GBLG, but the biggest is that it ignores the fact that almost 490 levy payers have already voted against the continuation of a statutory levy. That applies irrespective of who that levy is paid to.

“Once again, we have a very small minority trying to tell growers and DEFRA what is best for individual and highly diverse grower businesses. We know from the comments we have received from hundreds of growers that they know what is best for their own businesses.”

Mr Bratley said that GBLG “admit that the alternative to their proposals is that ‘work will be funded on a

voluntary levy basis where only those growers that pay will benefit from the work’,” pointing out: “This is precisely what the majority of growers who voted to abolish statutory levies want to happen.”

He suggested that research and advisory organisations had begun to talk to grower groups about their research needs and said there were signs “that a more focused and dynamic industry approach to R&D is beginning to evolve.”

Another of the AHDB Petitioners, Simon Redden, criticised GBLG for failing to accept the result of the original ballot, suggesting: “Twelve months after the levy ballot they are trying to rewrite the clear result to suit their own needs, rather than the needs of the majority of growers.” He added: ”Telling growers how to answer the questions on the current DEFRA consultation was simply insulting.”

> John Bratley, Simon Redden and Peter Thorols

ON COURSE FOR A 2022 BAN

Campaigners are celebrating news that 2022 is likely to see the introduction of tougher legislation to fight the scourge of hare coursing.

The Government has responded to strong campaigning by countryside groups by tabling its own amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

The new legislation, which could be introduced within a few months, will increase penalties, create new criminal offences and give the courts new powers to disqualify convicted offenders from owning or keeping dogs and order them to reimburse the costs of keeping dogs in kennels after they are seized following a hare coursing offence.

It follows news, reported in last month’s South East Farmer, that the NFU, Countryside Alliance and Country Land and Business Association (CLA) had written to Peers in the House of Lords urging them to support an amendment tabled by the Bishop of St Albans.

The Government’s decision to bring in its own amendment to tackle what Environment Secretary George Eustice called “the scourge of hare coursing, which blights rural communities up and down the country” was also welcomed by the police force, which will have to implement the measures.

Chief Inspector Phil Vickers, who referred to the “damage, threats, intimidation and assaults” suffered by victims of hare coursing, said that up until now “the legislation has not kept pace with the impact on victims or benefits to offenders”.

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

CLA Regional Director Tim Bamford said: “Hare coursing is a despicable crime that so often blights rural communities. We have long argued for tougher sentences and more police powers to tackle these criminal gangs and are pleased that government has listened.

“Hare coursing is a global industry, with these criminal gangs often live streaming their cruelty for the purposes of illegal betting. Their crimes go hand in hand with other acts of wanton violence and vandalism and many of our members, who so often live in isolated communities, live in fear of being targeted. This clampdown is long overdue.”

The NFU said the proposals followed “sustained lobbying by the NFU and other rural organisations” and “could deliver crucial changes that would help deter criminals from taking part in illegal hare coursing”. It said the legislation would “enable police forces to seize more dogs, courts to ban convicted offenders from keeping dogs and to strengthen penalties by lifting the existing limit on fines”.

NFU Deputy President Stuart Roberts said: “Our members have had to deal with the impact of illegal hare coursing for far too long and they will be relieved that, after much campaigning by the NFU and others over many years, there is now light at the end of the tunnel.”

• While brown hares, which can reach speeds of 45mph, are widespread across the UK, their numbers are declining. Their population is estimated at less than half a million in England and they are listed as a priority in the UK’s Biodiversity Action Plan.

NEWS

COULD DO BETTER A lack of detail, too few options for tenant farmers, the costs of getting involved and the ‘lag’ between old and new farming support payments were among the immediate reactions to the latest announcement regarding the Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMS).

Secretary of State George Eustice used the Oxford Farming Conference to update the industry on the Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery strands of the scheme, but the lack of detail left most commentators not much the wiser.

While NFU Vice President Tom Bradshaw said he “welcomed today’s further clarity on the roll-out”, he later stressed: “There are still a number of questions that need answers, not least the costs farmers are likely to incur from participating in these new schemes and how the schemes are accessible right across the country and for every farmer.”

On the positive side, Mr Bradshaw welcomed further detail on scheme eligibility and the “option-based approach” that will allow farmers to support activity such as creating wetland habitats and managing trees and woodlands, along with increased payment rates for new Countryside Stewardship agreements.

But he went on: “While it is encouraging that sustainable food production is recognised, there is still a lack of detail on how it fits in with the schemes’ ambitions to improve farm biodiversity, restore peatlands and manage woodlands”, adding: “This lack of detail is preventing farmers from making crucial long-term decisions that are essential to them running viable and profitable businesses.”

He said there “appears to be a lack of options for tenant farmers to get involved and this must be addressed as a matter of urgency”, and went on: “It is also clear that neither Local Nature Recovery or Landscape Recovery will be widely available to farmers over the next three years, making it difficult to replace the falling income from BPS. “To remedy this, farmers must have more detail about the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), specifically when will SFI ‘early rollout’ be launched this year and how quickly can the SFI offer be increased to enable greater uptake, so they can make the important decisions needed now which will affect their business for years to come.

“Only by ensuring these schemes incentivise sustainable food production, allow every farm business to be involved and pay farmers fairly for the costs they incur will they attract the participation the Government envisages to deliver our collective environmental and net zero ambitions.”

One organisation that managed to put a positive spin on the announcement was the British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC), which suggested the ELMS rollout was “an open door for management practices undertaken for shooting and conservation.”

With one of the Government's stated aims being the restoration of 300,000 hectares of wildlife habitat by 2042, Ian Danby, BASC’s head of biodiversity, said: “These new schemes offer a superb opportunity for people who shoot to work with landowners to put forward good quality applications for funding.

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“Both [the schemes referred to in the announcement] are looking to restore natural processes, increase more extensive land management and promote the recovery of England’s most threatened species. Management practices undertaken for shooting already contribute towards these objectives and can do so to a greater extent through these schemes.

“Although we are all awaiting the detailed guidance of this pilot stage, BASC suggests applications need to highlight where sustainable shooting will enhance the project and where it will directly improve the quality of habitats created and the recovery of species.”

The Soil Association welcomed plans “to reward farmers and landowners for delivering benefits to the environment” but called for “more systemic change”.

Policy director Jo Lewis said: “The latest announcements … are encouraging, but they still risk falling short of the transformational change needed. To drive that change, we need clearer, quantified targets, such as for reducing pesticide and artificial nitrogen fertiliser.

“The government must also acknowledge that these schemes won’t work in isolation. They risk failure if they are forced to compete with mounting commercial pressures that encourage more intensive farming and cheap food production, for which the environment and our health ultimately pay the price.

“Rewarding nature-friendly farming practices is only part of the equation. We need fairer, shorter supply chains that prioritise nutritious food over cheap, ultraprocessed food and which fairly reward farmers. And we must stop signing trade deals that undercut our farmers by wiping out nature abroad.

“The National Food Strategy has clearly said that most farmers on most land need to be farming agroecologically to reverse the climate, nature and health crises. These farm payments are welcome, but the Government’s White Paper response to the National Food Strategy’s recommendations will be a crucial test for how effective they will be."

Even a generally supportive Mark Tufnell, Country Land and Business Association (CLA) President, warned that while this was “the beginning of a highly ambitious and progressive plan”, it was “incumbent [on] government to ensure greater detail is shared on how this transition to the new schemes will be carried out."

He added: “Tailored advice that is accessible to all recipients is required to ensure that the transition does not have unintended consequences and result in viable operations going out of business. These schemes are by no means a silver bullet.”

Welcoming the announcement, National Sheep Association (NSA) Chief Executive Phil Stocker acknowledged “the concern amongst many farmers about the move away from the well-known Basic Payment Scheme”, but said the industry was “on a necessary journey to move to more environmentally focussed farming”.

He added: “We believe that sheep farming is and can be a core part of future farming approaches. The best thing we can do now is to make sure the massive changes we are seeing do work in practice for the farmers who choose to participate.”

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | FEBRUARY 2022

7

NEWS

8

A leading milk producers’ organisation has backed supermarket chain Morrisons’ decision to remove use-by dates from milk packaging.

The supermarket is the first to have switched from ‘use-by’ to ‘best before’ labelling in a widely welcomed bid to avoid food wastage. It wants consumers to use the ‘sniff test’ to check whether or not milk is still fit to be used.

The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) welcomed the move, which reflects the fact that milk that is a few days past its ‘best before’ date will still be safe to use even if it’s not at its best. ‘Useby’ dates, in contrast, tell consumers that food may be

LABELLING SWITCH unsafe after that often-arbitrary point.

The retailer hopes the move will save millions of pints from being thrown away unnecessarily each year, with milk the third most wasted food and drink product in the UK after potatoes and bread. Recycling charity Wrap claims 490 million pints of milk are tipped away each year.

RABDF Chairman Peter Alvis commented: "A lot of effort goes into milk production, and anything we

can do to minimise its waste is welcomed. The UK is only about 77% self-sufficient in milk production, so reducing waste will help some way to improving food security and reducing food miles.”

He added: "It takes eight litres of water to produce one litre of milk or 158 litres of tap water to produce one litre of almond drink. So, if we can prevent 490 million pints from going down the drain, that equates to circa 2 billion litres of water saved."

EXPORT MILESTONE

Kent grower Adrian Scripps Ltd marked an export milestone when the company, in collaboration with Growers Direct Ltd, delivered its one hundredth container of British apples to LuLu Hypermarkets in the Middle East.

In recognition of the achievement, the three partners signed a Memorandum of Understanding agreeing to continue the strong relationship, which has seen more than 2,000 tonnes of fruit delivered to countries including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Dubai, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

LuLu Group International Company Director M A Salim and Director of Fruit and Vegetables M Zulfiker Kadavath visited the grower’s packing facilities at Five Oak Green, Tonbridge, for the signing ceremony.

Managing Director James Simpson said he was “extremely pleased to be working with LuLu and Growers Direct to supply high quality British apples to a discerning customer in a very competitive market”, adding that there was “clearly a demand for British apples with LuLu’s customers”.

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

NEWS

YOUNG FARMERS LAUNCH 2022

WITH CHARITY TRACTOR RUN An impressive line-up of 60 tractors, many decorated for the occasion, saw Forest Row Young Farmers drive into 2022 in fine fund-raising style.

The group’s first ever New Year Charity Tractor Run on Sunday 2 January raised more than £1,600 for Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance and Sussex Young Farmers.

The charity run started and ended in Crowborough via Nutley and Duddleswell and included a stop at Box car park in the Ashdown Forest, where more than 100 members of the public turned out to enjoy the huge variety of machinery – old, new, large and small – on display.

“Everyone who came along was extremely supportive of the tractor run and helped us raise an amazing amount for charity,” explained Forest Row YFC Chairwoman Brooke Kelly.

“We are grateful for their support and to all the road users who patiently waited for us while the tractors completed their route. It was amazing to see the

local community come together and show such enthusiasm towards the local farmers, raise awareness and highlight how important farming is.”

Brooke continued: “Forest Row Young Farmers’ Club members worked so hard to pull off this incredible fundraiser. The Kent, Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance is such a deserving charity which has helped some of our own farming community in the past.

“Sussex Young Farmers is Forest Row YFC’s County Federation, which helps organise events and competitions and funds training for members to become more employable. We are hoping to make this an annual event to continue raising vital funds for our charities and support the local farming community.”

There are more pictures and videos of the event on Forest Row Young Farmers’ Facebook and Instagram accounts. The donations page at www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/newyearscharitytractorrun will be open until the end of March.

9

APPRENTICESHIP SCHEME TAKEN IN-HOUSE Twenty years on from launching its apprenticeship programme, CLAAS UK has announced that it is taking the scheme in-house from this month.

In what the manufacturer has described as an industry first, the programme will be housed in a new dedicated Apprenticeship Academy at its UK headquarters at Saxham, Suffolk.

With a record number of apprentices joining the scheme in 2020, CLAAS said the increased demand for good quality apprenticeships had inspired its decision to “raise [its] apprentice programme to a new level”.

The move represents a worldwide first for the CLAAS Group. Backed by “a significant investment of three million Euros”, CLAAS says the programme “will provide a blueprint for the development of similar schemes within the company’s global operation”. To date more than 200 apprentices have graduated within its dealer network.

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THE

GREEN TRACTOR SCHEME

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NEWS

10

ROMNEY TWEED IS GOING FROM

STRENGTH TO STRENGTH Fleece from Romney Sheep is being used to create tweed cloth that is increasingly in demand from tailors in Savile Row and beyond.

With the launch of a new collection imminent, Romney Tweed is going from strength to strength, but despite the success of the product, the team behind it is desperately looking for new premises in which to develop its communityfocused operations.

Set up by Pat Alston and husband Robert – a former British High Commissioner to New Zealand– in 2014, Romney Tweed is a Community Interest Company, or CIC, with the twin aims of helping young people acquire skills and find work and spreading the word about weaving and textiles.

Pat explained: “We live in Romney Marsh near Dungeness, and when the power station at Dungeness was decommissioned in 2011 it was a major blow to the economy. We found that fleece from the local Romney sheep could be used for fine worsted cloth as well as for carpets and blankets, and so we decided to set up Romney Tweed.”

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

Although designed locally, the tweed is woven at a mill in Yorkshire and proved an immediate success when a collection of Romney Tweed designs was marketed in Savile Row and elsewhere.

“It took a lot of research by experts in Yorkshire but the end product was a really nice Worsted cloth and we were delighted with the reception it received in the industry,” explained Pat. Romney Tweed is a licensee of British Wool, which means the wool is not just sustainable but traceable back to the individual flock. “The last batch of Kent fleece we bought through British Wool was possibly the finest and whitest I have ever seen,” she commented.

In 2018, Romney Tweed moved into a granary in Old Romney, where it was able to store equipment and run weaving courses and host its design and sales operations led by weaver Rosie Green alongside Sara Roberts.

That new home is no longer available following the upheaval caused by Covid19, which means the charitable venture is now on the lookout for a new base in

NEWS > George Dunn

25TH ANNIVERSARY This year will be a particularly special one for the man at the helm of the organisation that works on behalf of tenant farmers across the country. 2022 will mark the 25th anniversary of George Dunn joining the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) as its Chief Executive.

TFA National Chairman Mark Coulman recognised the milestone, saying: “The work that George has done for the TFA over the past 25 years has not only put tenants issues firmly on the policy map, but has gained real respect for all associated with the TFA and tenant farmers across the industry. Long may it continue.”

COVID-19 KIBOSHES ANOTHER SHOW Another major national show has been postponed because of growing concern over the new Omicron Covid-19 variant, with Dairy-Tech 2022 being put back to 7 April.

Show organisers The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) made the “difficult decision” to rearrange the event, originally planned for 2 February, following the hike in cases over the Christmas period.

RABDF Managing Director Matt Knight said: "Due to the unprecedented number of cases of coronavirus over the last few weeks, we feel the best and most responsible option is to postpone the event until later in the year when cases historically have dropped.

“The event on 7 April will also be before silaging starts, making it more accessible for farmers attending.” The show, at Stoneleigh Park, Kenilworth, is set to feature more than 80 new product launches and almost 300 exhibitors. which to continue its work. “We are looking for somewhere local, with a bit of heritage and growth potential,” said Pat. “We would love to hear from farmers or landowners with the right kind of space.”

A new home would allow Rosie’s courses and Sara’s shop sales to restart and would also allow the venture to accept the offer of two free looms from Manchester University. “It’s a generous offer and the looms would be really useful to us, but at the moment we simply have nowhere to put them,” Pat said.

Romney Tweed also works with schools, teaching youngsters about textiles and about the Romney sheep whose fleeces are used to create them. “From fleece to fashion,” Pat explained.

“We have come a long way since we set up Romney Tweed but this is just the start of the journey,” she added. “We want to create jobs, teach people new skills and support the local economy by working with the fleece from the Romneys that have been such an integral part of the landscape for the past 1,300 years.”

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11

NEWS

WEALTH OF SECTOR KNOWLEDGE The former editor of South East Farmer’s sister magazine Vineyard, Jo Cowderoy has been appointed as Marketing Manager for Vinescapes Ltd and its partner business Veraison Ltd, based in Dorking, Surrey.

Vinescapes is a vineyard and winery development consultancy providing what it describes as “world class research, strategic and operational expertise to grape and wine producers”, while Veraison provides bespoke vineyard establishment and management services.

The company said Jo “brings a wealth of sector knowledge, with over 20 years’ experience within the wine industry, both in the UK and France, working in sales and marketing, exports, as well

as production.

“Jo was responsible for setting up and delivering the very successful DEFRA-funded WineSkills industry training programme from 2010-2015, while teaching in the wine division at Plumpton College, and will use her skills to develop a much-needed new training provision from Vinescapes - critical for the future success of the UK wine sector.

“In her subsequent role as WineGB’s Operations Manager, Jo further expanded her unique position in, and her experience of, the UK wine sector.”

Jo Cowderoy said she was looking forward to working with a “dynamic and ambitious team that is bringing so much benefit and support to the industry”.

ARRIVAL STRENGTHENS CONNECTION BETWEEN RESEARCH AND GROWING 12

An entrepreneur at the heart of a revolution in healthy, fruit-based snacks has joined the board of East Malling Trust, the charity dedicated to promoting horticultural research.

Nimisha Raja is the driving force behind the success of Nim’s Fruit Crisps, the UK’s only manufacturer of air-dried fruit and vegetable crisps.

She will bring her industry knowledge to help identify opportunities for the UK’s fruit research sector and the strengthening of supply chains for fruit growers and food and drink manufacturers.

Welcoming Nimisha to the board, Oliver Doubleday, Chairman of East Malling Trust, said: “The Trust has always focused on supporting research that promotes the commercial success of growers. Nimisha’s arrival will help us strengthen the connection between research and growing to secure opportunities for manufacturers to close the loop and bring new fruit-based products to the market.

“East Malling is synonymous with advances in soft and top fruit production, and we are delighted to have Nimisha join the board to help us continue our journey.”

Nim’s Fruit Crisps, which was presented with the Queen’s Award for Innovation in 2020, is viewed as one of the food sector’s most exciting disruptor brands. The company has tapped into the demand for an alternative to unhealthy snacks that currently dominate the eating habits of adults and children in the UK. Nimisha said: “Advancing research in horticulture is vital for the UK, especially for

companies that manufacture and sell fruit and plant-based products.

“Collaboration and more R&D focused towards manufacturers processing fruit could be a new avenue for EMR with the aim that it is turned into commercial benefits for the Trust and its partners

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

at NIAB EMR, as well as for the country’s domestic food manufacturing sector.”

Nim’s Fruit Crisps employs 25 people at its purpose-built factory in Sittingbourne, Kent, where it produces a range of fruit and vegetable crisps, edible teas, infusions and ingredients.

NEWS

PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT A year on from its launch in 2020, farming charity RABI’s online wellbeing and counselling platform (Qwell) is reporting increasing numbers of individuals seeking support and a 65% return rate as farming people access the wellbeing resources multiple times.

RABI points out that usage figures for the new service “confirmº that the availability of online mental health support is a valuable tool for many within the farming sector”. The charity said the number of interactive sessions with accredited counsellors increased during the year as people gained confidence investigating the support available.

“The use of this new online service over the first year confirms how vital early, preventative and confidential support is to our community,” said Kathleen Chapman, RABI’s interim director of services. “The availability of the bespoke online and text-based service, in addition to the articles and forums provided by Qwell, provides farming people with access to support whenever they are ready and complements the fantastic support delivered by our regional teams on the ground.

“Unsurprisingly, around two-thirds of individuals access the site outside of normal ‘office hours’,” continued Mrs Chapman. “This highlights the

importance of round-the-clock, flexible support, as we know that farming people work unpredictable and long hours.”

Although the site has supported a wide age range in its first year of operation, around a quarter of those using the site regularly were 56 and over, while in parallel with the findings from the recent Big Farming

Survey, which pointed to poor mental wellbeing amongst women in the farming community, women account for more than 60% of visitors to Qwell.

The five issues most commonly discussed with counsellors have been family relationships, anxiety and stress, suicidal thoughts, self-worth and loneliness.

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13

NEWS

TACKLING BREXIT

SUPPLY ISSUES

14

Syngenta Vegetable Seeds is tackling Brexit-related supply chain issues by announcing a new, dedicated UK distribution channel aimed at ensuring growers can take delivery of their orders for the 2022 season.

Operating from Dalton Seeds at Eye, near Peterborough, the new system will take advantage of the company’s existing cereal seeds distribution network that it says is “experienced in storing and moving highquality seed on to farms efficiently and conveniently”.

Syngenta Vegetable Seeds Manager Kris Goen said Brexit had posed some significant challenges in shipping supplies to the UK from the company’s state-of-the-art seed processing and storage facility in Enkhuizen, Holland.

“We are committed to providing UK growers with the highest levels of service. This new partnership with a dedicated specialist storage and logistics service, holding a full season’s seed stocks, will ensure the availability and supply of the exciting Syngenta vegetable variety range in time for the new growing season,” she explained.

GOVERNMENT MEASURES

TO BOOST EXPORTS

The Government has announced further measures to support what it describes as “the UK’s world-leading agri-food and drink sector” in a bid to help it “build back better from the pandemic and thrive in a global Britain”.

The Government is placing eight new agri-food and drink attachés in priority markets as part of a wider plan to boost exports, unlock barriers to trade and open up new exporting opportunities.

As well as posts in China, USA, India, Canada and Mexico, the agri-food attachés will cover growth markets in the Gulf, Africa, South America and the Asia-Pacific region. There will also be additional “capacity and resource” in Europe, which the Government describes as its “key market”.

The Government says attachés in China and the United Arab Emirates have already helped secure access for a greater range of products, driving export growth and building mutually supportive relationships with trading partners.

Attachés are based in UK embassies and consulates overseas and have longstanding expertise in the agri-food and drink sector.

It says the new attaché roles “will help reduce and remove trade barriers, broaden market access and support companies as they increase their market share in established and emerging international markets”.

Secretary of State for International Trade, Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP, said the aim was to “showcase the very best that the UK has to offer on a global stage, boost jobs in our food and drink sector and help to level up every part of the UK”. She listed English sparkling wine as being one of the products “recognised at home and abroad for its great taste and high quality”.

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

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> Lapwing

Photo: Nick Lucas

The UK’s farmers, gamekeepers and land managers are being encouraged to take part in the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT)’s Big Farmland Bird Count from 4 to 20 February 2022.

“Farmers and gamekeepers are vital in helping to ensure the survival of many of our cherished farmland bird species such as skylark, yellowhammer, corn buntings and wild grey partridges,” said the GWCT’s Dr Roger Draycott, who runs the count. “They are responsible for managing the largest songbird habitat in this country on their land, so they are in a position to make a real difference.”

The Big Farmland Bird Count has been organised by the GWCT every year since 2014 to encourage farmers and gamekeepers to support farmland birds and highlight the hard work already done by many of them to help reverse species’ decline. The count also gives a vital national snapshot of the health of the UK’s birdlife.

For the fourth year running 2022’s count is sponsored by the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), demonstrating the farming community’s commitment to conserving farmland birds. President Minette Batters said: “2021’s results were fantastic with farmers and growers across the country responding to the count in record numbers.

“Not only are farmers producing climate-friendly food, they are also maintaining and protecting the great British countryside, creating habitats for wildlife and additional feeding for farmland birds. I encourage all farmers to get involved in the 2022 GWCT Big Farmland Bird Count.”

Last year saw 2,500 counts completed, an impressive increase on 2020 when 1,500 count forms were returned to the GWCT. The area covered by 2021’s count was a massive 2.5 million acres of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, up from 1.4 million acres the year before.

“Now we are challenging the UK’s land managers to beat their own record and make 2022’s count bigger than ever,” said Roger Draycott.

To take part: Download a count sheet from www.bfbc.org.uk and spend just 30 minutes between 4 and 20 February counting birds on one spot on farm.

Guides to counting and identifying birds, biodiversity-boosting tips and more details are available on the website.

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15

MONICA AKEHURST AT THE KITCHEN TABLE

I THOUGHT I WAS ‘A GONER’

16

I mistakenly considered myself tough and relatively healthy, but on Christmas Eve I thought I was ‘a goner’ despite being double jabbed and boosted. Covid-19 is not an experience I wish to repeat. It’s so random the different way it affects people. Usually when ill, we still drag ourselves outside to carry out basic livestock duties. Not venturing outside is unheard of for us, but with Covid-19 it happened, so thank goodness for the younger generation who stepped up and kept the place running.

When we did emerge I was struck by the sounds of birdsong and cattle munching and by the fresh air, which lifted my spirits, essentially making me realise how lucky we are. I was shattered after my first day back beating, working Tilley (my spaniel), so I’m glad we’re not lambing until April as it gives us time to build up stamina.

The shooting season has been fun, but as usual becomes a little hectic towards the end. February will be catch-up time for all those jobs that have slid down the priority list.

This winter has been incredibly mild, which in some ways has been a blessing as it’s taken seven weeks to get replacement parts installed in our air heat source pump. Recent colder nights and drier, brighter days have been welcome. Finishing hedge cutting, carrying out new hedge maintenance and some hedge laying is on the list.

Bedding and hay stocks used this winter have

now enabled us to create space for the Sussex cows that have out wintered within Herstmonceux castle grounds. They look well and we will fetch them home for calving. It will be interesting to compare their progress with those that were housed.

Flock wise, it’s time to take the tups out. When I last checked the Pevensey ewes, I discovered one of my new rams the opposite side of the dyke from the rest of the flock. He’s a bumptious character but not the brightest; with hindsight, not my best buy.

Had it been any other sheep I’d have left it to figure out how to walk around to the gate, but I knew I’d kick myself if I returned to find a drowned ram. I tried calling him to the gate, to no avail, and he wouldn’t be druv, so I returned to the truck to fetch an empty feed bag, I cursed my unusual tidiness for clearing them all out, but I did find ‘the scourge of the countryside’, a deflated birthday balloon which I’d previously removed from our land.

The balloon made a sufficient rustling sound, and with it I enticed a senior more sensible ram to follow me around to collect up the youngster and back, reuniting them both with the flock. When the older ram discovered it was a hoax, he gave me a tidy bunt and I can’t say I blame him.

Those politicians in Westminster could do with a bunt. I’m sure it’s not easy and I try not to be judgmental, but really what a shambles the political scene is. The farcical situation when porkie pies abound and the rule makers can’t keep their

> Angus supervising the grandparents feeding the hoggets

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

own rules. Partying is a no-no, but gatherings might be ok. Nibbles and cheese is acceptable, but requires wine to wash it down. I’ve lost faith in politicians’ integrity. I think they’re digging themselves a hole and I wonder how many worms they’ll find? How healthy is this system? Perhaps there’s too much pollution.

Farmers are frequently blamed for polluting rivers, and yet it turns out that it’s common practice for water companies to discharge raw sewage through storm overflows into our waterways. Farmers aren’t wholly responsible for pollution. I was always taught: “Clean up your own act before you pick holes in others’.” Just recently we’ve had several different agencies phone us up offering grant funding towards projects that could potentially help to clean up water. I was astounded to learn that one of the main funding suppliers was South East Water.

It’s disappointing to hear that from 1 April 2022, silage wrap will incur a £200 a tonne tax. This is yet another financial burden for farmers to pay.

Most farmers understand the need to reduce the use of plastics and would gladly use a more environmentally friendly, cost-effective product, if one existed. Food prices will inevitably continue rising, as farming businesses cannot afford to keep absorbing spiralling costs. I’m getting the feeling that today’s government doesn’t really care about our country’s ability to produce food, because they ain’t half making life difficult for genuine farmers

> Three pups looking for working homes and country folk.

Not only that, but there’s a diminishing amount of land available on which to produce food, by the time the likes of Ed Sheeran have bought up land for re wilding. Thousands of acres are being planted up with trees. Green field sites surrounding every city, town and village are having houses built on them, leading to more concrete and a greater demand for water supply, which is already struggling on present levels.

Local opinions are disregarded and funding for improving infrastructure is negligible.

I’m concerned that the Government seem to be taking water and food supply for granted.

Not only that, but should you wish to go to the local pub, drown your sorrows, discuss the sorry state of politics and generally voice your opinion on ‘putting the world to rights’ there is now less choice of drinking holes. Sadly, over the past two years, seven of our pubs within spitting distance have closed. I’m fearful that more rural businesses will suffer the same fate.

On a brighter note, Brie the mother of our collie pups is loving no longer being consigned to an outside kennel. While continuing to fulfil her outside duties, she’s relishing the advantages of also being a house dog. Thank goodness she is short coated. All ten adorable pups are flourishing, great characters and complete time wasters.

Interestingly Brie doesn’t spare the rod to spoil the child, but rightly commands total respect. The pups are certainly experienced in playing with grandchildren, which I’m sure will stand them in good stead during their working lives.

Three bitches left, if anyone is interested?

> Collie pups are just ‘the best’

> Brie feeding her pups

> Out wintered Sussex cows

17 > Just ‘the best’ competition for Brie, we haven’t told her we’re keeping one yet

> Hello world, I’m Zinnia and I’m growing fast

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> Sheep on the marsh

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SEND YOUR VIEWS OR COMMENTS:

SEF.ED@KELSEY.CO.UK twitter @SOUTHEASTFARMER facebook-square SOUTH EAST FARMER

A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

18

Dear Sir, Your readers may well have seen the Government’s response to Julian Glover’s independent Landscapes Review, which looked at whether or not the protections for National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) were still fit for purpose.

Environment Secretary George Eustice described the sites as being “amongst our nation’s greatest and most cherished natural wonders” and said the planned measures represented “a new chapter in the story of our protected landscapes”, adding that they would “play a pivotal role in meeting our international commitment to protect 30% of land for biodiversity by 2030”.

At the Country Land and Business Association, though, we see this announcement as a missed opportunity for the countryside.

Designated areas make an important contribution to maintaining our national identity and rural heritage, protecting the countryside from unnecessary and undesirable development. Yet all too often they can be used to hold the countryside back from sensible and sustainable development, depriving those who want to live and work in rural communities of the chance for a good home and a good job.

We know that young people are leaving these areas due to lack of opportunity, taking their talents with them. Nothing in this announcement will entice them back.

By viewing the countryside purely through an environmental lens, government is missing out on significant economic and social opportunity – which flies in the face of its supposed ‘levelling up’ agenda. Put simply, the countryside is not a museum and Whitehall should stop treating it as such.

We strongly encourage the Government to show some ambition for the countryside – including supporting businesses in designated areas. Allow us to protect its inherent beauty, but help us to create jobs, share prosperity and strengthen communities at the same time.

Mark Tufnell, President, Country Land and Business Association

NICK SPEAKS FOR THE MAJORITY

Dear Sir We just wanted to say how much we enjoy reading South East Farmer despite not being farmers!

Nick Adames’ page is always interesting and we particularly agreed with the opening paragraphs in his article in the January issue. We think he speaks for the sensible majority of the population, whether farmers or not!

Good for him and long may he continue to express his outspoken views.

Brian and Patricia Lofts Ashford, Kent Editor’s note: Nick’s opening salvo in January was aimed at the “once reliable” BBC and the way he feels speculation has replaced genuine news. It has led, he alleged, to us being fed “a diet of half-truths or distortions that colour the way viewers or listeners are encouraged to think”.

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2022

WE SHOULD BE THE SUPPLIER OF CHOICE Dear Sir, Since the UK’s departure from the EU, much has been said about the risk of new trade deals resulting in agriculture being sacrificed for greater gain in other industries.

Britain has set its stall out as being a world leader in environmental and animal welfare standards. All DEFRA Ministers have given assurances that these standards will be upheld by not allowing imports produced in ways not permitted in Britain.

Despite these successive assurances, we are now close to finalising a deal with Australia, a deal that will do exactly what ministers promised it wouldn’t, and a trade deal with New Zealand will follow on soon after. With Australia and New Zealand being the world’s largest sheepmeat exporters, our sheep farmers are seriously threatened by these deals.

We could draw some comfort from industry discussions over the past year and more, where all players within the sheepmeat industry - farmers, auctioneers, processors and abattoirs, wholesalers and retailers - have been in unison in their opposition to trade deals that allow the import of lower standard and cheaper products. I’ve not heard anyone speak up and say they are comfortable with it or that it will bring benefits.

So, the deal will soon be done that will immediately allow 25,000 tonnes of Australian lamb to come to the UK, compared to 15,000 tonnes currently. In 10 years’ time this will have risen to 75,000 tonnes with the potential of rising further to 125,000 tonnes by year 15.

But once the deal has been through its final stages, Australia won’t simply speculate and send boatloads in our direction. Someone will have to order it first, a decision that would surely tug on the consciences of anyone who suddenly changes their mind to think it’s a good idea. The message should be clear - lamb not produced to the standards our farmers must meet won’t come here unless someone is prepared to order it and place it on our market.

LETTERS British sheep farmers, operating to some of the highest environmental and animal welfare standards in the world, should be the supplier of choice all year round with quality products that meet our principles, contributing to self-sufficiency, upholding our principles and reducing transport-related carbon footprints.

Phil Stocker, Chief Executive National Sheep Association

twitter WATCH OUT FOR LAMENESS

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PROTEST AGAINST PLASTIC TAX

Dear Sir, Farmers should be made aware of, and protest against, a £200 per tonne plastic tax HMRC is planning to extend to silage plastics.

This tax was introduced a few years ago on packaging plastic to raise funds for the Treasury; silage plastic, however, is not classed as packaging material as its primary purpose is to protect the silage and help it mature into a valuable feed stock for feeding animals. Packaging plastics, on the other hand, are packaging for materials such as fertiliser bags and spray cans.

This £200 per tonne would add £5 a roll to bale wrap at a time when farmers and the agricultural industry have agreed and volunteered to pay £60 per tonne into an Agriculture, Plastics and Environment (APE) recycling recovery scheme for farm plastics.

The Green Tractor Scheme, the body representing independent farm plastic collectors, believes this HMRC tax could jeopardise farmers paying this voluntary levy and the whole recycling scheme could collapse.

This HMRC tax also comes at a time when farmers are faced with spiralling costs on many of their other inputs.

Mark Webb FRICS FAAV, Chair, The Green Tractor Scheme

The Government promised this law in its manifesto, it is what the public wants and it must not be a missed opportunity for animals.

David Bowles, Head of Public Affairs, RSPCA

CRUISING TO A PROFIT

Dear Sir, As one who is fed up with the drivel served up on Sunday evenings in the weekly edition of Countryfile, I have changed my viewing habits to the Gaelic TV channel on BBC 109 (Alba). It is helpful that the programme is subtitled in English for the non-Gaelic speaker.

Of particular interest is the series An Lot (The Croft) set on the Shetland Isles.

In a recent episode the ingenious crofter managed to obtain a number of small bird feeders at an extremely low price via the internet. He stuffed these with the surplus sweepings of wool from the shearing shed.

When the cruise liner docked at Lerwick it disgorged the passengers into a coach, who were taken to the crofter’s hut, whereupon he sold the bird feeders, stuffed with wool so that the birds could make a nest, for £15 apiece.

It is said: “If you want to find a stupid person in the countryside, you need to take one with you from the town.” Better still, I suggest, arrange to have them brought in on a cruise liner!

N.A. Young, Five Ashes, East Sussex

twitter NOTHING TO SEE HERE Just doing my thing!

Tory L @toryl

SPEAK UP FOR ANIMALS

Dear sir, As a nation of animal lovers we are calling on your readers to speak up for animals to make sure that animal sentience becomes enshrined in UK law.

Animal sentience was the only issue which was not carried over after Brexit and so the RSPCA has been campaigning to ensure the needs of sentient animals are taken into account by governments when making policy decisions.

We are now at a critical stage with the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Bill finally becoming law as it received its second reading in the House of Commons in mid January.

The RSPCA is urging your readers to support the Bill by lobbying their MP to ensure they continue to support this Bill as it makes its way through Parliament.

We know that many animals are sentient, with the ability to feel pain and suffering and emotions such as pleasure, joy and fear, and so in order to protect these animals, their sentience must be considered in law. A wide and growing body of research reveals that many animals, from our much-loved pets like dogs and cats, to chickens and lobsters, rats and fish, are all sentient beings.

There is already overwhelming support, with 86% of people in favour of a law on animal sentience, and so we want to ensure that MPs are listening to their constituents and the groundswell of support for this important Bill. Now is the time to speak up for animals and lobby your MP to do the same.

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19

ELECTRICAL CONTRACTORS

HIGH STANDARDS

20

R S Birch & Partners has built up an impressive reputation over the past 50 years – and not just amongst the respected electrical company’s clients.

The workforce, too, loves the quality focused, family feel of the agricultural specialists, built around an office team that consists of Mark Crame, Marc Lee, Matthew Lee and Robert Bavister, with Jan Matland and Dawn Flanigan looking after the accounts.

Both Mark Crame and Robert Bavister, who were trained by the founders of the firm back in the mid-seventies, left the company to pursue other avenues but are now back at their spiritual home – with Mark now managing director.

Training has always been a vital part of the R S Birch philosophy, with at least a dozen apprentices now working across the south of the country owing their present positions to apprenticeships served with the Whitchurch, Hampshire-based company.

Those apprentices, along with the current team, were trained to the company’s uniquely high standards. “Yes, all accredited electrical companies

have to meet recognised standards, but we have our own standards that go well beyond what legislation requires,” commented Mark. “Every member of our team knows what those standards are and knows we won’t allow any work that falls short of them.”

Those high standards have been applied over the years to many hundreds of electrical installations in dairies, grain stores, cold stores, biomass boilers, solar installations, borehole pumps and irrigation systems all over the South of England.

Increasingly, the company is now working in the viticulture industry, carrying out electrical work in wineries for companies including Crondall, Hampshire-based Itasca Wines, where R S Birch has just finished working on a new warehouse and winery extension.

At Itasca, the R S Birch team worked alongside agricultural building specialist contractor APECS Ltd, a company that has relied on the electrical installation skills of the R S Birch team for many years.

The APECS partnership is just one of a number built up over the years by the company, which has

> Grain silos near West Tytherley

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

also grown a customer database that includes farmers who have been with the company since it was started by Ron Birch on 15 Feb 1972. Long-standing customers include Colin Bayliss of Folly Farm, North Waltham, near Basingstoke, and Steven Horne, of Bushey Down Farm, Droxford.

Along with APECS Ltd, the company regularly works alongside contractors TH White Ltd and Andrew Walker on a variety of demanding projects across the South of England. Although working on many large installations, the company works directly with farms and estates and is keen to support local people who need help.

Ron had been working for a large electrical firm when he left to set up his own. He was joined three months later by Barry Lee, with the company becoming R S Birch & Partners Ltd in recognition of his arrival.

Ron and Barry focused initially on agricultural work, looking after dairies, grain handling plants and driers. As they established their reputation they broadened their client base and widened

RS BIRCH

FEATURED COMPANY: & PARTNERS their geographical focus to take in the whole of the south of the country. The range of electrical work undertaken now includes standard domestic, large country houses, commercial and Industrial, alongside work for local authorities, national heritage buildings and schools.

Within two years the company had obtained NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) accreditation and it is also a member of the Electrical Contractors’ Association.

Always keen to stay abreast of emerging technology, R S Birch is now also approved by OZEV (Office for Zero Emission Vehicles) as an authorised installer of charging points for electric vehicles.

After training with Ron and Barry, Mark left to pursue a successful career before buying into the company in 1997, later becoming managing director.

“I wanted to rejoin the company because I shared its philosophy and wanted to help it continue to achieve great things,” he said. “It has always been known for high standards, great customer service and reliability and those are qualities I have always valued.”

Robert Bavister, who left in the mid-eighties to set up his own business, also rejoined the team, returning in 2010, the same year that Barry Lee retired. Founder Ron Birch retired in 1998 and sadly passed away in 2011.

The company is still very much a family affair, with

Barry’s two sons, Marc and Matthew Lee, now both directors of the company, having joined in 2002 and 2003 respectively. And while Mark Crame is not exactly family (“it just feels like it”), his own son Zack finished his apprenticeship with R S Birch several years ago and is learning the ropes in the office.

The company has grown over the years from the original duo to a staff of 19, all of whom play their

part in maintaining its high standards and many of whom are former apprentices. The longest serving member of staff has been with the company for 25 years.

The R S Birch team plan to mark their 50-year milestone by inviting former and current staff, customers and friends to a celebration event later in the year.

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21

NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: DOWNSVIEW FARM

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I meet John Farnes, his son Ralph and daughter Sarah at Downsview Farm, their 140-acre holding, located down a short driveway off the B2192. The family bought Downsview in 2004 and after gaining planning permission put up an impressive 160ft x 120 ft modern barn with central feed passage in which they house their milking herd during the winter.

Adjacent to the main barn is a 20ft x 20ft milking parlour, where the cows are milked twice a day, and their processing rooms where they pasteurise their milk and turn it into a range of products including their award-winning ice cream.

Their diversification journey began just over ten years ago when John came across a small dairy farmer in the Cumbrian hills while on a trip to see his other son Mark who was living in Scotland at the time.

The farmer told him that during the summer months he was able to make a living processing the milk from his nine dairy cows into ice cream - selling it direct to holiday makers. A light bulb turned on in John’s head.

On his return to the farm in October, he set Sarah the task of setting up their own ice cream brand and processing facilities from scratch, with the aim of being up and running by Easter.

Impressively they managed to start selling it to

MILKING THE REWARDS

This month Nigel Akehurst visits the Farnes family at Downsview Farm in Ringmer to find out more about their award-winning farmhouse dairy, which produces and supplies local shops with an impressive range of products from ice cream to pasteurised milk, cream, yoghurt and butter. local shops in May 2011. “I wasn’t too far behind, was I?” said Sarah, laughing.

BACKGROUND

John, aged 89, is still actively involved in the farm and explained how he started the business over 50 years ago with the help of his wife Gillian.

With no farm and little capital of his own, John’s father Charles spotted a milk round up for

> John Farnes, his son Ralph and daughter Sarah

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

sale and suggested he buy it. He lent his son the money and John became a milkman, buying milk from John Brown’s dairy and delivering to homes in his local area.

It wasn’t long before he bought another round and his business was going well. Then an opportunity arose to buy a timber-framed bungalow with two acres of land for £750. His mother lent him the money to buy it. He then

FARM FACTS

• Family-run dairy farm and producers of pasteurised farmhouse ice cream, cream, butter and bottled milk.

• Farm business established over 50 years ago by John Farnes with the help of his wife Gillian.

• Son Ralph and daughter Sarah joined the business in the late 90s.

• Herd of 150 dairy cows made up mainly of British Friesians, with some dairy Shorthorns and Jerseys, with plans to increase the herd to 200 by the end of this year.

• Rear dairy calves at Upper Lodge to five to six months of age to sell at Hailsham Market.

• Around 3/4 of the milk is processed on site, with the remainder going to Freshways.

> Kate milking started renting land locally, bought a few milking cows of his own and put up a shed.

Then after a chance conversation with a local dairy farmer, he was offered a farm with 70 acres and a herd of Jerseys to contract farm. Over the years he bought all the livestock from the owner, and after about 15 years was able to buy the farm.

Over the years John and his wife moved from farm to farm before settling at Upper Lodge Farm, a 105-acre holding in Ringmer which they bought in 1991. By this time both Ralph and Sarah had moved out and they were both driving lorries for a living.

Then, in 1997, Ralph returned to the farm to help John with the cows and rearing calves. Then two years later, around the same time as the farm ‘office work’ began going more computer based, Sarah joined the business too, selling her house in Hailsham and putting the proceeds into the farm.

Between them they dragged John into the 21st century and have gradually evolved the family business ever since.

DAIRY COWS

The secret behind their delicious rich milk is their herd of British Friesian cows managed by Ralph and his partner Kate, who is employed by the farm and is responsible for much of the day-to-day milking.

The cows spend most of the year out rotational grazing the 140 acres of pasture at Downsview, coming in to the barn for winter housing during the wettest months.

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Where John previously ran a flying herd, Ralph has been instrumental in moving to a closed herd, breeding his own British Friesian replacements – with the aim of improving the genetics. He added, though, that they still had a small number of Jersey and Montbelliard cows.

All breeding is carried out by two pedigree Friesian bulls and a young Angus, a recent acquisition – purchased to provide a better dairy beef cross. There are no set calving blocks as they need to keep a consistent yield of milk all year round, explained Ralph.

All the calves are reared at Upper Lodge farm, two miles up the road. Bull calves are taken to around five to six months and sold at Hailsham Market.

They grow all their own silage and maize, which is fed to their cows via a mixer wagon during the winter months. Most of the tractor work on farm is carried out by their part-time driver Martin Pratt.

ADDING VALUE

With the fluctuations in the price of milk paid by the processors, John’s idea of producing their own ice cream has proved a savvy one.

It took Sarah around eight months to turn his idea into reality, launching Downsview Farmhouse Ice Cream in May 2011.

They built a processing room from scratch and spotted a Farmers’ Weekly advertisement for an ice cream franchise called The Farmhouse based >> in Holland.

• Farm 245 acres across two farms – Downsview and Upper Lodge, which are two miles apart • Diversified into ice cream in 2010/11 after John met a dairy farmer-turned ice cream maker in the Cumbrian hills above Lake Windermere.

• Supply mainly local farm shops, coffee shops and restaurants locally and do a home delivery round, too.

• Plans to install a milk vending machine at their farm entrance on the Laughton Road, with longer-term plans for an on-site farm shop.

• Including family labour there are 3.5 staff on the farm side and eight on the clean side, which includes four drivers, a full-time ice cream and milk processor and three office staff (including Sarah).

• Won Best Family-Run Dairy Farm 2021 and Leading Providers of HighQuality Ice Cream 2021 in the Food and Drink awards.

• Great Taste Award winner in 2021 for their Slightly Salted Farmhouse Butter.

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | FEBRUARY 2022

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NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: DOWNSVIEW FARM << Signing up, the company duly sent over the pasteuriser and ice cream machines along with everything they’d need to get up and running.

“A guy came over to set it up and showed us how to make a strawberry sorbet and a hazelnut ice cream and said: 'That’s it.' We said 'Really?' He replied: 'See you later and here’s the book'."

It was a “steep learning curve,” said Sarah, but they followed the recipe and it started working.

They began selling their ice cream to local shops and were pleased as sales started to grow.

For the first couple of years, they focused on ice cream. John separated the cream from the milk, which was then ‘chucked away’. Realising this was an unnecessary waste, they asked their customers if they’d be prepared to take their milk too. They said yes and Sarah spoke to the franchise company,

which sold them a tap to fit to their existing machine, allowing them to start producing their own pasteurised milk for sale.

Initially their milk processor Jonathan Melia spent two days a week heating up and cooling down 12-litre batches of milk. As demand grew, it became apparent that the machine couldn’t keep pace. They decided to buy a new pasteuriser and separator, moving milk processing into its own room. They increased milk processing to three days a week, which they continue to do now.

Around the same time, they decided to move away from the franchise company altogether.

“We decided their pots weren’t quite right. We sorted out our own branded pots,” explained Sarah.

Since then, they have upgraded their equipment and expanded their range of products from ice cream

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> Sarah

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

and milk to include yoghurt, butter and cream.

MARKETING

To date most of their marketing has been via word-of-mouth, though they do have Facebook and Instagram accounts, sharing recipes and updates from the farm. They also have a website (www.downsviewfarm.co.uk) which was set up back when they launched, but they have plans to refresh it soon, said Sarah.

The majority of their products are sold to loyal retail customers and delivered daily via their fleet of four vans. They also supply four-litre catering tubs of ice cream to restaurants, which is great for volume and helps build brand awareness, with chefs keen to highlight their locally sourced produce on the menu. >>

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NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: DOWNSVIEW FARM << Over the year they have received a number of awards and were the proud winners of the Best Family-Run Dairy Farm and Leading Providers of High-Quality Ice Cream awards in the 2021 Food and Drink awards.

I ask what flavours are their best sellers, to which Sarah replied: “Vanilla, followed by chocolate and then honeycomb.”

They also offer a range of more exotic flavours and have plans to introduce a new style of gelato ice cream to supply restaurants before making it

available in smaller tubs. Watch this space.

COVID-19

Talking to Sarah and Ralph, it’s clear they are still recovering from the impact of Covid19. During the various lockdowns, orders to restaurants and cafés “fell off a cliff ” and still haven’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels.

They also took a hit on the wholesale price of their milk and were paid just eight pence a litre, although that has thankfully since recovered to a

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FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

profitable level. Sarah added that the ice cream and processed milk had been supporting the farm for a number of years.

With the stronger milk price, Ralph and John are in the process of increasing the herd size, which should be closer to 200 cows by the end of the year, with the aim of upping milk production.

FUTURE PLANS

Inspired by a trip to see a vending machine on a dairy farm in Peterborough, the business is planning to get one. Services and a concrete pad have already been installed at the end of their farm drive, which is ideally situated on the busy Laughton road.

The vending machine will enable them to sell direct from the farm gate and will include flavoured milkshakes, a popular drink amongst the younger generation.

In the longer term they’d love to have their own farm shop too, she said. “Dad’s always said ‘let people come to you, don’t run after it, that’s when you make money’,” she added.

FARMING IS A WAY OF LIFE

I ask John what he loves about farming.

“It’s not the money,” he replied quickly. He added: “I was born and bred into it.”

Sarah said she enjoys looking out over the farm from her window, where previously she looked out onto other people’s gardens.

They all work 12 to 14 hour days. “It’s a way of life,” said Ralph. Thankfully all their innovation and hard work is paying off and between them they’ve managed to build a sustainable family business and a fun place to work. As I was leaving the yard, they told me they were all headed out on a works do – ice skating!

> John Farnes

27

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FROM THE FRONT LINE

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It’s pretty hard to stay upbeat at the moment.

Unprecedented rises in variable inputs (fertiliser, chemicals, seed , labour, fuel, electricity etc), make it a changing landscape, and changes as big as these can make it a risky period for a farming business.

The particular risk that I have encountered has been the time lag between negotiations with customers and changing input prices. Many of our 2022 contracts were price and volume negotiated before the upsurge in variable inputs, and that is a tough situation to deal with. It’s fair to assume that this economic environment will make 2022 a really difficult year for many agricultural businesses.

Somehow though, we have to be able to see beyond this and look strategically at our farming practice and management. Find a way to be competitive and productive, while sharing the vision of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), and the vision that DEFRA has for the future co-existence of food production and the environment, which will ultimately be shaped by all of us (the farmers).

I have absolutely no doubt that with enough effort and thought and expertise it is very possible to be productive and sustainable. We have to find common sense ways to look after our soil and use modern developments in reduced tillage, cover crops and smarter input applications alongside the timing of applications to reduce our wear and tear on the soil and the environment around it.

I fully support the SFI target of having 70% of a farm’s land base in some sort of crop (conventional or cover), throughout the winter. Cover crops are an interesting development in modern farming techniques. It is quite a dynamic area because it is in its infancy, so it’s really important to keep an open mind with regard to which plant types best suit each individual farm cropping system.

I recently went to a cover crop open day on the Romney Marsh, and apart from wishing that I had worn an extra jumper it was a really enjoyable session. I learned a lot about the different cropping options and came away from the morning determined to take a closer look at using vetch in our cover crop mix.

As a relatively intensive farming business we generally have a two-year rotation which is salad in year one and winter wheat in year two. It is a simple but ultimately sustainable rotation with the management of incorporating wheat straw, cover crops (usually sown into the wheat stubble and incorporated before the following salad crop), and farmyard manure or composted green waste as a direct source of organic matter.

We have proved over a long period that this system is sustainable. My guide for benchmarking our sustainability is the organic matter percentage of the soil; over the past eight years we have increased our organic matter percentage in the

IN CONJUNCTION WITH

PRODUCTIVITY VS

SUSTAINABILITY Effort, thought and expertise will make it possible for farmers to be productive and sustainable, writes Nick Ottewell, Production and Commercial Director with Laurence J. Betts Ltd.

soil by an average of 0.2%, which isn’t much, but it’s a gain rather than a loss and does prove that intensive systems can be sustainable with the right management and inputs.

My biggest anxiety with this system is the risk that in future we will not be allowed to spread the manure or the composted green waste in the autumn.

Firstly, it is usually the most practical time of the year to apply with regard to ground conditions. If we get on quickly behind the wheat stubbles, we can travel with the machinery OK and avoid too much compaction damage.

Secondly, we will not be able to comply with our assurance scheme policies on the time lag between application of the organic product to the soil and the sowing or planting of the follow-on crop, which is for human consumption.

Once our organic product is classed as PAS

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

certified (it is sterile), we then have three months from the point of application before we can plant or drill a horticultural crop. We plant and drill from march onwards, so we have to have applied this product before the end of November. If autumn applications are banned, it will mean a complete re-think on how we get this product on to our fields and how we remain sustainable.

Hopefully the Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMS) review process will capture this and autumn applications of organic products will be allowed, with conditions on how it can be applied. I can see that the anxiety is that digestate is applied to ground in the autumn and then left to “run off” during the winter, but light incorporation post application should remove this anxiety.

Autumn applications of organic products is an important tool in our battle for sustainability while being productive.

ORGANISED CHAOS ANITA HEAD

The days have started to get longer and finally spring is around the corner (we hope).

January is traditionally a quieter month in the calendar, although this year I’m beginning to disagree. Life has been chaotic, with so much to achieve and never enough daylight hours. Scanning has been completed, revealing an average lambing percentage for us this year. Fingers crossed for an easy lambing time.

I was reading an in-depth article the other day and found some interesting points. “Go Vegan,” they said; “Save the world,” they said. Is a plant-based diet as good as people think for the environment?

I was listening rather half-heartedly to the radio when they were talking about the success of Veganuary. I rather thought it was completely the opposite and a complete PR disaster for them.

Allegedly over two million animals were saved in the month of January and 150,000 people signed up for Veganuary in the UK, although only 10% vowed to continue a vegan lifestyle, with just 1% succeeding.

In my last article I steered away from talking about this as I felt that the less publicity the better, but why? I wouldn’t want to be a Veganuary propagandist this January, even though they can rely on great media coverage feeding into the fantasy that mock meats are awash in our supermarkets and are pushing meat into extinction.

Meat sales are most definitely up over the past six to 12 months. In 2021 we spent an extra £600 million on meat compared with 2020, a 5.3% increase in sales value. The anti-meat lobbyists’ mission is to halve our meat consumption by 2030, but this looks set to fail.

Plant-based, look-a-like meat that costs the

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KEY WORD IS SUSTAINABILITY ANITA HEAD Farmer

earth and I’m sure tastes disgusting may be taking up more shelf space at the supermarkets, but the local farm shops and butchers are still doing a roaring trade. In a month where the UK would produce the least amount of home-produced fresh fruit and veg, why promote Veganuary?

Mexico now makes more money from exporting avocados than it does from petroleum. The popularity of avocado has encouraged illegal deforestation to enable the plantation of more avocado trees. Is this environmentally friendly? Is this sustainable?

The key word in everything we do nowadays is sustainability. In the month of January I decided that we would reduce our reliance on single-use plastic. We could only use the plastic that we already had in the house. Oops, I can now confirm that it is nearly impossible to stop using plastics at all. The list of food that is packed in plastic seemed

to be never-ending.

I found a fabulous shop in the local town where I could take my containers and fill up with the essentials, but is this environmentally friendly?

A 20-mile round trip and I found I could only achieve 20% of my weekly shop; then a trip to the supermarket on top.

A cucumber wrapped in plastic will last approximately two weeks longer than a naked one. Whether or not you opt for plastic-free fruit and veg could depend on how often you shop.

If you shop daily, it’s far easier to go plastic free than if you shop twice a month. If you don’t shop regularly, feel no guilt if you buy the plastic wrapped cucumber as it is better environmentally and financially to make it last longer than have it go to waste.

Food waste, or should I say sell-by/use-by dates, also have complications. A rule in our house is that if it looks good and smells good, eat it. Yogurts last for an age, as do many of the products with a short sell-by date; a little bit of mould hasn’t done any of my children any harm – although, they would probably disagree. Having slightly over ordered on the parsnips for Christmas, the freezer is now full of curried parsnip soup. Waste not, want not.

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29

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ELVED PHILLIPS ARABLE NOTES

LOTS OF VOLATILITY

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The bearishness in the wheat market continued into January, with May futures falling to £44 below its peak. Maize was more resilient and towards the end of January rebounded to a six month high on Chicago futures. With Soya under pressure, oilseed rape lost 40 euros per tonne in one week on the French MATIF futures. So, lots of volatility in the last month on everything; but have the fundamentals changed? I don’t think so!

In recent reports the USDA still seem to be overstating the export potential for two key players, the EU and Russia. They have the EU down to export 36 million tonnes of wheat from the 2021 crop; with only 15 million tonnes exported so far, it’s difficult to see where in the EU the wheat will come from. Also, time is running out to physically ship it, if it’s even there.

Russia has a similar quantity still to sell and ship, but its taxes and quotas make it more likely that it

ELVED PHILLIPS Openfield

also won’t reach its target.

In the UK, the big fall in price has not encouraged farmers to sell. The old crop futures have bounced about £7 off the bottom. Consumers still have a lot to buy, even in February. As I’ve said before, even now there is a long way to go until we see the next new crop of wheat, being French in July.

Imported wheat is not really cheaper, so the differential between that and ex-farm prices has just widened. There has been some imported maize from the Ukraine bought in by an ethanol plant, but it was a lot more expensive than wheat.

So, my advice remains; you should have sold some at the top of the market already. If you can hold on now to May or June, I would.

Our market reached its peak of peaks last June, when we had run out! Don’t forget it was only a combination of using imports and early barley and wheat which bridged the gap until new crop.

That means we have used up an extra month of the 2021 crop, making this a 13-month year in terms of demand, so there is every chance it will run out again. Barley has a slightly shorter fuse, as the French will be combining in June, but while wheat is firm, barley will always be in demand at good money.

Malting barley has weakened as growers are now selling their last bits at excellent money.

With an £80 differential to new crop, it’s no longer worth the risk of keeping it in a sound condition; it should be sold and moved now.

New crop has seen hardly any trade. The northern hemisphere crops are all waiting to emerge from dormancy, so until they do, no one can judge how they have survived winter kill or any other issues. It’s really too early to say but, on the face of it, in the UK you could argue for about a 14 million tonne crop; after usual imports that means almost no surplus again!

With a £20 inverse to old crop, I’m not surprised there are few sellers so far. If you stand back and take the global view, the UK and the world have had two consecutive poor to average years of cereal production. We need a better than average 2022 harvest to be able to replenish world stocks; many are at low stock to use ratios.

Without the availability (and cost) of nitrogen, I don’t see how the world can possibly achieve this.

A classic case in point is India, as it aspires to be a wheat exporter but with China restricting urea supply, how can a marginal land producer like India manage to create an exportable surplus?

The Russian military threat to Ukraine is a clear and present danger. The last time they did something similar, grain prices increased by £20 per tonne. Actually, rather than firing missiles at Kiev, Russia could cause a bigger problem by moving its troops to the south west and restricting Ukraine’s much-needed grain exports!

In the end, if demand continues as it is now, the grain price will remain firm. As Covid-19 restrictions continue to ease, still more demand is likely.

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STEPHEN CARR

Offe in so serv your

CONSIDERABLE COURAGE

TO KEEP POSITIVE

At last, we know the details of the first part of the Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMS), the Sustainable Farming Initiative (SFI), and how it will apply to arable farming over the next two years. But will it be enough to keep arable farmers’ heads above water as we see inflation in our costs rise and our BPS receipts sink?

Broadly speaking, if arable farmers get busy with their applications, the SFI will mostly patch over the hole left in our finances by this year’s cut to our BPS payments, albeit that it won’t compensate us for the BPS cut we suffered in 2021.

This year we can apply for an ‘intermediate’ level of payment of £40/ha which will be made quarterly three months after agreements start. To receive this, we will have to test our soil for organic matter every five years, add some manure and grow cover crops.

Some of us, particularly min-till or no-till practitioners, are already doing most of this so it won’t add much to existing farming overheads. Unfortunately, others like me will have to make significant investment in new kit and start sowing cover crops to qualify for this payment.

The easiest way to comply with the cover crop requirements is to sow winter crops of cereals or oilseed rape but, with the rising threat of herbicide-resistant blackgrass making winter wheat ever more problematic, and the neo-nicotinoid ban making oilseed rape establishment ever more difficult, large acreages of winter crops are more and more difficult to achieve on my arable land.

There is a lesser SFI ‘introductory’ payment of £22/ha which will require less onerous standards. But will a payment at that level be worthwhile once application and administration costs are factored in as well as the risk of fines for inadvertent ‘non-compliance’ hidden in the fine print of the scheme rules?

All this takes us to 2024, by which time our BPS payments will have been halved and the two other branches of ELMS will start to be rolled out. These proposals, the Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery schemes, will spend most of the £2.6 billion currently paid to farmers in BPS payments. But there are worrying signs that most farms will not qualify at all for either of these schemes as they might be confined to only 300,000 hectares (less than 3% of the land area of England).

I have tried to keep optimistic about the future financial implications of all this for my arable enterprise by focusing on the spot and futures price of wheat, pulses and oilseed rape in particular.

But these have all edged back recently so it takes considerable courage to keep positive about what lies ahead for arable farming. This is particularly true given the current staggering rise in the cost of fertilisers. I’m currently being quoted £655/t for AN, £765/t for urea and nearly £800/t for phosphate for this spring. The costs of agri-chemicals, fuel, machinery and electricity are nearly as scary.

But all the time it’s possible to believe that there is a profitable future ahead for my arable acres no doubt I will continue to sow and reap my crops. Farmers are often accused of being whingers, but in reality we are incurable optimists.

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AGRONOMY

THE REAL VALUE OF CARBON

Dick Neale, Hutchinsons’ Technical Manager, shares his views on the best way to measure and manage carbon in a realistic way.

Soil management, carbon and the potential impact on the environment is front and centre of discussions at the moment.

Net zero objectives for the industry, together with the increasing marketing power of carbon neutrality across many sectors that our industry supplies, are bringing carbon within soils into sharp focus and, frankly, not before time.

CARBON’S REAL VALUE

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As growers we cycle carbon from the air, from the soil, from fuel, fertiliser, and inputs we apply to crops. The commodities we produce are fundamentally a concentration of that carbon in a different form.

Trading carbon credits is largely a distraction from the benefits that increasing carbon in our soils brings to an individual business. Soil structure, porosity, water and nutrient storage and release are all improved by maintaining carbon in soils, both as longer term soil organic carbon (SOC) and active carbon that supports the functionality of soils in the crop growing cycle.

Soil carbon is now at critically low levels in many soils, manifesting itself as stagnation in yields, reduced resilience to climate extremes, increased nutritional costs, erosion and increased power requirements for cultivation.

The evidence has been accumulating for many years, with Rothamsted Research showing the impact of nutrient levels needed to maintain yield at differing percentages of organic matter (OM) within soil; the higher the OM percentage, the lower the index needed to maintain yield.

Other research shows a 60% reduction in crop biomass in arable soils only metres from the field edge, reflecting the impact of soil degradation via continuous cultivations and applied fertiliser which overrides the soil’s natural cycles and microbial populations.

Hutchinsons has been measuring and assessing soils via its Healthy Soils service since 2016. This service helps growers identify issues and focus

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Thursday 24 February 2022, from 9am to 1.30pm, Peterborough Marriott Hotel, PE2 6GB Hutchinsons' National Carbon Conference aims to tackle some of these very issues and give a clearer perspective on managing farm carbon and outline practical next steps you can take.

To find out more or to reserve your FREE place (NB space will be limited, so we recommend that you book early to secure your place) apply for your conference place(s) online via the Hutchinsons website: www.hlhltd.co.uk/event/NationalCarbonConference

management changes to improve their soils while avoiding the pitfalls that significant soil management changes can bring.

UK soils are highly variable in their texture, with more than three textural classes often present within a single field. Simple broadacre management changes are therefore often ineffective or detrimental in some textural classes when being targeted at the largest textural area.

New technologies like TerraMap allow us to map the finer details in high definition. Now we can visualise more accurately than ever before not only textural changes but pH, nutrient content and, more recently, OM%, total SOC and active carbon, allowing the broadacre changes to become small in-field adjustments that are becoming ever more effective via tractor and machinery variable control technology.

Our latest development within Omnia is the potential to map carbon emissions with individual fields, after allowing for all inputs and operations, which gives us the opportunity to identify where small changes in management practices can have a large impact upon the carbon footprint.

DICK NEALE

Hutchinsons’ Technical Manager T: 07774 192697 E: dick.neale@hlhltd.co.uk Canterbury: 01227 830064 www.hlhltd.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

yond to ensure students are exposed to the latest cutting edge chnologies, including robotics in the dairy and a brand new state of e art high welfare and RSPCA assured pig unit. Coupled with this, e college’s new farm shop and café open in Brighton this summer, oviding the perfect opportunity to demonstrate and educate udents in every aspect of the supply chain relating to British oduce.

SPRING IS JUST

whether your area of expertise is livestock, arable, machinery or ri-business, we’d like to hear from you.

AROUND THE CORNER

nd out more & apply: plumpton.ac.uk/our-college/vacancies

The first signs of spring bring lots of opportunities for agricultural students at Plumpton College. Curriculum Manager Alan Johnson reports…

Our students are counting the days to that start of the farm's spring activities. The first phase of lambing has happened, with the second phase just around the corner, alongside a high increase in calvings. Other activities have included training the dairy cows to be milked through our newly installed robots and moving the entire pig herd to their new stateof-the-art piggery.

Fieldwork will also start soon for our students, whether managing a farm, carrying out research and development, operating and maintaining hi-tech machinery or working in an allied industry, such as livestock nutrition or crop agronomy. Our agricultural courses steer our students towards a rewarding career. All our students get jobs as soon as they've qualified or progress onto higher-level courses.

We have run agricultural courses very successfully for many years, and we keep up to date with the technological advances within the industry. Apart from hands-on learning on our modern farm, our students benefit from visiting a range of agri-businesses and from visiting speakers who enthuse our students through their experience and knowledge of the career they are about to embark on.

Here is a summary of student activities over the past few weeks:

learning, resources and facilities, including a new driving range and robotic milking for the dairy parlour. This unit houses specific changes from the old; for example, the farrowing house will adhere to new regulations for welfare, meaning more space for the sows and more comfortable flooring. The new unit offers larger farrowing pens and wider-gapped slats for improved comfort moving forward.

Furthermore, the new robotic milking unit in the dairy parlour is set to begin operation. The first selected compatible cows were shown the Lely Atlantic robotic milk unit last week by being fed in it alone to initiate the shift to robotic milking.

This was designed to help the animals build trust in the new units, since they offer something tasty. Now the cows trust these new units it should help make automatic milking smoother as they fully inaugurate robotic milking this week.

Overall, I have found learning about these innovative farming techniques and facilities intriguing, allowing me to reflect on the future in which I aim to be heavily involved going forward.

33

MIA

Following my recent practical lesson and dairy routine, we have moved on to three new assignments. Each of these assignments has come from our lessons so far: work experience, livestock and soil science.

The work experience assignment stands out to me because it's a close up of what it's like to start in the industry on your chosen career path. Dan, our lecturer, is always positive and informative when helping me understand the interview process and CV write-ups. We will soon be undertaking mock interviews with staff, which is excellent practice and a confidence booster for many.

On the practical side, the first group of ewes have lambed with a good lambing percentage. It was good to have an early group lambing to build confidence in preparation for the main group scanned at 165%. Our objective will be to have as many lambs as possible alive at four weeks and get as close as possible to that figure.

BEN

Since joining Plumpton College, I have become further acquainted with my desire for learning. This drive has led me to engage in extra-curricular activities and events and perform all of my mandatory college routines to the best of my ability.

My most recent routine week entailed working with the pig unit, set for demolition in the next few weeks. The college has built a new pig unit which is now complete, meaning the current pig stock in the old unit can be transferred to their new accommodation before February.

This unit is one of many new avenues the college is taking in diversifying Plumpton College is delighted to welcome Ian Salmon, new Farm Manager – read more: bit.ly/PlumptonFarmManager Visit www.plumpton.ac.uk to study a range of fantastic land and environment courses

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | FEBRUARY 2022

FARM EXPO 2022

KENT’S BIGGEST

FARMING EXPO 34

Farm Expo is back for 2022, with exhibitors ready to showcase the latest developments in agricultural machinery and a line-up of industry speakers eager to share their expertise on some of the current issues and opportunities within agricultural businesses.

Launched in 2019 with the objective of becoming one of the South East’s largest farming machinery, supplies and services events, it has swiftly become a key date in the diary and attracts visitors and exhibitors from across the whole of the farming sector, including fruit and viticulture.

While the 2021 event was cancelled due to the pandemic, the 2022 event aims to replicate the successes of 2019 and 2020 and attract a footfall of over 2,500 visitors.

As well as being able to see a wide variety of

machinery and farming equipment, with exhibitors including Agwood, R J Crawford and Bell Agriculture, visitors will be able to seek advice on everything from seed and agronomy requirements to financial and legal support gaining help with diversification, land sales and in-field technology. In addition, seminars will take place on topics such as diversification, the post-BPS funding landscape and natural capital.

Organised by the Kent County Agricultural Society (KCAS), a charity that has been supporting education and improvement in agriculture, horticulture, forestry, and related industries since its foundation in 1923, Farm Expo takes place on Wednesday 2 March 2022 at the Kent Showground near Detling.

Commenting on the event, KCAS General Manager Nikki Dorkings said: “We’re delighted that we’re able to, once again, organise and deliver

this popular event. A core part of KCAS’ mission as a charity is around ensuring those working within rural businesses are aware of the latest techniques and trends. This event, together with our newlylaunched farming conference, is crucial in helping us achieve this mission, which is why I am thrilled that such a wide range of exhibitors and speakers have booked to attend.”

Jo Forknall, Chair of Kent County Agricultural Society and owner of his own agricultural contracting business, agreed: “As Kent’s largest agricultural charity, we are committed to delivering new ideas and innovative technologies to the county’s farming and agricultural industry. After a turbulent couple of years, we are looking forward to bringing this valuable event back to the local farming community.”

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To make the most of your day at Farm Expo, register for your free ticket online at: www.kcas.org.uk/farm-expo

SEMINARS RETURN

The seminars hosted by Farm Expo have proved to be extremely popular.

In 2020, visitors crowded into the Astor Pavilion to listen to the headline seminar Future of Farming – The Next Ten Years with Phil Jarvis, Rob Yorke and Mario Caccamo. Many changes have taken place in the world of farming since 2020, and our show’s keynote speech is set to focus on a range of topical subjects faced by the industry. Speakers this year include Sam Barnes (S J Barnes Ltd), Tom Sewell (2021 Soil Farmer of the Year), Richard Wordsworth (NFU), Sarah Mannooch (Brachers), and Callum Preece (BTF Partnership). General Manager Nikki Dorkings said: “It is important that we continue to facilitate conversations about current issues faced by our community. These seminars are an excellent opportunity to hear and learn from industry experts on trending topics such as diversification, sustainable land and business management, and natural capital.”

what he has done to streamline and transition his farming business using no-till, cover crops, residues and rotations. He will delve into the current issues and challenges for the future, particularly in reducing fertiliser, fungicides and fuel while increasing scale with very little labour. Tom tells us: “As farming changes dramatically over the coming years with the loss of BPS, the opportunities and threats of carbon audits, ELMS, SFI and volatile commodity markets we will need to be quick to react to changes and evermoving goalposts”.

DIVERSIFICATION OF LAND INTO VITICULTURE

The momentum for English viticulture is at an all-time high, with the industry growing exponentially over the past decade. Latest figures within the UK suggests that the wine industry is booming, with the South East making up 61% of the total hectares of land used for viticulture in the country*. Record breaking harvests have also been documented, with sales almost doubling year on year, a trend which is likely to continue over the next 20 years. With further reductions on farm subsidy payments, it is vital farmers look for additional income streams to protect their land and keep the business financially sustainable. According to the NFU, over 60% of farmers have already diversified their land, and as of 2021 of those who have already diversified, 34% have plans to diversify further. If you have agricultural land in the right location, with appropriate topography and soil, making the decision to diversify into grape growing can be a shrewd decision. Sam Barnes, owner of S J Barnes Ltd will be speaking at a Farm Expo seminar about his experience in viticulture, crop, and land management. *WineGB 2020 Industry Report

SUSTAINABLE SOIL PRACTICES

With the recent emphasis on regenerative and sustainable farming practices, soil conservation could be the key to environmental sustainability.

One man who knows all about this is Tom Sewell, a second-generation farmer from Kent. Tom farms in partnership with his wife and parents, and currently looks after estates for 15 different landowners. As a 2013 Nuffield Scholar, Tom travelled to North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Scotland, studying the practice of moving from sustainable to regenerative farming using no-till systems. As a result of his scholarship, Tom transitioned the whole farm to no-till in just one year. No P&K from a bag, no Sunday working, no cultivation, no baling of straw, no seed dressings, no insecticides, and no business borrowings! Awarded 2021 Soil Farmer of the Year (arable), Tom will be speaking at Farm Expo about

SHOW SPONSOR

LONG-TERM

SOLUTIONS

Brachers has been providing legal services to individuals and business owners in Kent for over 125 years. The firm has decades of experience in the agriculture sector and understands the ever-changing challenges and opportunities faced by rural business owners. As a result, they have particular expertise in working with landowners and farmers to find long-term solutions that futureproof their business for generations to come.

With a focus on supporting the future of farming, the firm advises on a broad range of topics, from strategic business planning matters such as diversification and sustainable farming to the more intricate, and often emotional, complexities that come with running a multigenerational family business.

With this in mind, as well as sponsoring Farm Expo, one of Brachers’ senior associates, Sarah Mannooch, will be speaking about effective succession planning. With over 15 years’ experience of advising clients in relation to succession and tax planning, she is well placed to discuss the steps rural business owners can take to plan for the future and protect their assets in the long term.

Alongside Sarah’s presentation, members of Brachers’ agricultural team will be happy to answer any legal questions you may have.

it Qual

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35

FARM EXPO 2022

WIDEST RANGE OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES To achieve all you require for your land and property, Batcheller Monkhouse is the name you need to know. From full farm and estate management to one-off consultations, we offer the widest range of professional services to farmers and estate owners throughout the South East.

With expert advice from our rural professionals, a pro-active approach to management and development and sound business acumen, we have both the team and expertise to deliver a strong, professional and cost-effective service.

36

Acting for clients across Kent, Sussex, Surrey and Hampshire, Batcheller Monkhouse offers advice on agriculture, environmental consultancy, estate and farm management, farm and land sales, planning and development, valuations and sales and lettings.

Take the opportunity to meet the Batcheller Monkhouse experts and find answers to any questions you may have at Farm Expo on Wednesday 2 March 2022, or simply join them for a coffee and informal chat.

Support the Kent County Agricultural Society’s charitable work by becoming a member. Visit the website to get started: www.kcas.org.uk

Bell Agricultural Ltd

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FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

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NUTRIENT

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Visitors to Farm Expo wanting to make better use of increasingly expensive plant nutrients can tap into expert knowledge at Agrovista’s stand in order to benefit their crops, their wallets and the environment.

Agrovista’s theme at this year’s expo is maximising nutrient efficiency, optimising the use of soil-borne and applied resources and matching them to crop requirements at key growth stages.

The advice is to start with a detailed soil health report to assess the physical, chemical and biological conditions and their ability to support optimum plant growth and enhance nutrient use efficiency.

Nitrogen usage is very topical this season, given current prices. Feeding soil microbes can improve nitrogen efficiency, as can ensuring applied nutrients are available to crops for longer.

This reduces wasteful leaching and ammonia emissions, improving the farm’s carbon footprint. We can even advise on converting nitrous oxide into plant food.

We can also help growers release locked-up phosphate in soils, reducing wasteful applications and high bills.

All other nutrients must be given due consideration. If one is out of kilter, it can compromise the entire nutrition programme.

Agrovista’s South East agronomy team has years of local experience, supported by an extensive trials network. Customers can be sure they are accessing up-todate, relevant advice that has been honed in trials and the field.

As well as being a leading supplier of agronomy advice, Agrovista UK also offers crop protection products, seed, precision farming services and business advice, working in partnership with farmers across the country.

Agrovista look forward to welcoming you to their stand in the Maidstone Exhibition Hall.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

Agriculture Environmental Consultancy Estate & Farm Management Farm & Land Sales Planning & Development Valuations Sales & Lettings

batchellermonkhouse.com

37

Working with growers for over 80 years Hutchinsons remains a family business offering specialist agronomic advice, services and inputs nationwide.

Hutchinsons can provide you with all your crop-growing requirements including: • Crop-protection inputs • Seed & Fertiliser • Crop nutrition guidance • Precision agronomy advice • Soil health strategy • Farm carbon and environment stewardship advice • A comprehensive range of packaging for the fresh produce industry.

Our professionalism is matched by our total commitment to customer service.

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HIRE SPECIALISTS ACROSS THE SOUTH EAST

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FARM EXPO 2022

LAND AND PROPERTY EXPERTS There is much change ahead for the farming and land owning sector here in the South East, whether that’s the announcement of the new SFI Environmental Land Management schemes, local plans and calls for strategic land supply or major infrastructure schemes and compulsory purchase.

For decisions more under your own control,

such as diversified business activities or making the best use of redundant farm buildings, or for those looking to exit the sector, we expect you could have a number of questions. Our team of rural experts will be on hand at Farm Expo this spring to help with your queries and see you on your farming journey.

Visit BTF Partnership at their stand, where they

have food and refreshments on offer throughout the day. Enjoy a pint of local beer and let’s chat through the issues which are affecting your farm business as well as the opportunities which may be ahead for you. A fresh perspective often helps.

BTF Partnership hope they can help you to make the best decisions for you and your farm business this year and beyond.

To be the first to receive updates and learn more about Society events throughout the year, subscribe to the KCAS newsletter at: www.kcas.org.uk

Wilson Wraight is a leading provider of agricultural, environmental and planning consultancy services. We pride ourselves in delivering bespoke, valuable and impartial advice to help farmers and rural businesses identify the most effective route towards achieving their personal and business objectives.

With the changes in government support, volatility in commodity prices and significant increases in production costs, there is an even greater requirement to understand the performance of your existing business, enhance productivity and make best use of the resources available.

In addition to the comprehensive range

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

ANALYTICS PLATFORM

FOR CROP INSIGHT of management services we provide to assist our clients in the running of their businesses, Wilson Wraight now offers an analytics platform in association with YAGRO. WW Analytics uses modern technology to provide invaluable live data and insight into crop performances, even at field level, to help maximise profitability. This is also

an essential tool to help farmers understand the productivity of individual fields when planning for Environment Land Management and Countryside Stewardship schemes.

Members of their team will be on hand to discuss WW Analytics and the other services they offer at Farm Expo 2022.

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | FEBRUARY 2022

39

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FIRST EVER CARBON

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FARM EXPO 2022 Farm Expo’s typical visitor spends 3-5 hours at the show

Hutchinsons is a leading provider of agronomic advice, services and inputs nationwide, offering comprehensive and flexible advice to suit every customer’s needs, from day-to-day crop management decisions to longer-term strategic business planning.

Hutchinsons' services in precision mapping, soil health, environmental, agroecology and farm business planning prepare growers to face an everchallenging farming agenda and rising input costs. Whatever your question, Hutchinsons has the answer.

Launched last year, TerraMap Carbon is the first ever carbon mapping service to provide the most accurate baseline measurement of organic and active carbon in the soil. You can use carbon measurements within the Omnia Carbon management tool to create different rotation scenarios, including types of cropping, variety, stewardship and management practices. See at first hand the projected CO2 impact and financial performance for each scenario. Link this knowledge with our services to integrate carbon into your agronomy package.

Future services within Omnia will offer the ability to create potential cropping

scenarios, allowing users to calculate costs of production and make decisions on how to manage both carbon and profit before putting a crop into the ground.

For more information on Hutchinsons' services and any other crop production issues, please visit the Hutchinsons stand at Farm Expo.

Ahead of their attendance at FARM EXPO on 2 March 2022 at the Kent Showground, Graham Heath Construction has announced three fantastic offers for visitors, with the team looking forward to welcoming customers to their first show of the year.

March 2022 will be the time to plan ahead and get those orders in early for grain stores and straw sheds. If you plan to visit the show, you’ll be able to order these at their special show offer price.

Grain store 1,000 Tonne: For £55,000*, you will receive a 80ft x 60ft x 20ft build, steelwork, purlins, roof cladding, cladding, doors and concrete panels.

Straw shed: For £29,000*, you will receive a 100ft x 50ft x 21ft build, steelwork, purlins, roof cladding, rainwater goods and end cladding.

Livestock building: For £24,500*, you will receive a 100ft x 40ft x 15ft livestock shed with 4ft 6’’ cantilever, steelwork, concrete panels to 2m, purlins, roof cladding and roof lights, rainwater goods and Yorkshire board cladding.

Will you be attending Farm Expo this year? Be sure to visit Graham Heath Construction. You will be greeted with hot or cold refreshments and will get to walk away with a brilliant GHC goody bag.

OFFERS ANNOUNCED FOR SHOW

*All prices are exclusive of VAT. Includes supply only.

Benefitting from unlimited outside space, trade stand applications are still open. Those looking to exhibit at Farm Expo on 2 March 2022 can contact the Kent County Agricultural Society team today on 01622 633061.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | FEBRUARY 2022

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FARM EXPO 2022 FGS Agri, FGS Organics and FGS Pilcher look forward to exhibiting at this year’s Farm Expo. All three companies are part of Heathcote Holdings, a group of complementary, innovative and customer centric companies.

Visit their stand to meet the team and find out more about the services on offer. FGS Agri provides a one stop shop for all outsourced agricultural services required by the livestock and arable farmer. FGS Organics is a soil improvement specialist, offering

ONE STOP SHOP FOR OUTSOURCED

AGRICULTURAL SERVICES

the supply and application of organic products to land.

Find out more about their cost-effective, sustainable solutions for enhancing soil health and productivity.

FGS Pilcher provides full land drainage services and habitat maintenance, including wetland and water course management and improvement works.

In addition, FGS Pilcher undertakes pond and lake construction as well as groundworks and agricultural construction.

These are three specialist companies who work closely together to provide a range of services to farmers across South East England.

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A display of over 1,000 vintage vehicles including cars, motorbikes, tractors, buses, commercials and many more.

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8, 9, 10 JULY 2022: KENT COUNTY SHOW

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The showcase event for farming, countryside and rural life.

20 & 21 AUGUST 2022: BIDDENDEN TRACTORFEST New to the Kent County Agricultural Society, Biddenden Tractorfest is a family-friendly annual country fair with a focus on vintage, classic, and modern tractors.

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If you are looking for an efficient, professional local company that can provide the toilet and welfare facilities that you need for your permanent or seasonal staff, Four Jays can help.

With a large range of stock items including single plastic toilet cubicles, mains connect or tanked toilet trailers or cabins, chillers, showers, temporary canteen units, handwash and hand sanitiser stations, we can provide what you need across the South East.

With varying sizes of tanker lorries including 4x4 options for toilet servicing in those harder-to-reach locations, we can offer 3,000 gallon effluent tank emptying as a one off or on a regular basis. Welfare units are also available for the occasions when more complete site welfare is required but no power is available.

As well as hiring long term, Four Jays can also assist if you have a short-term, ad hoc or event based requirement. This family-run and owned business, established for over 50 years, has professional, friendly and helpful staff who will build a long term relationship with you to provide what you need when you need it.

43

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WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | FEBRUARY 2022

PRESSURE WASHERS

44

HIRE OPTION MAKES

LIGHT WORK OF TOUGH TASKS Farmers looking to make light work of a deep clean without investing in equipment they won’t use again for another six months can now hire what they need from Uckfield-based cleaning equipment specialists Pressure Clean.

The company, which has been supplying, servicing and repairing pressure washers and other cleaning equipment across the South East for more than 50 years, has teamed up with top manufacturer Karcher to offer an impressive range of short-term equipment for hire.

“It means farmers and growers who carry out a yearly or six-monthly cleaning project, perhaps deep-cleaning a barn or shed, can now use the best possible equipment without buying something they wouldn’t use regularly enough to justify the investment,” said Gary Fielding, who runs the well-respected business with wife Donna.

“Grain stores are another example. They are much easier to clean using a large,

ride-on sweeper, but it’s not something a farmer would need every day. Now they can hire the right machine for a fraction of the cost of buying it. There are also farmers who have bought cold water pressure washers for daily use but would occasionally find a hot water machine useful for a particular task.”

The high quality Karcher equipment on offer ranges from a small vacuum cleaner to a ride-on sweeper scrubber and goes right across the manufacturer’s comprehensive range, while the hire rates negotiated for Pressure Clean customers are very competitive.

One piece of equipment that is proving popular for hire is Karcher’s B 60 W, a walk-behind scrubber dryer which offers a range of configurations, including roller or disc brush heads, and is ideal for deep cleaning polished concrete floors.

Karcher’s KM 105/110 R is a ride-on sweeper that is well suited to cleaning yards, barns and storage areas where dust and large debris is a problem, while the HDS 801 D is a diesel-powered hot water pressure cleaner built on a corrosion-

Pressure Clean Ltd Unit 4, 72 Bell Lane, Uckfield, TN22 1QL Tel: 0800 212328 www.pressureclean.co.uk FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

FEATURED COMPANY: resistant tubular steel frame and ideal for yards and buildings where there is no power supply.

The hire option also allows potential buyers to try out one of Karcher's products over a longer period. “We always give buyers a full demonstration of the equipment they are thinking of buying, but if they wanted to give themselves a full week to check it out, that’s now completely feasible,” explained Donna.

Hire machines can normally be delivered within 24 hours, and full training on how to use the equipment is given by a member of the Pressure Clean team.

That team boasts five service engineers, four of them out on the road looking after the company’s extensive customer base and one based at the showroom and parts department on the Bell Brook Industrial Estate in Uckfield.

The engineers, including newest arrival David Fowler, are kept busy carrying out repairs that make sure busy customers aren’t without their machines for longer than necessary and carrying out the annual planned maintenance that Pressure Clean’s customers are increasingly choosing to opt into.

Alongside Karcher equipment, Pressure Clean supplies and maintains machines from MAC International and from the Nilfisk range, and it is that company’s MH 3C-90/670 PAX that is currently proving to be the most popular machine in the showroom.

The compact, high-performing mid-range steam cleaner/pressure washer has a built-in hose reel, is quick to reach operating temperature and is efficient to use, making it ideal for cleaning farm machinery and light industrial equipment.

With farmers and landowners keen to prove their environmental credentials and reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, Gary and Donna have seen increasing interest in electrically heated pressure washers, an area in which MAC International is currently leading the way.

“Farmers are certainly more aware of the need to reduce their carbon footprint, and the tightening up of restrictions around the use of red diesel is also having an impact, which seems to have resulted in a shift towards electric machines,” Gary said.

MAC’s impressive new Elektra models, which require a three-phase supply, offer 18-24 kW or 24 kW specifications and promise CO2 emission-free cleaning and “market leading heat retention”.

Gary went on: “This new Elektra mobile range of hot water pressure cleaners is really impressive and has sparked a great deal of interest. They are proving very popular with those who are looking for a ‘greener’ option.”

MAC also offers a large range of static electrically heated machines that are increasingly popular for wash bay set ups. The MAC Plantmaster range runs from 18 kW to 48 kW and can deliver 13 litres of 80°c water per minute at a pressure of 170bar.

Pressure Clean will be displaying a range of cleaning equipment on its stand at the Farm Expo event being organised by Kent County Agricultural Society at the Kent Showground on Wednesday 2 March.

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45

SARAH CALCUTT FOCUS ON FRUIT SARAH CALCUTT Executive Chair, National Fruit Show

46

As reported elsewhere in this edition, in early January we had much-awaited confirmation from DEFRA that the seasonal worker permit scheme would be extended. As you can imagine, the news that we will have access to up to 40,000 permits for people wanting to come to the UK and work in horticulture was very welcome.

This has been especially good news for the ornamentals sector, which is now included within the scheme. As previously mentioned in this column, in 2021, by peak harvest in August, we were short of workers by around 40%. That is an enormous number of vacancies, and it had a consequential effect on planting for the 2022 harvest, with the soft fruit sector unwilling to risk growing more if they are at all unsure on sourcing labour.

I have to disagree with the statement by George Eustice that the scheme will force companies to pay those using this route a minimum salary to discourage poor conditions.

There is absolutely no chance that any grower taking on staff at the current time is paying anything less than the living wage; in all instances

ADDRESSING THE

LABOUR CHALLENGE I’ve come across they are paying substantially more! Ethical, crop assurance and retailer auditing ensures that UK food is among the most regulated in the world, with the highest standards for safety, worker welfare and fair pay.

The element of the statement I wish to focus on, however, is automation. We are told: “The government believes more must be done to attract UK workers through offering training, career options, wage increases and investment in increased automation technology.”

It continues: “DEFRA said it will be bringing forward further proposals in due course on ways to support the sector as well as progressing recommendations in the Automation Review.”

This review has been authored by the leaders of AI and robotics in the UK, including Professor Simon Pearson of Lincoln University (who is speaking at the fruit show AGM this year) and Dave Ross, CEO of the Agri-EPI Centre.

A full analysis of the technology currently available to UK growers has been undertaken, along with a capacity review and

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

recommendations on strategic investment in systems, research and the production of technology that will benefit the industry at home and will also be exportable. There is such an opportunity here to build upon the systems that are already delivering real change.

Over the past year I have attended events, or demonstrations, of the following: • Drone flight crop estimation • Satellite mapping • Robotic orchard platforms for early disease identification • LiDAR camera usages for canopy/blossom/fruit analysis • Robotic strawberry harvesting • Driverless tractors • Harvesting rigs improving productivity and reducing labour requirements.

Where do we go from here? Well, the robotic apple harvester is a long way away, but it is a reality for the soft fruit crops that hang fruit in a regular area on the outside of the plant structure; laser cameras and NIR technology mean that 24-hour harvesting and remote management is a real possibility.

For top fruit, perhaps we need to be building on what our rigs can do. Grading has to come next; the returns to be made on top fruit demand that only those fruits within a retailer specification should go into the best, longer term stores.

In orchard management we must get to a point where all growers can interpret data on their orchards to enable quick and accurate decision making and precision crop management. Many can monitor health on their phone but don’t have the ability to see beyond the few trees their agronomist has looked at.

Improvements in management will lead to better returns/lowering of wasted margin trough produce with no sustainable return and will also lead to a change in the nature and physical demands of harvesting, which will improve perceptions.

That said, we don’t have enough people in rural areas who can take a temporary job, do we?

The biggest and best results of the review and its ongoing impact will be supporting the delivery of the Environmental Land Management scheme objectives and ‘common good’ goals along with a healthier diet for the UK population based on locally produced food.

FRUIT

AN END TO SWD INFESTATION?

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nearly a decade since SWD arrived in the UK, and the BigSis solution might finally provide the breakthrough in chemical free control that the industry has been seeking.”

Head of Pest and Pathogen Ecology at NIAB EMR, Dr Michelle Fountain, commented: “The data provided new insights into SWD dispersal and behaviour in commercial crops. We are very encouraged by this control technology for SWD, with its added benefit of preserving current biological controls for other soft fruit pests by reducing plant protection inputs.”

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The South East’s farmers and growers are a step closer to using a technology that could slash the need for agricultural insecticides, after a world-first field trial achieved a 91% reduction in an invasive pest first spotted in the UK in 2012.

Reading-based agritech start-up BigSis conducted the trial – using an updated version of the sterile insect technique (SIT) – in partnership with Berry Gardens, the UK’s largest supplier of berries and cherries, and the world-renowned research institute NIAB EMR. “SIT has long been recognised as the perfect solution for insect pest control,” said BigSis founder Glen Slade, “but in the 60 years since it was conceived, it’s always been too expensive to deploy beyond a limited number of special-use cases.”

SIT’s basic premise is simple and relies on sterilising and releasing male insects into the crop, where they mate with wild females to prevent the rapid increase in pest populations that leads to crop damage.

Because it’s species specific, non-toxic and resistance-immune, the approach is technically capable of taking the place of chemical insecticides in many agricultural and horticultural crops.

“BigSis has turned to artificial intelligence and robotics to automate SIT, raising insects individually,” explained Mr Slade, “It’s a breakthrough that slashes the cost of SIT solutions by as much as 90%. We’re finally bringing SIT to growers as an affordable, farm-scale solution for insect pest control in agricultural crops.”

The Kent field trial focused on control of spotted-wing drosophila (SWD), a global invasive pest of soft fruit that can cause thousands of pounds’ worth of damage. Farmers spend up to £11,000 per hectare using currently approved chemical treatments and labour-intensive hygiene measures in a bid to control the pest.

BigSis released sterile male SWD in and around a crop of everbearing strawberries between April and the end of harvest. Using sticky traps with lures, numbers of wild female SWD were monitored at the treated site and two control sites. During the trial, numbers of female SWD in the treated plot barely rose above one per trap per week, compared to a peak of nearly ten insects per trap per week in the untreated controls.

“We’re thrilled that this world-first trial of SIT to control SWD has given such a convincing demonstration of season-long control, with a suppression result of up to 91%,” said Mr Slade. “SIT ensures that pest numbers never reach a critical level.

“It also gives us and our two partners a solid foundation to move into 2022 with our larger field trial programme, which is being supported by a £500,000 grant from Innovate UK. This will bring cherries and raspberries into the mix.”

Richard Harnden, Director of Research at Berry Gardens, enthused: “It’s been

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | FEBRUARY 2022

47

AT COLCHESTER MARKET

GRAHAM ELLIS FRICS FAAV FLAA For and on behalf of Stanfords T: 01206 842156 E: info@stanfords-colchester.co.uk

www.stanfords-colchester.co.uk

TREMENDOUS TRADE IN SHEEP PENS 48

By mid-January 2022 we had seen a steady start to the new year, with the beef trade maintaining its high levels, numbers in Colchester totally inadequate for the demand and more cattle wanted to satisfy the current buyers around the ring.

We have seen prices some 30p/kg above 12 months ago, something which is needed with the high costs that producers are now incurring in all aspects. Best clean cattle are regularly trading from 260p/kg to 285p/kg, with weight no issue.

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There are still concerns in the meat trade about large quantities of boxed meat being available at low levels, but it seems that the butchery trade is holding its nerve and continues to purchase quality meat to sell to the public. Long may this continue; supporting the British farmer is important for us all and it is good to see that local retailers and wholesalers are doing that.

Over 30-month cattle are also keenly sought for the processing trade and more could be sold to advantage.

The cull cow trade is remaining firm during January, indeed getting dearer each week. This is typical for the time of year, again reflecting the demand for manufacturing beef.

Store cattle are exceptionally dear, with many yards empty and it is true to say probably more buyers than cattle about.

In the sheep pens a tremendous trade has continued, although interestingly enough we are now at similar levels to 12 months ago. Throughout the last months of 2021 we saw prices well above 12 months ago. Let us hope this trade continues at similar levels and, indeed, that the annual rise usually seen through February, March and April does take place.

Whatever the case, there is still a very strong demand for hoggets. In Colchester averages are regularly around 260p/kg to 280p/kg, with all classes of sheep included and heavy lambs regularly trading at £150 and above. By the time the next report is written we will have a better idea on where the trade is going; there is some nervousness being quoted from other areas but there does seem to be a strong demand for quality old season lambs.

The ewe trade is exceptionally good, slightly above last year, but numbers are insufficient. This is reported throughout the country. Store lambs are becoming short on the ground and generally the quality has been lower each week.

The pig trade continues to be in the doldrums, which is extremely frustrating.

Despite positive reports that we expect an uplift in price later in the year, it needs to come sooner rather than later, with many producers at the end of their tether.

It’s quite extraordinary when we are talking about dead weight pig prices being in the region of 160p/kg for the very best, with cattle around the £4 mark and lambs £5.50 upwards.

If we do not see an upward movement in the near future, there will be very few family run pig units left in the country, which will be very sad for the pig industry.

The cull sow trade is unbelievably low, with difficulty in booking in small numbers and little return; indeed, transport costs are rarely covered. Stories of weaner pigs being given away to save feed bills and on-farm slaughter do not make for good publicity.

AT ASHFORD MARKET

A NEW YEAR BEGINS It’s the start of another year and farmers in 2022 probably have more uncertainties and questions over the future of their industry and how they are regarded both by the Government and the general public – the two sectors that ultimately pay their way – than ever before.

Quite how we are going to feed the eight billion people on this planet (up from six billion in 2000) at the same time as making production a dirty word in the drive to make, at least the United Kingdom, low carbon remains a mystery.

The fact that we are but a tiny fraction in terms of world farm acreage means that UK farming doesn’t really matter to the power brokers around the world, but it damn well means a lot to the farmers of Britain, whose forebears have worked so hard to feed the country and much of the world and whose descendants carry that essential rural DNA that is so crucial to farming success.

Somebody must have a plan somewhere, but at the moment it is beyond the realms of reason to see how it is all going to stack up.

Not to worry! Worry about the matters upon which one can have some control. We can be grateful for so many things in farming but the biggest and best by far is that everyone has to eat. Some of us too much and too often; far too many, far too little, far too often!

So, the future for food production ought to be guaranteed and farmers, weighed down by a myriad of regulations from government and reactions from minorities seeking their moments

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of madness, must plough on regardless doing what they do best, whether arable or livestock, fruit or veg.

January always seems a long month, but we will soon be into February and the year is really under way with so much to do so soon.

As auctioneers and agents within the farming community, we are privileged to know so many farming families across the region, and irrespective of the size of their venture to be so often part of the many business decisions that are taken during the course of a year.

The livestock market system and its collective approach not only to the logistics of livestock movement but also to the reassurance in decision making, along with so many similar farmers across the region, and across the country, shows the true co-operative nature of the best marketing system available to all.

Whichever month of the year, there are decisions to be made, and circumstances alter cases, but with markets often open 52 weeks of the year the opportunity exists to take a view on what suits you best at that time.

Planning and preparation are great assets in the practice of marketing, and the early months of the year are a good time to discuss options

that suit your business without compromising the opportunities for greatest reward.

February begins to see more store cattle coming forward, particularly the stronger cattle ready to move to finishing units for that final period. Age and size are all factors, with a final period of at least 90 days necessary for Farm Assurance.

Outwintered cattle are not so numerous these days, but certain areas up on the Downs or on some sandier ground do still give that opportunity. Grazing buyers are keen to purchase these cattle and take advantage of their coat and bone to turn them away early in the spring.

Open yarded stock also has that advantage in the early sales, and while it is tempting to use up so much of that hay made last year there may be a case for leaving a little more in the barn if the fertiliser bag is to be shaken less often this spring.

Whatever your stock, timing is important. As auctioneers we are always pleased to speak over the phone or on the farm.

Managing entries and building catalogues to suit buyers both close to home or far away is something we have always prided ourselves on doing, whether for cattle or sheep sales.

We look forward to hearing from clients old and new and assisting them all in what we believe will be a good year for prices, a challenging year in terms of costs and another difficult one in terms of persuading both the Government and public about the correct and proper role for farmers in the countryside.

SHEEP WORRYING CRACKDOWN CALLED FOR Tougher rules north of the border on dog owners who let their animals worry sheep should be replicated in the rest of the country, the National Sheep Association (NSA) has said.

Recently strengthened legislation in Scotland means owners who let their dogs attack livestock face a maximum fine of £40,000 and/or 12 months’ imprisonment.

Now the NSA is urging ministers to follow suit by taking advantage of current legislation passing through Parliament to put a stop to shocking incidents of sheep worrying by dogs.

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Cases reported recently include sheep killed by a train after a dog chased them onto a railway line and a case in which the RSPCA was alerted after a sheep was chased off of a cliff by a dog.

The NSA believes the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill now before Parliament offers a prime opportunity to bring much needed action. NSA Chief Executive Phil Stocker explained: “Simply including the instruction for dogs to be on a lead when in the proximity of, or likely to come into contact with, grazing livestock, would reduce these terrible incidents, and increasing the fines would act as a deterrent for irresponsible dog owners who do not keep their dogs under control.”

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | FEBRUARY 2022

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It feels like the calm before the storm, or the relative calm! We know that come February, when calving and lambing kicks off, we will appreciate the buddy system that we run, with two vets on call for our out-of-hours service during the busy periods. Much of January has been taken up with training up two new approved TB testers who have been a great addition to our team of vets.

In the past few weeks, Cliffe Farm Vets’ sheep clients have been calling in with their scanning results; something that we always encourage them to share with us.

Early indications are that scanning has been pretty reasonable, with very few mule and mule cross breeders going over 200%, avoiding the subsequent headache of too many triplets.

I have also been waiting patiently to assess the success or otherwise of our (ewe) artificial insemination (AI) and embryo transfer (ET) service. We have been AI-ing ewes now for five years, and once over the hurdles of Brexit and Covid-19 we have been able to launch ET. I have spent a number of weeks working for advanced breeding companies as far afield as Wales, the West Midlands and Scotland refining the procedure, and Cliffe Farm Vets was in a position to offer the service to sheep farmers across the South East last summer.

Advanced breeding in sheep is a complicated affair and a vet-only procedure.

The majority of my clients own pedigree breeding flocks. The benefits of using AI to amplify male genetics and ET to amplify female genetics is clear in this situation.

The yield of a single flush is highly variable due to a lot of factors, including timing of AI, and can range from 0 to 30 implantable embryos. The average across all breeds is approximately six to seven embryos, and subsequent conception rates of recipient ewes are usually over 80%.

The use of AI in some commercial situations should also not be overlooked.

Some commercial clients are now able to share more valuable, higher-performing rams, especially for tightly synchronised lambing situations.

Ram:ewe ratios for synchronised flocks should be as low as 1:10 for optimum conception rates. Due to the high number of rams needed, the “ram cost” per lamb born is high. The number of lambs born to one sire could therefore be only 17 lambs per year (assuming a 170% turn-out percentage). A good £650 ram will therefore cost £10 per lamb born over a four year period when ewes have been sponged for synchronisation.

However, the same £650 ram used for fresh semen collection and AI could be used to inseminate up to 60 or 70 ewes on one day. This reduces the ram cost over the same period to £1.37 per lamb. The AI cost of inseminating large numbers of ewes is about £8 per lamb turned out, so it is possible to see that even taking AI costs into consideration it is comparable to natural service in terms of cost.

In addition, some farmers may opt to club together to buy and share higher genetic merit rams while maintaining their own biosecurity. Sharing the purchase cost of an AI ram with a neighbour then means that the ram cost is halved again, as long as they are happy to lamb on different weeks!

In addition to AI and ET we are now able to flush and freeze embryos over winter for implantation the following autumn. If you wish to know more about advanced breeding in sheep, please contact the practice.

SHEEP TOPICS ALAN WEST

ROUND LIKE A CIRCLE “Round like a circle in a spiral, like a wheel within a wheel. Never ending or beginning on an ever spinning reel” So went the opening lines to Noel Harrison’s 1969 song Windmills of Your Mind, a song that, I am sure, will be remembered by a lot of UK sheep keepers, although many will be reluctant to admit to this; a reflection of the average age of those involved.

A song that, in part, describes the sheep industry.

A continuous cycle of events; some regarded with enthusiasm, others with apprehension.

Entering February generally signals the rapid approach of lambing time. One of those events that is oft regarded with equal measures of both apprehension and enthusiasm.

Lambing is a special time of year. Sheep keepers are blessed every year with the opportunity to see new life enter the world in abundance; blessed to be the bringers of one of the key indicators that spring is on its way – a moot point in the eyes of sheep keepers to whom the arrival of spring has more to do with the prevailing weather conditions ALAN WEST than a date on the calendar. Even now, having seen Sheep farmer thousands of lambs come into the world, I still regard lambing as a particularly special time. If and when I ever cease to view it as such, that will be the time to give up. Hence the measure of enthusiasm with which it is generally considered.

The apprehension derives from the uncertainty. Lambing is approached hoping beyond hope that all that has gone before, the previous six or seven months of planning and effort, the preparation for tupping, tupping, care and nutrition during pregnancy, veterinary care etc, have all come together to provide for a trouble-free lambing and the welcoming into the flock of a sufficiency of good, strong, healthy lambs with caring, maternal mums, able to provide adequate supplies of colostrum and plentiful milk. But, regardless of how much planning and preparation has been done or how well it has been achieved, it is only when the first lambs hit the ground that there is any affirmation that everything has truly fallen into place.

The relief associated with seeing the arrival of those first, fit, strong, healthy lambs, tucked up with a full belly and a caring and concerned mum, is generally rather short lived, as with it comes the realisation that lambing is now truly underway, that there is no time to relax, just the rest of the flock to deal with and the hope that the remainder of lambing proceeds as successfully. In addition, lambing is one of those times that is eagerly awaited but, once commenced, its conclusion is regarded with just as much enthusiasm. Only once the last lambs have been safely delivered and turned out with mum can shepherds begin to relax, just a little.

Lambing is almost always a time of peaks and troughs. A few difficult lambings or a couple of losses, particularly when you happen to be tired, cold, exhausted… can generate some real low spots; conversely, simply watching contented ewes with equally contented lambs out on some good grass on a nice sunny morning can elevate the spirits. Lambing can be stressful and is a time of mixed emotions; a time when many, due to the demands of lambing, are effectively confined to the farm, isolated from much of normal social contact.

It is a time when a simple phone call from a friend or colleague can mean a

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great deal, even if it simply serves to share a few problems. So don’t forget to “phone a friend” to see how their lambing is going.

A successful lambing is always about attention to detail. Other factors, such as the weather, can of course be a contributory and sometimes confounding factor, but even when lambing on one’s own, a simple recording system, a check list, can make a big difference in ensuring that no details are overlooked. It is a sad fact that lamb mortality remains at an unacceptably high level, not just in the UK but across Europe.

Despite efforts over decades to achieve significant reductions, little progress has been made. Some lamb losses are inevitable; they will vary depending on breed, system, location and weather but, whatever the specifics, losses will always be lower in flocks where there is good attention to detail. Visit any lambing shed and one can almost guarantee that a messy, untidy, set up will have a higher level of lamb mortality than one that is kept tidy and well organised. Outdoor lambing systems will be similar; good, consistent practices will almost inevitably generate better results than the contrary.

A well organised and managed system does not carry significant additional costs, but can bring substantial benefits, particularly with current lamb prices.

Every lamb counts, every lamb lost through lack of attention to detail represents £100-plus thrown away; not that finances should be the main consideration – every lamb lost is a significant and often unacceptable compromise to lamb welfare.

Don’t blame the fox, who has simply taken advantage of the failure to notice and deal with a starving/hypothermic lamb, for an easy feed.

Have a good lambing!

GRAZING WANTED FOR SHEEP In East Sussex long or short term.

Call Dan 07772 869645 WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | FEBRUARY 2022

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NICK ADAMES WEST SUSSEX DIARY NICK ADAMES Former dairy farmer

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When we sold our old Massey 500 back in 1994, I really hoped we were free of grain and grain merchants for good; cattle were much easier to deal with. But then suddenly, by 2019, with cattle all gone and fodder no longer needed, the alternatives for the land were maize, veg or spuds, grown by contractors.

Although maize grows well on the land, demand for the crop from a local anaerobic digestion (AD) plant recently became somewhat unreliable. Then in January 2021 we heard the plant would no longer want the acres they had implied they did just the day before.

So, with some apprehension, it seemed the only alternative was back to grain. A week later, in January, we ‘bit the bullet’ and purchased Laureate spring barley seed. In March it went in the ground.

All progressed well until the gales and rain of last June flattened large areas of the crop and exposed it to huge flocks of scavenging wood pigeons.

The local birds ‘spread the word’ quicker than Twitter and, within a couple of weeks, it appeared we were supporting their mates from all over England. I think a few even had a Scots twang.

Despite all efforts, they attacked it incessantly until harvest in mid-August.

Things didn’t improve. My neighbour’s combine struggled to lift the bird trodden crop off the ground and a potential ‘two-and-a-half ton-plus’ crop became suddenly little over two tons. One accepts that is a natural farming risk, something that we quickly learn to accept. But there are others!

Then it came to marketing. The grain was tested for malting, the sample not unexpectedly failing, so was now only feed value. Early last September I managed to get an acceptable offer and it was sold for £173 /ton. (Yes, I know it’s worth a lot more now!) However, the buyer then announced: “But you won’t be paid until the end of November” … ten weeks’ delay?

The reason soon became clear when their bills began falling through the letterbox. First the “haulage to store”. A new one to me. This was “payable in 30 days” at some £8 a ton. Accompanied by their ‘inevitable’, but deductible, credit charge.

From our past experience haulage was always down to the buyer?

Then, two weeks later comes another bill for a month’s storage, another £5 a ton, these two now reducing the value to £160/ton! Where would this end? After a brief call they did agree to drop further storage charges, although I was still left wondering why they couldn’t pay us until 10 weeks after the sale?

> A Mauser of the era, some cat

EVERYONE RUSHED

FOR THE EXIT By this stage I was considering what would be their reaction if I too had adopted their method, and sent them a similar invoice, with credit charges added. But then, the payment date finally arrived…

Nothing! Another call… “Sorry. We had misfiled the cheque.” How convenient! Payment was finally received a week late. No, they haven’t changed their spots!

Did you read the press report recently of the 72 year-old Essex man who, when the police raided him following a tip off, was reportedly found to have some 500 unlicensed firearms? He received a £2,000 fine, suspended prison sentence and had the guns taken.

It reminded me of something that happened some 35 years ago, when my father had a rather similar experience. There was a general national weapons amnesty, I think in the mid-eighties, and he had a collection of serious firearms, acquired from one or two military friends during the 1939-45 war.

One, Bob Dodd, an old friend of father who served with the Parachute Brigade, was sadly killed in Sept 1944 at Arnhem. We had a relative in Holland and a contact of his located Lt RGW Dodd’s grave in the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek. He died as he had lived! I can just recall him.

Nobody asked how they got the guns to father, or how he may have acquired the others, but he had around a dozen lethal weapons. To cut a long story shorter, we persuaded the Old Man to take

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

advantage of the amnesty, just to ‘unload’ us of the responsibility of these illegal weapons in the future, along with the little ammunition he hadn’t already used. It was a great opportunity.

So, one day we loaded the guns into the Land Rover, covered by a sack, and dad turned up late one afternoon at the local police station, back in the days when police stations were open 24 hours a day.

To get their attention he walked in with a couple of the guns and laid them on the counter. I’m told everyone rushed for the exit… The local paper the next week ran a story of how “a local pensioner had unexpectedly unloaded this cache of high-powered weapons on the unprepared police station”. He was not arrested or charged because of the amnesty, but God knows what trouble he would have been in without it.

I was told as a child one of them was a Mauser revolver… but I was too young to ask questions.

Several of the farm cats were ‘good mousers’ too.

This, though, was not an old cat but one of the legendary German weapons. Bob told father he had taken it a couple of years earlier from a dead German. The only other gun I knew about was a large ‘repeater’ rifle that would, so it was said, “down a plane at 1000 ft” but I never saw that demonstrated. What’s all this got to do with the farm you ask? Not a lot!

Just now the old place is pretty quiet, but days are now drawing out quickly, life will soon get busy again.

ADVICE FROM THE VET

GET AHEAD FOR SPRING TURNOUT Dr Charlotte Allingham BVM&S MRCVS looks at planning your vaccination programme.

Although the days are still short, it’s not long until we hit spring turnout. Now is the time to plan all the necessary management tasks to ensure the maintenance of a healthy and productive herd. There are many different things to consider at this time; we will focus on how to plan your vaccination protocols for the most prevalent diseases that affect cattle during the grazing season.

LEPTOSPIROSIS

Leptospirosis is a bacterial disease commonly seen when cattle are at pasture. An estimated 75% of UK herds have been exposed to the disease.

Clinical signs: • Infertility • Reproductive losses • Reduced milk yield, including “flabby bag”.

Transmission: • Urine • Milk • Semen • Aborted material from affected animals.

Risk factors: • Shared bulls • Shared grazing • Co-grazing with sheep (carriers of the disease).

Historically, leptospirosis outbreak control has been attempted using antibiotics, but prevention of an outbreak is a much better solution in terms of minimising economic losses and limiting antibiotic usage on farm. Vaccination of all animals should be considered alongside other control measures.

Vaccination factsheet: • Primary course: two doses are required four weeks apart. Primary course should be completed at least two weeks before first service in breeding heifers • Annual booster required at turn out • Average cost per dose of vaccine: £2.

LUNGWORM

Dictyocaulus viviparous is a nematode that causes parasitic bronchitis and pneumonia, resulting in the common clinical presentation known as lungworm.

Lungworm is estimated to result in economic losses of between £100 and £150 per animal by hindering growth rates and productivity. Infestation is caused by exposure to larvae on pasture.

Clinical signs: • Most commonly seen in the first year of grazing during summer and autumn, but animals can be reinfected if they encounter high burdens at pasture in later years

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• Coughing and showing a visibly increased rate and effort of breathing.

• Decreased milk production • Poor fertility.

Confirmed cases of lungworm have increased in recent years due to extended grazing seasons and increased reliance on anthelmintics for the control of parasitic gastroenteritis which concurrently knock out any lungworm, limiting the immunity that can be built by natural exposure.

Vaccination is recommended to herds that have previously experienced lungworm outbreaks or have high pasture burden due to a wet, warm climate.

Vaccination factsheet: • Primary course: two doses of oral live attenuated vaccine to be given four weeks apart • Booster required before each grazing season if extensive anthelmintic protocols are required on farm and if animals were on cleaner pasture in previous season • Aim to vaccinate at least two weeks before turnout in order to avoid contact with burdens before immunity is established • Immunity induced by vaccine lasts five months and is then maintained by natural immunity induced by pasture exposure • Average cost per dose of vaccine: £7.

BOVINE VIRAL DIARRHOEA

Bovine viral diarrhoea is a highly contagious virus that affects all age groups. It is estimated that 90% of UK herds have been exposed to BVD, resulting in widespread production losses including abortions, poor fertility, reduced milk yield, poor calf health and developmental abnormalities. BVD virus is spread by contact with recently infected or persistently infected (PI) animals.

Clinical signs: • Fever • Scours • Oral and nasal lesions • Rapid reduction in milk yield • Immune suppression making them more vulnerable to other common diseases.

If pregnant animals come into contact with the virus, foetal exposure occurs by viral spread across the placenta. The outcome of foetal infection depends on the stage of pregnancy and can present as repeat breeders, abortions or weak calves. The most important stage to be aware of, in which infection occurs, is between 30 and 120 days into the pregnancy which results in the birth of live but PI calves. Having these animals in a herd makes

the control and prevention of BVD incredibly challenging. PI animals often have shorter lifespans during which they shed the virus, making naïve animals vulnerable to BVD. It is important to have a BVD control plan on farm to avoid the detrimental effects this virus can have on herd health and productivity. For more information on BVD control, see the BVDFree England website or speak to your vet. One key control measure to consider is BVD vaccination alongside an effective test and cull protocol for PI calves, i.e., tag and testing.

Two different types of vaccine are available on the market currently: Inactivated Vaccine • E.g. Bovilis BVD • Primary course requires two doses at least four weeks before first service • Require booster six months after primary course and then annually • Can begin vaccination course from eight months old • Average cost per dose of vaccine: £2.65.

Live Modified Vaccine • E.g. Bovela • Primary course requires one dose only with boosters annually • To be given at least three weeks before service • Can begin vaccination from three months old.

• Average cost per dose of vaccine: £6.65.

Deciding whether or not a vaccine is right for your herd should be based on a risk-cost analysis; comparing the potential cost of vaccinating your herd against the economic losses resulting from a disease outbreak in an unvaccinated herd. Every farm will experience different disease challenges and these can also vary year on year, so now is the time to get ahead for spring turnout.

If you would like to discuss anything covered in this article contact your local Westpoint practice

ANDY RICHMOND

Westpoint Horsham T: 01306 628086

JACK BALKHAM

Westpoint Ashford T: 01306 628208

EMILY PHIPPS

Westpoint Sevenoaks T: 01959 564383 E: info@westpointfarmvets.co.uk www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk

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Legal services for farmers & rural businesses Call us today or visit our website:

54

01227 763939 furleypage.co.uk

LANDOWNERS URGED TO THINK CAREFULLY ABOUT EASEMENTS

With building plots in short supply and developers increasingly dependent on sites owned by third parties for services and access, the ability to affect an alteration of rights over neighbouring land could be vital, explains commercial property specialist Alex Walsh.

Alex, a partner at national law firm Clarke Willmott LLP, explained that failure to tackle ‘easement’ issues – the right of one landowner to make use of another nearby piece of land for the benefit of his own land – could prevent or hinder a proposed development. He said not affecting the alteration could affect access over the land or access to lay and use services such as gas, water, and electricity.

“In the first instance, the party proposing to develop should check the Deed of Grant or Transfer which created any rights and discover their extent and who might exercise them,” said Alex.

“It is important to consider all potential beneficiaries as there may have been a sale of part of the benefiting land creating more parties using the rights.

“Where such rights exist, but are not exercised, it may be possible to negotiate the release of the right with the owner of the benefiting land. This will usually require the payment of a sum of money in exchange for the release.”

Alex said it was also prudent to consider incorporating a so-called ‘lift and shift’ provision within the agreement that would require the land burdened by the rights to require the ‘benefiting landowner’ to alter the right where the ‘burdened landowner’ required it.

“This could be varying the right of way, for example with a temporary access route while the new access is being constructed, or the payment of compensation to the ‘benefiting landowner’ for any temporary loss of amenities.

“In the absence of a lift and shift provision, a decision needs to be made on whether or not the site is adequate for the proposed development with the existing rights in place. If not, this may be a reason to withdraw from a purchase.”

If negotiations are successful or a lift and shift provision exists and is exercised, the right must be amended formally and noted at HM Land Registry, either by a surrender of the original deed and regrant of the right or by a deed of variation which would vary the existing deed.

Supporting the rural community for over 230 years We have a real commitment to the rural sector, providing responsive and accessible legal advice to farmers, producers and their suppliers.

If your business needs help with: • Contracts and transactions • Diversification • Property purchase and lease negotiation • Equine law • Employment If you would like help with: • Family law and divorce • Residential conveyancing • Tax planning and trusts • Wills and estate administration

Contact us today Canterbury 01227 643250 Maidstone 01622 698000 Tenterden 01580 765722 enquiries@whitehead-monckton.co.uk www.whitehead-monckton.co.uk Whitehead Monckton Limited (no. 08366029), registered in England & Wales.

Registered office 5 Eclipse Park, Sittingbourne Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME14 3EN Authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority under no. 608279.

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LEGAL

TOP 5 CONSIDERATIONS

ESTABLISHING A SUCCESSFUL

FARM-BASED BUSINESS Diversification is nothing new in the agricultural sector. Whether it be glamping, ‘pick your own’ initiatives, petting zoos or even renewable energy, rural business owners have for years created extra income streams by establishing new ventures on their farm or land.

In the wake of the pandemic, with many people recommencing their previously postponed wedding plans and others continuing to staycation rather than holiday abroad, it’s not too late to consider the diversification opportunities that this presents.

With this in mind, we’ve put together the top points to consider when setting up a new venture.

1. OBTAIN ALL NECESSARY APPROVALS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

Depending on the type of business you’re considering, there are likely to be certain approvals you need before pressing ahead with your plans.

Perhaps you fancy yourself as the next Michael Eavis and are considering diversifying into music festivals. If this is the case, you’ll need to consider applying to the relevant local authority for a licence so that music can be played and alcohol can be sold.

If smaller-scale events such as weddings are more appealing and you’re thinking of creating a wedding venue, you’ll need a grant of approval to hold civil marriages and civil partnerships.

If you are putting up new structures or changing the use of existing buildings, this is

likely to require planning permission and building regulations approval. An additional consideration for leaseholders will be whether the plans for a new business are permitted or require consent under the terms of the lease.

2. DECIDE ON YOUR BUSINESS STRUCTURE

Operating a new business carries with it a high degree of risk. In most circumstances, the liabilities of business owners can be limited to the amount they invest by running the business through a limited company or limited liability partnership. The choice of corporate vehicle will depend on a number of factors, in particular tax.

When setting up a new business venture with others, consideration should also be given to documenting each party’s rights and obligations. The documentation required will depend on the type of corporate vehicle used to operate the business and the level of each party’s day-to-day involvement.

3. UNDERSTAND YOUR FINANCING OPTIONS

New business owners often require a helping hand to achieve their goals. There are more options open to budding entrepreneurs for finance these days than ever before. Traditional sources of finance from the banks or family wealth will always have some appeal but may not

KIERON CUMMINS

Solicitor, Brachers LLP T: 01622 776527 E: KieronCummins@brachers.co.uk www.brachers.co.uk

be available to new businesses.

Crowd funding and peer-to-peer lending are increasingly popular ways of helping a business get off the ground.

4. FINALISE AGREEMENTS WITH YOUR SUPPLIERS

Depending on the size and type of your venture, you might be planning to use external suppliers to help you operate it. For example, partnering with a catering firm to supply the food for your café or hungry guests may be more cost effective in the long run. In this scenario, consideration should be given to entering into arrangements with suppliers.

To avoid disputes, it is important to have considered agreements in place with suppliers which clearly set out each party’s rights and obligations.

5. PROTECT YOURSELF AGAINST THE UNFORESEEABLE

Needless to say, everyone hopes their new venture will operate smoothly, but business owners need to have a contingency plan in case things do not go to plan. Being prepared for any eventuality will, hopefully, avoid complaints or, worse, litigation.

Having the correct insurance in place can help to mitigate the potential impact of something going wrong and bespoke insurance policies are available dependent on the type of business.

This is a brief summary of key points to consider when setting up a new venture and, dependent on the nature of the business, there will be a broader number of considerations to be aware of. When undertaking any new venture, you should seek professional legal advice to ensure you and your business are protected.

A law firm committed to helping our agricultural community thrive and grow Proud sponsors of Farm Expo 2022

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LAND MANAGEMENT

COUNTRYSIDE STEWARDSHIP

CAN BE ‘WIN WIN’

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There is now more reason than ever to consider entering a Countryside Stewardship (CS) scheme, with the long-awaited revision of rates recently announced.

While Environment Secretary George Eustice’s suggestion that the new payments represent a 30% rise seems a tad optimistic, the figures for many options have increased – and in some cases substantially.

DEFRA is keen to highlight its Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMS), but we have precious little detail about that and the sums don’t look particularly generous in terms of what we do know about its first strand, the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).

With this in mind – and set against the backdrop of falling Basic Payments (BPS) – there is much to be said for signing up to a scheme that’s available now and will give a guaranteed income for five years.

Remember, too, DEFRA has said that if you did decide you wanted to end a CS agreement and switch to ELMS you could do so without penalty, making CS a good stepping-stone to the future, with the second tier of ELMS, the Local Nature Recovery scheme, shaping up to be very similar to it.

The application deadline for a five-year CS agreement starting on 1 January 2023 is likely to be 31 July 2022, so entering this would offer some stability over the period that BPS is set to dwindle to zero.

Some farmers operating extensive grassland systems rearing beef or sheep have not been wowed by rates in the past, but with the GS2 payment having risen from £95/ha to £132/ha, now might be the time for South East farmers running such systems to reconsider.

On one mixed farm I advise, the new rates have meant an agreement worth £25,000 a year is now worth nearly £30,000 (because the increases also apply to existing agreements). It’s also worth noting that agreements already in place continue to receive the old rate for those options if the payment has fallen.

Entering CS has turned the key on lots of changes on this unit, which has 155ha permanent pasture and 45ha of arable. The agreement has allowed a shift away from arable production towards a more extensive beef system, reducing the amount of working capital tied up, cutting contracting costs and allowing a refocusing of priorities across arable, grass and woodland.

Some people previously viewed CS and other agri-environment grassland options as not that productive, but the legume and herb-rich sward option (GS4) is becoming ever-more popular and most who have tried it are positive, suggesting it’s really useful from a grazing point of view. This now pays £358/ha.

You don’t need to enter a whole farm into CS, so there are opportunities with less productive areas, such as field corners, wetter pieces of ground or boundary strips – and you can sign up to as many or as few options as you like. But it’s also important not to view it solely as a response to dealing with less productive parcels of land.

There are options that can help the way you farm, building in rotations that benefit cropping and soil health.

KEVIN JAY

Director, CLM T: 01892 770339 www.c-l-m.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

CS also gives you the chance to apply for capital funding, for work such as fencing and water troughs, although DEFRA has missed an opportunity here by not revising these rates. Fencing, for example, is still funded at £4.90/m, even though fencing costs have risen astronomically over the past few years.

So, even if you have considered CS before and decided it wasn’t for you, it’s worth looking at it again as it could be a game-changer. The scheme, rightly, had its share of bad press in its early stages for being complicated and requiring far too much record-keeping, but it has been simplified and the Rural Payments Agency has been getting its act together regarding payments.

It’s worth planning well ahead of July as deadlines have a habit of creeping up on all of us (especially if we’re not given a lot of notice of them, as happened recently with the application period for the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund).

The SFI will be introduced in 2022 and some people will inevitably continue to avoid CS on the basis that the next scheme DEFRA introduces will be the much-longed-for panacea.

The SFI looks potentially complicated for not a lot of money. There is not enough detail yet and an awful lot of conditions for a maximum of £58/ha on improved grassland or £40/ha on arable under the relevant soil standards.

Better to get a good CS in place first and then see how you might be able to fit the SFI around that.

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ENGLEFIELD ESTATE SUPPORTS

ITS TENANT FARMERS The Englefield Estate has become the first private landowner to fund places on The Prince’s Countryside Fund’s Farm Resilience Programme to support its tenant farmers in Berkshire and Hampshire as they begin to navigate the biggest changes in land management for 50 years.

The new Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMS), including the Sustainable Farming Incentive announced by DEFRA Secretary George Eustice MP in December 2021, will see farmers rewarded for taking actions that generate environmental benefits, improve animal health and welfare, and reduce carbon emissions.

Now outside the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy, and with the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme over the next six years, farmers in England will be encouraged to sustainably produce healthy food profitably and without subsidy, as laid out in the Agriculture Act 2020.

The Farm Resilience Programme is providing business and environmental skills training and one-to-one advice to 14 of the Englefield Estate’s tenant farmers.

The programme began in September 2021 with a business health check designed to help improve the processes around measuring costs on the farm.

The first workshop followed in November, when farmers discussed results of their benchmarking work with industry experts.

Edward Crookes, Estates Director for the Englefield Estate, said: “We are committed to working with farmers on the estate to ensure they have every chance to run thriving, sustainable farm businesses in the future, are in a

i

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position to adapt to the challenges presented by the ELMS transition and are able to deliver environmental benefits that will slow the rate of climate change, improve biodiversity and reduce carbon emissions.

“Adapting to change and reducing environmental impact is not just the right thing to do, it is critical to business continuity, and this programme provides practical support and tools for farmers to be able to do just that.”

By March 2022, a further five business and environmental workshops will be delivered to the Estate’s tenant farmers by agricultural consultants and experts, covering topics including practical cost management, business planning and managing change, and managing the farmed environment.

These are followed by an on-farm visit with a local programme coordinator from The Prince’s Countryside Fund to review the workshop content and create a business action plan.

Beth Summers, Senior Programme Manager for The Prince’s Countryside Fund, said: “We are so pleased to be working with Englefield Estate to provide their farm tenants with access to our Farm Resilience Programme. A recent evaluation of the Farm Resilience Programme has demonstrated the incredible benefits to farmers’ productivity, profit, and confidence provided by the programme, and we are delighted to be helping the Englefield Estate create a more sustainable future for their farm tenants.”

The Farm Resilience Programme is delivered by The Prince’s Countryside Fund, a UK-wide charity that was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2010 and supports family farms and rural communities.

To find out more or to discuss running the FRP near you, visit www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk/farmresilience or contact Beth Summers on bsummers@countrysidefund.org.uk.

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LAND AND FARMS

8 KEY TRENDS DRIVING CHANGE Land and property specialist Strutt & Parker has highlighted some of the key themes likely to drive change in the rural sector in 2022 and how farmers and landowners might best respond.

Rhodri Thomas, Head of Rural at Strutt & Parker, said: “The rural sector is facing a period of dramatic change and the new year is a good time to reflect on future trends and explore where there might be opportunities to generate new income streams.” Key themes to consider for 2022 and beyond are:

1. DEEPER BPS REDUCTIONS

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High commodity prices may help to mask the impact of the 5% to 25% reduction in Basic Payments (BPS) this winter, but as cuts get deeper from 2022-2027, it will create a financial shortfall that has to be addressed. Our impact assessment shows that over the past five years, BPS has accounted for about 60% of profits on average across all farm types, so the loss of it will leave a significant financial gap, particularly given the inflationary pressures currently facing farmers. Marginal improvements in productivity will only be part of the answer for many, so now is the time to get your house in order, examine future opportunities and make a plan as to how you can capture them.

Strutt & Parker’s farming department has two tools to help farmers explore and understand what BPS cuts will mean for their business. The first is a simple calculator which shows how Basic Payments are likely to reduce from 2020 to 2028. The second calculator shows the effect on net profits of changes in farm support, factoring in money which might be available through the Environmental Land Management scheme (ELMS), as well as profits from diversification and farming.

2. A COMPLICATED ARRAY OF NEW SCHEMES

Under its new domestic agricultural policy, DEFRA has been developing a whole tranche of new schemes and initiatives. During the transition period, some of these overlap with existing schemes, meaning that for now we have a vast array of new and existing schemes, each with different rules and eligibility criteria. Everything is complicated.

For example, DEFRA has recently published details of the payment rates for the four standards that will be available to farmers in England through the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) from Spring 2022. Its ambition is for 70% of farms and farmland in England to be part of the SFI by 2028.

The big question is whether the payments are high enough to act as the necessary ‘incentive’ for farmers to sign up. Farmers should certainly not view the SFI as a replacement for BPS – whereas BPS is virtually all ‘profit’, most SFI options have associated costs. A possible alternative is the Countryside Stewardship scheme which will remain open to new applicants until 2023.

3. LUMP SUM EXIT SCHEME AND DELINKING

The lump sum exit scheme is designed to free up land for new entrants and existing farmers wishing to expand. It will offer a one-off lump sum payment to those looking to leave farming in place of any further Basic Payments. While the sums of money are probably not large enough on their own to encourage people to leave if they are not already considering it, they may bring forward some decisions and start some new conversations between landowners and tenants.

DEFRA has also proposed that any remaining BPS payments are ‘delinked’ from the land from 2024, which will have implications for business structures and land occupation arrangements.

4. NEW FOCUS ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

The Environment Act, which the government has introduced to enhance the natural world for future generations, has now passed into UK law. There is still lots of work to be done in fleshing out the Act through the introduction of secondary

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

legislation, but it will require DEFRA to set long-term, legally binding targets on air quality, biodiversity, water, resource efficiency and waste reduction, which may present a regulatory and cost challenge for some rural businesses.

Farmers in England are already facing the tighter implementation of the Farming Rules for Water in a bid to prevent water pollution. This means they are facing significant changes to the way they store and spread manure, slurry, AD digestate or sewage sludge. If new equipment is needed, it could be partfunded under the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, which is open now.

5. CARBON MANAGEMENT AND TRADING

Carbon trading has become a hot topic in recent months; now it is possible to trade carbon credits generated from woodland, peatland and soil. This is an exciting development in that it offers the potential to generate new income streams – one which is already having a significant impact in the forestry sector.

However, it is crucial that before landowners sell their carbon they understand how the markets work and the long-term implications for their business. A vital first step is to work out how much carbon they are emitting as a business and whether there is any surplus that can be sold to third parties without detrimentally affecting their position from a financial, environmental and reputational point of view.

6. KEEPING PROPERTY LETTABLE

There has been a steady flow of new regulations affecting anyone with a let residential portfolio over the past few years, as part of the government’s commitment to raise standards for tenants. This is at a time when property costs are going through significant inflation, so the cost of maintaining property assets is increasing anyway.

One of the most challenging areas from a rural perspective is the need to raise energy standards within properties, given so many homes in rural areas are of an older build, listed or in a conservation area. However, tougher standards seem almost inevitable given the government has already consulted on raising the minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating to a C for new residential tenancies from 2025 and is currently consulting on whether to end the installation of new fossil fuel heating systems which are off the gas grid from 2026.

7. ELECTRIFICATION OF THE ECONOMY

A significant increase in the production of electricity without the use of fossil fuels is required if the UK is to decarbonise its energy system and reach its net zero target by 2050. Growth in the renewable energy sector is therefore likely to accelerate in 2022 and beyond, presenting opportunities for landowners, with solar developers keen to secure farmland sites and a need for more battery storage sites.

8. ESG INVESTING

The rural sector is being affected in a number of ways by the focus on environmental, social governance (ESG) considerations in the corporate world.

The emphasis on ESG and corporate social responsibility has become noticeably more pronounced in the business community in the past few years as companies seek to offset their carbon emissions and boost their green credentials. This is driving interest in tree planting, rewilding and the delivery of other ecosystem services.

This presents an exciting opportunity to generate new income streams for those landowners with the sort of land likely to attract investment to enhance the natural capital.

For landowners wanting to explore the varied opportunities in this area, a good starting point is to produce a natural capital account which helps a business understand what natural capital assets they have and assess their quality.

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59

LAND AND FARMS

LAND USE CHANGE OFFERS OPPORTUNITY

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Farmers should beware losing control of their land use options amid conflicting demands for natural capital, public goods and food production.

According to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV), farmers are facing a generation’s change in just one decade, with the removal of support payments combining with Brexit, the drive to net zero and changing political and public demands.

Those pressures drive new competition for rural land use, with potential for massive change in the coming years and more varied enterprises to meet all these needs. But it’s vital to assess the options to retain control rather than being locked into long-term plans, warned Jeremy Moody, secretary and adviser to the CAAV. “Farmers will need trusted advisers to work through this,” he said.

Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, Mr Moody said two-thirds of the retargeted Basic Payment money in England will go to changing habitats, while Scotland is aiming to increase forestry, restore peatland and reduce farm emissions by 31%

by 2032. “Such policies might help or hinder farmers but the real decisions over land use are theirs to take.

This decade offers the transition period in which to manage this major change.”

Mr Moody saw five general routes for farming to develop: • Commodity production by good farmers focusing on efficiencies • Higher investment, higher return farming of vegetables, fruit and livestock under cover • Controlling value with specialism, branding, adding value, etc • Combining agriculture with environmental outputs • Focusing land use mainly on the environment, from ‘re-wilding’ to forestry and solar, with little or no agricultural production.

Farmers should be aware of the obligations and restrictions of some environmental land use agreements as they could tie them into restrictive management for 30 years or more. In some cases,

such as solar leases, that might be attractive, but agreements based on outcomes rather than actions would be even more limiting. “If you’re paid to provide services, that’s one thing, but once the buyer takes control of the carbon, biodiversity or other outcomes you may have lost control of the farm, with restrictions and penalties to protect what the buyer has bought.

“Carbon is also a paradox; it is very important to the farm but has a trivial market value,” said Mr Moody.

“Selling carbon credits looks to handicap farmers who will be expected to reduce their own carbon footprint; it is counter-productive as the farmer will then have to find that carbon reduction again.”

Farmers are also unlikely to be wooed by forestry, given the permanent land use change and loss of options it involves. But new markets for biodiversity net gain and nutrient neutrality could be potential options in future. “However, biodiversity net gain agreements are set at over 30 years, and nutrient neutrality could take even longer.”

FARMLAND VALUES PREDICTED TO RISE Farmland values in the South East of England are expected to rise once again in 2022 – with land that could lend itself to environmental uses predicted to see the largest gain.

According to the latest farmland price index from Savills, farmland in the region traded at an average of £8,390 per acre last year – the second highest of any region in the UK. The figure was a 2.3% increase on 2020 – with grade III livestock land seeing the largest increase in value of 3.4%. Prime arable land increased by an average of 2.5%, grade III arable by 2.1% and prime dairy by 1.4%.

Looking ahead, agents believe lack of supply and sustained high demand will continue to fuel the market, although levels of price growth will vary depending on land type, geography and quality.

Savills researchers are predicting the value of prime arable land will increase by an average of 2.5% a year for the next five years – with poorer quality livestock land that could lend itself to environmental uses expected to increase by an average of 6% a year over the same period.

Chris Spofforth, who leads Savills rural agency team in the South East, said: “The lower quality land perhaps has greater capacity for price growth – so I think the predicted rises have to be seen within that context. But overall I think it paints a positive picture.

“Farmland historically has acted as a good hedge against inflation and in the continuing low interest environment it has increased appeal as an asset class in a mixed portfolio. More recently its new value as a tangible store of authentic carbon and important environmental credentials has only added to its investor appeal, and we see no reason for this to change.

FEBRUARY 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

“Demand for farms with a strong amenity or lifestyle appeal is also expected to remain as a result of the pandemic's long-lasting impact on working practices.”

Across Great Britain as a whole, average values for all land types rose by 6.2% in the 12 months to the end of December 2021, spurred on by restricted supply and continued interest from traditional sources of farmland buyers along with newer environmental interests.

Chris said prices were expected to hold firm this year, with demand still predicted to outweigh supply.

“The ongoing rise in input costs and the phasing out of direct payments may well lead to some under-diversified businesses leaving the industry, but we’re not expecting to see a flood of land come to the market,” he continued.

“The government’s lump sum exit scheme – designed to assist farmers in England with retirement – has also been met with a lukewarm response, suggesting that supply levels are unlikely to recover to those seen historically in the short to medium term.

“As a result, prices should stay strong. We anticipate that real values for poorer quality grassland will climb as the ability for pasture land to provide valuable carbon and water management services is increasing its demand over other land types. Also, woodland planting projects for carbon offsets are targeting grassland, seeking sites which do not have any limiting factors for tree planting.

“For prime arable land, commodity prices in the short term look set to hold, and an increasing interest in energy crops and renewables may continue to support profit from production, while consolidation of the most productive businesses will drive competition for the best land.”

LANDOWNERS –

LAND AND FARMS

DOES YOUR LAND STAND OUT FROM

THE CROWD? While it is true we are in the midst of a housing crisis and demand continues to outstrip supply, not all sites are suitable for development and quite often there are competing sites vying for a housing allocation.

So how do you ensure your site stands out from the crowd and achieves that all-important housing allocation in a council’s Local Plan?

First of all, the site needs to be suitable for housing. This is not as black and white as it sounds as there are no fixed rules, but there are some key factors which make some sites more suitable than others.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

To coin a phase, location is the most important factor when determining the suitability of a site, as delivering sustainable development is at the heart of decision and policy making.

Each council will set out a spatial strategy; those settlements with the greatest access to services and facilities such as schools, jobs, shops and public transport links will be considered the most suitable for housing. Smaller towns, villages and rural communities should also be allowed to grow to ensure their continued vitality.

Ideally there are existing facilities which new residents can access, but where there are gaps in services, development proposals could provide essential funding or provide the infrastructure required to improve the sustainability of the site. A lack of facilities is not necessarily an impediment to development, in fact a new development can be an opportunity to provide much needed improvements.

DOES THE LAND ADJOIN THE EXISTING SETTLEMENT EDGE?

New development should connect into the existing built form of the village or town.

However, where a larger number of houses is required, consideration should be given as to whether the land could form part of a wider development using adjoining land which better relates to the settlement edge.

WILL IT IMPACT THE WIDER LANDSCAPE?

The landscape impact of a development is a subjective matter which is open to considerable debate. Landscaping schemes and careful design can help soften the visual appearance of development, but land which is already well contained by existing trees and hedgerows will have a head start over those sites which are more open to the wider landscape.

Planning policy provides the highest protection to areas within National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). Generally speaking, the South East is a very constrained area containing large areas of AONB, National Park and green belt land.

This provides particular opportunities to those sites which are not covered by these designations, yet with the high level of housing need, councils will need to deliver housing in these areas as well.

Other matters to consider are the proximity of the site to listed buildings and conservation areas. This doesn’t necessarily preclude development but it is an

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

important consideration when determining the suitability of the site.

IS THE SITE TECHNICALLY DELIVERABLE?

Can the site be accessed? Does it flood? These are also key questions. Does the site have access onto a suitable road and can pedestrians safely access nearby facilities? If not, proposals can provide highway improvements such as new accesses, pavements and road safety improvements.

With the focus firmly on sustainable transport, new housing schemes are encouraged to provide improved and new pedestrian and cycle links for the benefit of everyone.

Flooding is another hot topic. New proposals are required to show that the site when developed will not be at significant risk of flooding and will also not increase the risk of flooding elsewhere. However, where there are existing problems, new drainage systems can be designed to reduce the risk of flooding both on and off site.

GOOD COMMUNICATION

Your site can have all the attributes, but unless the council know it is available then it is unlikely to get allocated.

Councils will run a ‘call for sites’ when preparing their Local Plans, giving landowners the opportunity to inform the council that their land is available for development. Landowners should also check whether a Neighbourhood Plan is being proposed for the area as this can allocate housing sites.

The focus can often be on the negative impact of new housing, but there is much that new development can bring to a community. It can provide affordable homes, new community facilities, essential funding for key services and infrastructure, as well as environmental benefits such as energy efficient homes, new wildlife habitats and new and improved sustainable transport measures.

Early discussions with key stakeholders such as local community groups and parish or town councils can help identify key issues the community faces and their aspirations for the future. Proposals which are built on cooperation and communication with a community are far more likely to succeed than those which shy away from engagement.

Rarely does a site tick all the boxes, but the key to success is highlighting its strengths and finding ways to resolve its weaknesses. This then needs clearly relaying to the council and local community to ensure your site stands out from the crowd.

Could your land have development potential?

Find out more about land promotion.

VICTORIA GROVES

Associate Planning Director T: 01256 637914 E: victoriag@catesbyestates.co.uk W: www.catesbyestates.co.uk

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | FEBRUARY 2022

61

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Kenward Construction also offer a wide range of services offering a truly one stop shop for your next farm building project. Demolition, plant hire, access roads, drainage, sewage treatment plants, rainwater harvesting, biobed wash downs, paving, concrete foundations / slabs, walling and site landscaping.

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FENCING

STORAGE TANKS KING

Manufacturers of Chestnut Fencing Products

Don’t run short of fuel this Winter!

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STORAGE TANKS

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Buy or Hire a storage tank from Kings.

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Tel 01638 712328

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SMITHS

of the Forest of Dean Ltd.

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HAULIERS

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REACH FARMERS

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

CROSSWORD ®

VINEYARDS

COMPLETE OUR CROSSWORD TO WIN One bottle of Gribble Bridge Sparkling Rosé and five bottles of Red Love® apple juice

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Crossword by Rebecca Farmer, Broadstairs, Kent

PRIZE ANAGRAM: Rare breed chicken (3,7,8,4)

To enter, simply unscramble the anagram (3,7,8,4) using the green squares.

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O

4

E

E

P

For more information about the

21 February. The winner will be

C

of Gribble Bridge Sparkling Rosé and

address and phone number to

draw which will take place on

8

2

O

13

five bottles of Red Love apple juice.

Correct entries will be entered into a

E

E

Email your replies with your name, sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk

67

I

U

R

E

S S

E D

E

20

E 24

G

L

M

U

E

O

D

R

D

R

S

N

28

G

G

E

L P

E

E

Correct answer: Trace elements LAST MONTH’S WINNER: Jack Woolley from Dover, Kent

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | FEBRUARY 2022

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