South East Farmer May 2020

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May 2020

NEWS BATHING IN UNSOLD MILK

COLUMNIST STEPHEN CARR

OUT & ABOUT

Wishes he had remembered his great-grandfather’s advice

FANFIELD FARM

Meet the ambitious young couple dreaming of creating a community farm

FRUIT PICK FOR BRITAIN Website launched

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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 ADVERTISEMENT SALES Jamie McGrorty 01303 233883 jamie.mcgrorty@kelsey.co.uk AD PRODUCTION Studio Manager: Jo Legg jo.legg@kelsey.co.uk Graphic Designer: James Pitchford 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

MAY 2020

CONTENTS 04 05 08 10 12

NEWS & REPORTS

“I might as well bathe in it”.

How Massey Ferguson is helping fight Covid-19.

Home education initiative launched.

Sharing the risk with oilseed rape.

Kent farm wins diversification award.

REGULARS

18

MONICA AKEHURST

20

RICHARD WOOD

21

ANITA HEAD

22

28

Ropes in her locked-down extended family to help with a major hedge planting project.

How common sense lost the will to live.

OUT AND ABOUT

Nigel Akehurst visits an ambitious young couple whose mission is to turn a smallholding into a community farm.

NICK ADAMES

Thinks it’s utter madness for environmentalists to seek to defend some of the countryside’s worst avian killers.

41

MARKET REPORTS

44

ALAN WEST

45 47 50 55

ADVICE FROM THE VET STEPHEN CARR SARAH CALCUTT LAND AND FARMS

29

SOUTHERN FARMERS

Other countries need to emulate the UK’s high standards of biosecurity, welfare and cleanliness, suggests Peter Kingwill.

Reminds us that he warned two months ago of a coming virus that would “almost certainly send economic ripples around the globe”.

FEATURES

When the going gets tough, they say, the tough get going – and that has certainly been true for the Southern Farmers team over the past month or more.

22

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OPINION

Simple solutions are rarely the answer

4

These are challenging times, one of the first being the challenge of coming up with an alternative to ‘unprecedented’, which seems to have become the most overworked word in the language over the past few months.

The coronavirus crisis – although we should perhaps refer to that, too, as a ‘challenge’ to persuade our subconscious selves that we can and will beat the pandemic – has prompted a range of different responses and sparked a number of debates.

One thing that has become increasingly clear is that farming these days is a complex and skilled business and that simple solutions are rarely the answer.

The debate around picking this year’s salad and fruit crops is a case in point. When the Government effectively closed the hospitality, tourism and non-grocery retail sectors overnight, the outside world immediately had the answer; all those unemployed people could go and pick fruit, replacing the overseas growers stranded by the closure of many air routes. Two problems solved at a stroke, at least in the eyes of the urban-focused media.

The response from the suddenly-jobless was impressive, with thousands of people flooding social media with reminiscences about balmy summer days picking strawberries at the farm up the road in their younger days.

But while the motives were sound and many of the responses no doubt genuine, the baffled media soon found itself reporting on the fact that some growers were so keen to get their favourite pickers here that they were chartering flights to bring them in.

And we shouldn’t have been surprised. There is clearly scope for many of those who have found themselves out of work through no fault of their own to help in the fields this year, but the transition to a UK labour force is unlikely to be quick or easy.

While it may not be brain surgery, fruit picking is a skill that needs learning and needs the right people. While many of those now on the market will be up for hard work, long hours and early starts, you have to forgive growers for going for the tried and tested over the maybes and not sures.

More importantly, fruit picking is seasonal, and it would take an impressive grasp of logistics for one of the recently unemployed to plan a route around the growers that kept food on the table every week from the earliest salad crop to the last of the top fruit. Bear in mind that farms don’t tend to be on bus routes and are often geared up for season-long pickers staying on site, and the challenges start to become clear.

The other issue is furloughed workers, who will in time need to resume their jobs. “See you tomorrow, then”; “Ah, no, actually I just had a call from my boss” is not a conversation any grower will be keen to have.

Yes, the industry should look to recruit more local workers.

Yes, unemployed people should be helped and encouraged to look for picking work – that’s why the new Pick for Britain website is to be applauded. But the transition will take time and needs to be handled carefully, and we shouldn’t be surprised if growers are tempted to stick with what they know in the short term.

And finally, I appreciate that introductions generally come at the start, but I have left it until the last paragraph to introduce myself as the new editor of the magazine, since this column is not about me. I am, though, delighted to have joined a great team. Please keep sending in your letters, comments and MALCOLM TRIGGS - EDITOR opinions.

EMAIL YOUR VIEWS, LETTERS OR OPINIONS TO: sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk or write to the address on page 3 ®

MASTER BREEDER

Two South East farmers have been named among 19 that have been accorded Master Breeder status by Holstein UK for 2020.

The Huddlestone herd kept by Huddlestone Farmers Limited, of West Sussex, and the GLADWAKE herd of W & P Ives, Hampshire, have both been named winners of the Master Breeder Award in its current format for the first time.

The number of Master Breeder accreditations for high-performing herds across the UK this year is a record, having increased from last year’s figure of 18. Winners of the award can call themselves “Master Breeder” for 10 years before needing to reapply.

Holstein UK says its Master Breeder Award “rewards Holstein members whose herds achieve a high standard in both classification and production and therefore breed productive, trouble-free long living cows that display desirable traits and conformation.

“Cows and heifers in each herd are allocated points according to set criteria and only animals carrying the member prefix, and which are recorded as having produced a lactation within the last two years, are eligible for inclusion in the calculation. A herd achieving an average score of 4 points or more and a total point score of 150 or more will qualify the member as a Master Breeder.”

FOUR PROPOSALS

The NFU has put forward four proposals in an urgent bid to save the Covid-19 threatened dairy industry at a crisis meeting with government officials.

With the demand for milk curbed dramatically as a result of the closure of restaurants, cafes and other food service outlets, dairy farmers have been forced to pour away hundreds of thousands of litres over the past weeks, while payments have been delayed and in some cases reduced.

In an attempt to avoid what it referred to as “a national catastrophe in UK dairying”, NFU President Minette Batters and its national dairy board chairman Michael Oakes led what they referred to as “robust and frank exchanges” with government officials on the desperate situation facing dairy farmers.

The NFU said the pair “highlighted the need for a multi-pronged approach to avoid instability of the supply of milk to the public in the short term and irreparable damage to the milk supply chain in the long term”.

Ms Batters said the NFU and the industry were “absolutely united on the scale and immediacy of the problem. It’s clear we all agree on the need to act now to prevent a catastrophe in rural Britain.

“The UK dairy industry is an iconic, living, breathing and nourishing part of our food supply chain playing a key role in the national effort while Covid-19 ravages the country.

“It faces unprecedented disruption in the short term because it cannot furlough its dairy cows, and its farmers cannot make use of the considerable Treasury support measures like other sectors of the economy.”

Michael Oakes said the NFU had “laid down four key asks of government that, if delivered together, will avoid the decimation of this critical part of our national infrastructure”.

He said two urgent short term actions needed were for a targeted grant scheme to be set up for famers similar to the Retail and Hospitality Grant Scheme and for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to convene a ‘supply and demand management’ round table under competition law exemptions to maximise the flow of available milk through the supply chain.

He went on: “We also need government to act on our proposals to help deliver a national production reduction scheme and engage the EU Commission to access market support measures.”

Ms Batters commented: “The modest interventions we have outlined today will ensure that we continue to supply the country in the short term while maintaining the productive capacity of this most iconic of sectors post-lockdown.”

NEWS The partner of a West Sussex dairy farmer who has already been forced to dump 15,000 litres of milk and is “fed up with being at the bottom of the pile” put some of that unwanted milk to good use – by bathing in it.

Tina Finch, of Burchetts Farm in Wisborough Green, near Billingshurst in West Sussex, commented: “It was going to be thrown away so I decided I might as well bathe in it – and it was lovely. My skin was beautifully soft afterwards.”

Tina, who said the public “needs to see how badly milk is being undervalued”, said partner Clive Stickland, whose family has been farming the land since 1935, always in the dairy industry, was struggling to cope with the pressure caused by the huge downturn in demand for milk.

“It is heartbreaking for me and for all the other partners and family members of dairy farmers to watch farmers struggling with working such long hours and with such dedication to their animals and their product only to pour it down the drain.

“We are barely being paid for our milk,” she went on. “We have dumped over 15,000 litres to date, which, in this time of enormous crisis, we should not be doing. Day to day we haemorrhage money to keep running a family business of high yielding cows and first class animal husbandry.

For how much longer? We need government help and a fair milk price. The nation needs milk just as it needs petrol.”

Partner Clive said he was proud of Tina but also proud of Britain’s dairy farmers, who were being “paid a pittance” and were increasingly “the ones at the bottom who get a kicking”.

Photo ©Forestry Commission While the coronavirus crisis has brought its own pressures, with collections being missed, milk thrown away, prices slashed and bills only partpaid at best, Clive said the problem went back well beyond the virus outbreak and its effect on the food service industry.

“This has been going on for years,” he commented. “We are simply not paid enough for a vital product that virtually every household needs.

We produce a first class product as well as looking after the countryside and livestock, and we need to be paid a sensible price for doing that.

“It can’t be right that the average price we were paid last year was 24p a litre and the price in the shop was around 90p a litre. The government must step in and say this country can’t allow a product, that every household needs, to leave the producer so far out of pocket. The industry needs a serious shake up and a sensible price for its 8,200 dairy farmers.

Clive said he had received very little cash in

“I MIGHT AS WELL

BATHE IN IT”

February, while the March payment was described

by Tina as “a tiny fraction of what we should have received and not enough to cover even half the wages”. He is due to be paid a fraction of the normal rate for the milk that hasn’t been thrown away and can only hope that the buyers are able to meet their promise to make up the shortfall at some point in the future.

“Bathing in it to raise awareness was a brilliant idea,” he said. “We aren’t being paid for the milk so that was a good use for it. We are dumping milk and at the same time there is a shortage in the supermarkets. It doesn’t make sense. We want to support the general public with food and look after the countryside, but we need an income to allow us to do that.”

Tina added: “We have been together 23 years and Clive and other farmers have always struggled to get a fair milk price. Now they are being paid barely nothing at all and are throwing milk away.

It’s heartbreaking to watch and the Government doesn’t seem to want to help. We are on a knife edge.

“We can’t furlough our cows and we need the Government to acknowledge we need help.

We can’t just produce less milk. We have a high performance herd and Clive has worked hard to get them where they are; you can’t just cut production when you have spent your life nurturing your livestock with the best care you can give them.”

Kent farmers have also been forced to throw milk away, with Peter Forknall, of Pleasant Farm, Chart Sutton near Maidstone spreading 10,000 litres on his fields as the crisis struck. He is already seriously considering his future and has sold milkers that he is not planning to replace. “If you aren’t making any money, there’s no point in doing it,” he commented.

Steve and Karen Reynolds, who own and run Kingcott Dairy at Iden Manor Farm, Staplehurst and keep 100 head of pedigree Holstein Friesian and Viking Reds, faced the same problem when milk was not collected. It had been destined for Freshways, the company that has been hit hardest by the lockdown-inspired contraction in the food service sector.

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5

NEWS

AHDB NEW

APPOINTMENT

Sarah Pumfrett has been named as independent board member of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and chair of its Audit and Risk Assurance Committee.

She replaces Will Lifford, who completed his term of office at the end of March, and will serve for three years.

This appointment is made by the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and ministers in the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive.

AHDB Chair Nicholas Saphir said: “Sarah has a vast amount of finance and audit experience and I’m delighted to welcome her to the AHDB Board.

“I would also like to thank Will Lifford for all his work and particularly his valuable contribution to the oversight of audit and risk assurance at AHDB over the past seven years.”

6

FROM TRACTORS TO FACE SHIELDS > Florent Le Guen, team leader

The South East’s Massey Ferguson owners can take pride in the fact that the company has switched from building tractors to making face shields to help during the coronavirus crisis.

While its manufacturing facilities are on hold, Massey is using its 3D printing facility in Beauvais, France, to create full face shields that will be donated to local community medical staff.

Parent company AGCO and Massey Ferguson responded to a request from a specially created French non-profit organisation “Les Visières de l’Espoir” – “Hope’s Face Shields”, which brought

together a network of France-based companies to respond to the immediate need for 13,000 face shields in 94 of the country’s hospitals and medical centres.

Massey’s new additive manufacturing (3D printing) activities were due to begin producing small series parts for its tractors from April this year, but with manufacturing put on hold by the virus outbreak, they have been used to print the frames for the face shields. The company has then assembled the shields using other components provided by other agencies and delivered them to medical staff.

TFA CALLS FOR COORDINATION The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) has lent its voice to calls for the Government to coordinate an emergency response to the dairy crisis.

While the TFA has said it welcomes the Government’s commitment to ensuring that businesses can weather the storm, it stressed: “We need to see how the Government will apply this to the dairy sector.”

Chief Executive George Dunn called on the Government to scrutinise what retailers are doing to ensure they are increasing sales of dairy products to satisfy enhanced retail demand.

Pointing out that there was enough supply in the sector to remove the need for retailers to limit purchases, he added: “There is an opportunity for retailers to provide a wide range of products to consumers who will be looking to recreate restaurant style experiences at home.

“Limiting the range of products available to consumers is neither helpful nor necessary at this time,” he said, while stressing: “Processors must not be put under undue pressure to fund promotions, to access shelf space or retain their

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

retail listing.”

Mr Dunn said the industry had to accept that not all of the output previously destined for the foodservice sector would find its way to consumers through retail and said the Government “must also intervene in the market to support volume reduction measures and remove surplus product”.

He went on: “Rather than placing stocks of milk into store, by converting it into butter, powder and cheese, the Government should coordinate the purchase of product to be redirected to the charitable sector including food banks and other relief efforts.

“This will ensure that everyone has access to good quality dairy products and we are not creating a situation where stocks are overhanging the market for when conditions are beginning to return to normal. Short-term volume reduction measures should also be considered as well as retirement options for those dairy farm businesses which may not consider that they have a future beyond the current crisis.”

NEWS

IR35 HELP US HELP YOU LOG MILK ISSUES TO

REFORMS

Both the NFU and the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) are encouraging farmers to log issues related to coronavirus so that it can give the Government a co-ordinated picture of exactly what challenges the industry is facing.

The NFU has launched an online service – available to all UK agriculture and horticulture businesses via www.nfuonline.com – that it hopes will “build a dynamic and up-to-date picture of the fast-moving impact of coronavirus on farmers and growers”.

It hopes it will “enable the NFU to collate information and inform ministers of the key issues arising from the outbreak and ensure farm business voices are heard from across the UK. The website will be signposted by government as part of its Covid-19 business support communications”.

RABDF is also urging producers affected by the crisis to submit an online daily account of their losses after DEFRA requested “accurate and credible supportive data” to back up the industry’s claims for support.

It wants producers to complete a survey at www.rabdf.co.uk/survey to allow it to produce a daily report for the industry and government

and highlight the severity of the situation and the speed at which it is changing.

Chairman Peter Alvis said: “The 17 April announcement by Government that the competition rules are being relaxed is a step in helping the industry work together and identifying how surplus milk in the supply chain can be rerouted. This survey will help that effort by building a clear picture of how many farmers are affected and the best options for dealing with oversupply.”

Dairy UK and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) are also working on identifying spare processing capacity, looking at how to stimulate demand and how production can be temporarily reduced.

Four leading shooting membership organisations have welcomed news that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has described a judicial review being brought by campaign group Wild Justice as ‘vexatious’ and ‘pointless’.

DEFRA has asked the court to refuse Wild Justice permission to bring the claim, which seeks to restrict gamebird releases, and is also asking to be awarded costs against the group.

The legal wrangle goes back to 2018, when Wild Justice began legal proceedings against the department, claiming it had failed to provide a proper mechanism to evaluate the impact of the annual release of pheasants and red-legged partridges on Natura 2000 sites which comprise Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) designated under the EU Habitats Directive and Special Protection Areas (SPAs) classified under the Wild Birds Directive.

The campaign group, which includes broadcaster Chris Packham CBE, conservationist Dr Ruth Tingay and environmental campaigner Dr Mark Avery,

applied for a judicial review of what it claimed was the government’s failure to heed its obligations under the Habitats Directive.

In September last year DEFRA conceded that the release of gamebirds could constitute a ‘plan or project’ and may require assessment under Article 6 of the Habitats Directive. It pledged to review measures in place for assessing the impact of the birds’ release on SPAs and SACs. Concerned at what it saw as a lack of progress since then, Wild Justice submitted a second ‘pre-action letter’ in the new year, with spokesman Dr Avery claiming at the time: “We started this legal challenge last July, DEFRA took two months to respond (mid-September) and now we are past mid-January and only six months from the time when gamebird releasing might start again.”

DEFRA, which has said it does not intend to

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A delay in bringing in new tax rules that may have affected larger businesses in the agricultural sector has been welcomed by the NFU. Reforms to the off-payroll working rules, known as IR35, were due to be extended to medium and large companies from the 2020-21 tax year but that date has now been put back to 6 April 2021.

The rules, which are aimed at making sure employees who are contracted through a limited company pay the same amount of tax as directly employed workers doing the same job, already apply to the public sector.

The reforms, announced in the 2018 Budget, make employers responsible for determining the tax status of contractors and ensuring that the right employment taxes are paid, placing an additional burden on businesses.

While likely only to affect a limited number of larger agricultural concerns, a spokesman for the NFU confirmed that the delay to the reforms – part of the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic – was welcome as it would give those companies an extra 12 months to prepare for the changes.

LEGAL WRANGLE

review the release of gamebirds this year because it was not “reasonable nor realistic to expect measures to be taken before summer/autumn 2020” has now hit back by asking the court to refuse permission to amend the judicial review.

A spokesperson for the four shooting membership organisations (BASC, Countryside Alliance, the Game Farmers’ Association and the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation), which are registered as interested parties in the case, said: “We welcome the fact that the Government has taken such a strong line in resisting this wholesale change of approach from Wild Justice.

“This judicial review is clearly misdirected in terms of the law and serves no purpose. Resources and expertise should be going towards reviewing gamebird releases, not unnecessary and pointless court cases.”

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7

NEWS

THREE CROP RULE DROPPED

The Government’s decision to drop the ‘three crop alarm bells were sounded by farmers in flooded areas. rule’ for farmers for 2020 has been warmly welcomed The rule was brought over from EU law when the UK by the NFU and by now-diversified West Sussex farmer left the EU on 31 January, and requires farmers managing Nick Adames. more than 30 hectares of arable land to grow at least three “This will make a hell of a difference to farmers different crops on that land. There are also requirements struggling with flooded fields who really don’t have for farmers with smaller holdings. the luxury of choosing what crops to plant on regularly NFU President Minette Batters said the move would saturated ground,” said Nick, who writes each month for “make a huge difference to the thousands of farmers in South East Farmer.

England who have faced months of relentless heavy rain, > Minette Batters “It was a rubbish rule when it was introduced by the EU waterlogging and flooding of fields which has left them in the first place and the sooner it’s dropped permanently the better. unable to plant and establish crops for 2020”.

“I have 150 acres on a farm in the Arun Valley near Pulborough, now let out, She added: “The unprecedented situation has meant farmers up and down which have been totally submerged three times this year. It’s impossible to the country have found it virtually impossible to have one crop in the ground, prepare it or do anything with it until it dries and this year it will only be suitable let alone three. Without a derogation they would have been forced down the for vegetables or maize as it will be too late for any decent spring cereals. bureaucratic ‘force majeure’ route that would require case by case assessments “Farmers will be delighted that the diversification requirements will be and needless paperwork.” dropped for this year and we can only hope that this is a catalyst for abandoning Ms Batters said that while the NFU had never been critical of the it altogether. It has always been difficult, especially for smaller holdings.” environmental intent of the EU-legacy scheme, it did not feel it had been applied Confirmation that the Government intended to relax crop diversification rules “with the flexibility needed to suit varying weather and farming situations in for this year was announced by Environment Secretary George Eustice after Britain.”

8

Farmers and growers have joined forces in a bid to inspire and educate children about food and where it comes from as a part of a new #LockdownLearning project.

Designed to take advantage of the fact that thousands of parents are now home-schooling their children in response to the coronavirus outbreak, the free, online resource has been developed by the NFU and the team of farmers at EatFarmNow. Backed by a host of well-known names including BBC Countryfile presenter and farmer Adam Henson, scientist and STEM ambassador Dr Jenna Ross and nutritionist Barbara Bray MBE, the site aims to provide “exciting educational farming activities for children while they are away from school, helping to build their knowledge of science and technology alongside learning all about food production”.

Online videos presented by the likes of Henson and TV presenter Jimmy Doherty, together with a strong social media presence, will show children how their food gets from farm to fork and will focus on different themes including horticulture, food and technology in agriculture.

Educational resources designed by the NFU’s education team of former teachers will be available for parents to use, as well as activities from other educational farming programmes.

NFU President Minette Batters said: “Many parents are now having to come up with a homeschooling plan for the first time and we wanted to provide an educational project that was fun and exciting for both children and parents.

“Our online resources are all about hands-on,

HOME EDUCATION INITIATIVE LAUNCHED

practical learning, using food and farming to help parents teach science, technology, engineering and maths, which are key topics in the national curriculum. A combination of videos, activities and challenges mean these resources have something for everyone.

“And with most children now learning from home, #LockdownLearning brings the world of food and farming, and the joy of being out in the countryside, to their very own living rooms and

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

kitchens and hopefully starts them on a journey where they recognise the importance of having a vibrant farming sector.”

Farmers and growers are being encouraged to post their own videos on social media using the #LockdownLearning hashtag The resources are online: www.eatfarmnow.com

NEWS KENT’S LAND ARMY A Maidstone mum with no background in farming was staggered by the “incredible” response she received after setting up a Facebook page aimed at matching people out of work with farmers and growers looking for labour.

Alicia Sharp set up the Kent’s Land Army page after hearing about the situation facing growers whose overseas workforce is unlikely to be able to travel to the UK this season because of the coronavirus crisis, compounding the expected shortage already caused by government restrictions on foreign labour.

“I was upset at the thought of all that produce staying in the ground,” she recalled. “Too much food goes to waste already and I couldn’t bear the thought of even more produce not being harvested.”

With the travel ban coinciding with many people across the country finding themselves furloughed or out of work as a result of the same health crisis, Alicia made the obvious connection and decided to put the potential workforce in touch with the desperate growers.

The result was astonishing, with around 6,000 people joining the page in just 48 hours. While most of the original joiners were people looking for work, growers were quick to join in, with many now posting information and enquiry line details on the page.

Alicia struck gold when one of the early joiners alerted Partners in Produce (PiP) owner and Fruit Show Chairman Sarah Calcutt, who volunteered her technical help and used her network contacts to help get the initiative up and running.

Sarah is providing support under the banner of the Rural Policy Group (RPG), an independent ‘think tank’ acting as an advocate for rural policy. The focus is Kent, although it has a widening remit to include the whole of the South East.

At the moment the RPG is looking closely at the shift towards home working prompted by the coronavirus lockdown, the short-term financial solutions and the long-term view on opportunities for rural businesses and their economic impact.

The RPG programme is supported by PiP and being taken forward in association with partners including Kent lawyers Whitehead Monckton and auditors and accountants MHA MacIntyre Hudson.

“This was an amazing initiative by someone who just wanted to help,” explained Sarah. “She doesn’t work in the industry and doesn’t stand to gain from this. She just couldn’t bear the thought of fruit rotting on the trees and so she did her bit.”

RPG chair Mark Lumsdon-Taylor added: “Rural business is built upon innovation and people – for years there have been conversations regarding the workforce required. Now we are acting, not just talking.”

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SHORT-TERM LABOUR

NOT LONG-TERM SOLUTION A major fruit grower has warned that the number of extra people looking for work as a result of the coronavirus crisis will not solve the industry’s likely staffing shortfall next year.

Kent grower A C Goatham and Son warned earlier this year of a “massive disruption” to the future supply of British fresh produce and to their business as a result of the Government’s plans for a new points-based immigration scheme.

Their concern that the planned cut in the number of seasonal harvest workers from overseas would not only harm the business but could see 400 million apples and pears go unpicked, was expressed just before the Covid-19 pandemic saw tens of thousands of people made redundant or furloughed.

But while many of those who suddenly found themselves out of work are reported to have signed up to work on British farms, A C Goatham Commercial Director Carol Ford pointed out that additional short term labour was not the solution to the long-term threat facing the industry.

“Nothing has changed in terms of our determination to persuade the Government to increase the number of seasonal workers able to help us harvest top fruit from 2021 onwards,” she said.

“After last year’s trial we were told as an industry that the number of European workers allowed in would increase to 10,000, but that is nowhere near the 70,000 we need to get the fruit off the trees and into the hands of consumers.

“Yes, it’s encouraging that some people are now seeing the opportunities on offer, but those people want jobs now, and they want full-time jobs to allow them to feed their families. Seasonal work - as the bulk of our vacancies start in three or four months’ time - is of no use to them, and the situation is likely to have changed by then anyway.”

Carol said Goatham’s were currently helping to highlight on social media the immediate job vacancies on offer from salad and soft fruit growers who needed staff now. “The one good thing that has come out of this is that people have realised that the industry pays well, but the seasonal nature of the work means it’s not suitable for everyone,” she added.

A C Goatham employs between 800 and 1,000 seasonal workers a year across its 25 farms in Medway and Kent, while seasonal work also supports hundreds of full time jobs at its Flanders Farm depot in Hoo. The original open letter sent to MPs and posted on the company’s website expressed the company’s “extreme disappointment and disbelief” with the planned immigration scheme due to come into effect in January 2021.

Pointing out that the plans could lead to a food ‘crisis’, the letter warned: “Put simply, without continued access to seasonal harvest workers we have no business, and our business is one that significantly contributes to the local and national economy, with a current annual gross value added (GVA) of £28.5m.”

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

9

NEWS

SHARING THE RISK 10

An innovative way of encouraging farmers to return to growing oilseed rape has been launched by plant breeder KWS. The company is offering a 50:50 oilseed rape risk mitigation scheme under which growers will only pay half of the usual costs associated with certified seed if the crop fails to establish in autumn 2020.

“We are sharing the risk of growing the crop by going halves with growers in recognition of the challenging issues we all face around the continuing production of oilseed rape in the UK,” explained KWS’ UK Oilseed Rape Manager Julie Goult.

The ban on Neonicotinoid seed dressings has had a major impact on oil seed rape farmers who have struggled since the 2013 ban to control cabbage stem flea beetles that eat the seedlings as they emerge from the ground.

The South East and East Anglia, which have historically grown much of the country’s oilseed rape, have been particularly badly hit. “All in all, the area of oilseed rape grown in the UK has gone down from around 750,000 hectares before the Neonicotinoid ban to 500,000 last year,” Julie explained.

As well as sharing the risk, KWS will be sharing its increasing knowledge base on how to grow the crop without using Neonicotinoids with farmers who take up the offer, building on the merchant’s oilseed establishment partnership (OEP) launched last year.

“It’s a statement of our belief in KWS varieties and also the increasing

Time is running out to enter this year’s CPRE Sussex Countryside Awards, designed to recognise and reward sustainable or low-carbon initiatives that “enrich and support the Sussex countryside”.

Individuals and groups are being invited to enter projects completed between December 2016 and January 2020 under three categories: • ‘Empowering Communities’ - recognising individuals who make an outstanding contribution towards conservation, biodiversity or climate change. The winner will be chosen by a public online vote.

• ‘Connecting People and the Countryside’ recognising community groups, local enterprises and schools whose projects and initiatives

knowledge building up on how to give oilseed rape crops the best possible start,” said Julie.

“Nobody is negating the very real problems many growers face in parts of the country, but equally we know there is a significant number of producers out there that recognise oilseed rape is still the best break crop option they have.

“We want to give these growers as much support as we can and work through the distributor trade to give them access to the most cost-effective genetics and the latest knowledge on crop establishment.”

The partnership will be available nationwide through a network of 12 merchants and seed suppliers with different variety options, Julie said.

“Essentially, growers will pay 50% of their oilseed rape seed costs up front and the second half of the payment will be waived if their crop does not establish,” she went on, adding: “We have all learned a lot in recent years about management factors such as drilling date, seedbed preparation and soil moisture content and the role they play in getting oilseed rape away safely in the autumn, so there is hope.

“OEP is our way of encouraging people to not lose faith in the crop, keep learning about how to grow it successfully with regard to their own farming situation and share expertise around this.”

Producers signing up for the scheme will also have access to the KWS OEP knowledge network, featuring email updates and other advice.

ENTER COUNTRYSIDE

AWARDS contribute to enhancing and protecting the countryside and encourage engagement with the natural world.

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

• ‘Promoting Nature and the Countryside’ recognising community groups and enterprises that deliver inspiring projects and initiatives that contribute towards a sustainable rural community and thriving countryside.

Director of CPRE Sussex Kia Trainor commented: “So many people make a positive contribution to the Sussex countryside and rural communities. Climate change and declining wildlife are real challenges and it is important to highlight the achievements of local individuals and groups.”

The Countryside Awards are presented every three years and this year’s deadline is 30 April. For further details see www.cpresussex.org.uk/awards The awards ceremony will be held on 14 October.

NEWS

NEW UK PARTS WAREHOUSE Claas customers and dealers have been reassured that the movement of parts from the manufacturer’s worldwide logistics centre in Germany to the UK and Ireland will not be affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The manufacturer, best known for its range of high-end combine and forage harvesters, has just opened its new Claas UK parts warehouse at Saxham in Suffolk, part of the second phase of the complete redevelopment of the Claas UK headquarters, now nearing completion.

The central UK Parts warehouse has replaced five individual buildings and has a floor area of 4,336 square metres, equivalent to 17 tennis courts, and could hold enough malting barley for 357 million pints of bitter.

Now under one roof, the new building can accommodate the 47,000 line items and 850,000 individual items held in stock by Claas UK, with space for future growth.

CNH Industrial Aftermarket Solutions, which provides parts, technical service and service excellence for the Case IH, STEYR and New Holland Agriculture brands, has also stressed that it is “working harder than ever to keep parts operations

up and running during the current situation”.

Explaining that “the clear target is supporting dealers in servicing the needs of farmers, and the health and safety of all involved is a key priority” it added that European parts depots were operating as usual, air freight deliveries across Europe had been increased “to guarantee short resolution times” and that dealer parts support and parts sales managers were working remotely throughout Europe “to ensure the same level of service while protecting the health and safety of all employees”. European dealers and technical support teams are also available and fully functional.

Investing In Our Future New Corrugated Curver

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NEWS

KENT FARM WINS

The owners of a Goudhurst farm shop who say they “literally dug the foundations and made the light fittings” were rewarded for their efforts at Produced in Kent’s Taste of Kent Awards 2020.

Steve, Chris and Suzie Kember, who have transformed Lower Ladysden Farm, picked up the Kent Farm Diversification of the Year Award, sponsored by South East Farmer and presented at a glittering black-tie dinner at the Kent Event Centre.

Bob Kember, Steve and Chris’ father, bought Lower Ladysden Farm in 1976, and after nearly 30 years of growing blackcurrants the family decided to diversify in a bid to transform the business.

Beginning with a few polytunnels of strawberries, the family added raspberries and later asparagus, one of the first in Kent to offer it as a ‘pick your own’ crop.

By 2011 Lower Ladysden Farm was open to the public for several months of the year and had also developed a healthy wholesale business.

By 2019, more polytunnels had seen the soft fruit season extended from eight to 20-plus weeks, and the farm now supplies more than 12 > South East Farmer’s Jamie McGrorty presents the award wholesale customers and over 20 local shops and restaurants. come for shopping, experiences, exercise, adventure and connecting with The real change of direction came in June last year when the Kembers TRACTOR &coff FA NCE opened their new farm and ee RM shop, a INSURA place where they say “families can where their food comes from”.

In their submission for the awards, the Kembers wrote: “The shop has been in development for five years and was built almost exclusively by family and friends to manage costs. We have literally dug our own foundations and TRACTORS MOTOR FARM made the light fittings; it has been a great family project and we are very Pickups, vans and lorries Sample Comprehensive If you want us to search proud of what we have achieved.” as well as private cars can Premiums from: THE FARMER’S INSURANCE BROKER SINCE 1982 for the most competitive be added to fleet policies rates, contact us for a The family’s hard work paid off, not just by winning them the Value: £3,000 from: quotation – Hundreds of MOTOR FARM TRACTORS Single Tractor: £107,31 diversification award but in business terms, with the average number of farmers have benefited On Fleet: £72,94 £159.00 Pickups, vans and lorries Sample Comprehensive If you want us to search from savings. customers per week increasing by 95% following the opening of the shop.

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NEWS An automated farm shop vending machine has come into its own as coronavirus fears have made shoppers increasingly wary of crowds and supermarkets.

The Egg Machine, just outside Ashford in Kent, was introduced by Doug Wanstall of J Wanstall & Sons, Bank Farm, Aldington, just over a year ago.

Then, it was a sign of the times, as the ‘honesty box’ system that had been used by customers to pay for eggs and other produce over many years was becoming a target for the less honest.

Now, the touch-free, refrigerated lockers that contain a selection of dairy produce, bacon, jams, eggs and even ready meals are providing a 24 houra-day lifeline to customers who would rather not risk visiting their local supermarket.

“The service has really taken off since the coronavirus crisis,” Doug explained. “It’s about as clean, easy and socially distanced as it’s possible to be. Once we put the products in the lockers they are sealed; no-one picks them up and puts them down again until the customer chooses them and they are released. Payment is by contactless card, so there is no money changing hands.”

The Egg Machine is also helping other local producers during the lockdown. Doug is expanding the range to include farm produce from nearby suppliers, and even stocked toilet rolls when they

WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF

HONESTY BOX SHOPPING were in short supply.

“We were looking for an alternative to the honesty box system when people began stealing the eggs, then the money and then the money and the eggs,” he explained. “I saw this system during a farming trip to Holland and realised it was the answer.”

The vending machine attracted a regular

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customer base, but with the advent of social distancing Doug promoted it once on social media, at which point it was ‘shared’ 900 times. “It took a virus for us to go viral,” he quipped. “It’s keeping us busy restocking it, it’s helping other local suppliers and it also means that vulnerable people can buy from us late at night or in the early hours when there is no-one about.”

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NEWS

BIGGEST COUNT TO DATE

14

The South East’s farmers brought out their bins and joined the rest of the country to make 2020’s Big Farmland Bird Count (BFBC) the biggest to date.

More than 1,500 farmers across the UK overcame challenging conditions caused by storms Ciara and Dennis to support the country’s conservation efforts by recording the bird life on their land.

They spotted more than 120 species across 1.4 million acres, while the number of returns nationwide was the highest recorded since the event was first held in 2014.

The BFBC was launched in 2014 to highlight the work done by farmers and gamekeepers in helping to reverse the decline in farmland birds. The count is a way of highlighting the effect of conservation work being done by farmers and gamekeepers.

IN HAMPSHIRE:

• 67 farmers took part, counting birdlife across 37,120ha (91,686 acres) • 28% were in an agri-environment scheme • Species counted: 77 • Red-listed species counted: 18 • Top five most-seen: Blackbird, great tit, blue tit, pheasant, wood pigeon.

IN ESSEX

• 42 farmers took part, counting birdlife across 10,374ha (25,624 acres) • 57% were in an agri-environment scheme • Species counted: 80 • Red-listed species counted: 18 • Top five most-seen: Blackbird, blue tit, magpie, pheasant, robin

IN SURREY

IN BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

IN KENT

IN BERKSHIRE

IN SUSSEX

IN OXFORDSHIRE

• 17 farmers took part, counting birdlife across 4,013ha (9,912 acres) • 65% were in an agri-environment scheme • Species counted: 61 • Red-listed species counted: 12 • Top five most-seen: Wood pigeon, robin, blackbird, magpie, buzzard

• 53 farmers took part, counting birdlife across 13,462ha (33,251 acres) • 30% were in an agri-environment scheme • Species counted: 76 • Red-listed species counted: 19 • Top five most-seen: Blackbird, wood pigeon, magpie, robin, blue tit

• 69 farmers took part, counting birdlife across 15,042ha (37,154 acres) • 49% were in an agri-environment scheme • Species counted: 84 • Red-listed species counted: 18 • Top five most-seen: Blackbird, wood pigeon, robin, magpie, pheasant

• 19 farmers took part, counting birdlife across 2,318ha (5,725 acres) • 37% were in an agri-environment scheme • Species counted: 66 • Red-listed species counted: 15 • Top five most-seen: Blackbird, blue tit, magpie, red kite, robin.

• 16 farmers took part, counting birdlife across 8,016ha 19,800 acres) • 56% were in an agri-environment scheme • Species counted: 63 • Red-listed species counted: 15 • Top five most-seen: Wood pigeon, blackbird, pheasant, red kite, robin

• 36 farmers took part, counting birdlife across 21,744ha (53,708 acres) • 50% were in an agri-environment scheme • Species counted: 69 • Red-listed species counted: 15 • Top five most-seen: Blackbird, wood pigeon, pheasant, red kite, robin.

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

Since the two weekends of this year’s count coincided with storms Ciara and Dennis, organisers the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT), agreed to extend the count window by a week following calls from hundreds of farmers who wanted to take part but couldn’t do so.

An impressive 25 red-listed species were recorded, with nine of those featuring in the 25 most-commonly seen species. Fieldfares, starlings, linnets and lapwings were the four most abundant red-listed species recorded, with more than 67,000 seen in total, equating to 24% of all species spotted. The five most abundant birds seen were wood pigeons, starlings, lapwings, black-headed gulls and rooks.

“The fact that we received a record-breaking number of count returns, despite Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis wreaking havoc for many farm businesses, is remarkable,” said Roger Draycott, GWCT head of advisory, who co-ordinated this year’s count.

“This highlights the commitment of farmers not only to undertake farm wildlife conservation measures but also to record and evaluate the benefits of this vital conservation work.”

The GWCT believes the focus on delivering public goods in the Government’s future Environmental Land Management scheme makes it essential that farmers understand what is on their farms.

Nationally, half the participants were in some form of agri-environment scheme, while 36% of farmers taking part were providing some form of extra seed feed for birds, either through growing wild bird seed mixes or by providing additional grain using scatter feeding or hoppers.

Every county in England was represented in the count, with Norfolk sending in the most returns (129) for the second year running. This was followed by Wiltshire with 68 and Hampshire and Suffolk with 67 each.

The event was sponsored by the NFU for the second year running.

BACK IN THE

SPOTLIGHT The former Deputy Principal of the Hadlow Group, Mark LumsdonTaylor, has returned to the spotlight as chair of the new Rural Policy Group (RPG).

Lumsdon-Taylor, who resigned from the group, which has been under investigation by the Further Education Commissioner and the Education and Skills Funding Agency, played a prominent part in the first RED (Rural Economic Development) talk organised by the RPG.

IMPRESSIVE LINE-UP

The successful online conference – simply entitled ‘Cash’ – was supported by delegates representing a wide range of rural industries including dairy, arable, horticulture and food production.

The conference, which understandably focused on helping farmers and growers deal with the financial fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, was chaired by National Fruit Show Chair and Partners in Produce founder Sarah Calcutt, the driving force behind the RPG. An impressive line-up of speakers included Jonathan Geldart, Director General of the Institute of Directors.

Lumsdon-Taylor told the online participants: “At a time when the food chain is critical, the voice of food and farming needs to be debated in a fresh and effective way.”

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CASH MANAGEMENT

Sarah Dodds, National Lead for Agriculture with MHA MacIntyre Hudson, gave just one example of the kind of cash crisis facing the rural economy, highlighting the fact that while holiday lets and glamping sites were closed for an indefinite period, capital debts still had to be repaid. There was a need to “cut costs and do things differently,” she said.

Her colleague James Lawson added: “At the present time, considered cash management should be a fundamental focus for all. Where applications for interruption finance are contemplated, owners and management teams should be prepared to demonstrate the underlying financial health of a business prior to the pandemic and to set out a financial and strategic plan of how the funding will facilitate survival and a return to growth.”

The next RED talk will focus on healthcare, beginning at noon on 30 April.

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HADLOW GROUP LATEST

Further Education Commissioner Richard Atkins recommended that the various campuses that made up the troubled Hadlow Group should be transferred to other providers after the group was declared insolvent last year.

The group’s Mottingham Campus was taken over by Capel Manor at the start of the year and on 1 April West Kent and Ashford College’s Ashford College and Hadlow’s Canterbury outposts moved over to the East Kent Colleges Group.

Hadlow College’s home campus, along with West Kent and Ashford College’s Tonbridge facility and Princess Christian’s Farm are due to be taken over by North Kent College, with completion of that move expected at the end of May. The investigation into the former leaders of the college is now being led by the Insolvency Service, a government agency.

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LEGAL DIARY

16

In my line of work, I often see first hand the difficulties which employers can face when they have employed friends and relatives but have failed to document the employment relationship formally.

Things usually start well initially. At the outset, those involved trust and understand each other and everyone is focussed on the same business goals. There are many benefits to working with those you know. You are already aware of their strengths and weaknesses. They know yours. You communicate well. You are automatically going to be a winning team.

Things can be fine for many years when suddenly, out of the blue, a problem arises. There can be a multitude of reasons for things going wrong. Maybe, it’s a dispute over annual leave or a change in the dynamics of the business, perhaps because someone key leaves or passes away. There may be a difference of opinion about the direction of the business. Alternatively, people often fall out about something fairly minor, perhaps something personal, which then spirals out of control.

Sometimes people change allegiances due to a divorce or a new relationship.

It is so often the case that where those employed were friends or family, no one sought to formalise arrangements in any way and there is no contract of employment. When things are going well, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to spend the time or money putting the documentation in place. It can also feel awkward making such formal arrangements with a family member or a friend you have known for years. The problem is that where things do go wrong and sometimes they do, a fierce dispute can ensue about what exactly the terms are. Such disputes can end up in the Employment Tribunal.

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Getting things right from the start Sometimes things are less serious but it would be helpful to have arrangements clearly documented.

For example, you may need to manage performance or to manage what appears to be an attendance or punctuality issue. Having clear contracts, job descriptions and policies will allow you to navigate such issues with less risk of bad feeling.

Have you thought about what happens when someone goes off on long term sick leave? It can be really difficult to know what to do but also, long term sickness can place a massive strain on a small business. Having robust employment policies in place will always help you to manage difficult situations fairly. Robust policies are also likely to help you to avoid the risk of costly and time

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

consuming Employment Tribunal proceedings.

Indeed, employers are legally obliged to provide a Written Statement of Employment Particulars (akin to a basic contract of employment) to all workers. This applies to all employees, there is no exception for friends and family. In addition to this, I would always advocate having a number of clear employment policies in place for your business.

Ultimately, having clear documentation to govern the working relationship is good for everyone. It’s much better all round if everyone knows where they stand. A level of formality reminds everyone that whilst there may be important familial relationships and friendships, this is after all a business arrangement.

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Associate Solicitor, Employment Specialist, Whitehead Monckton T: 01580 767525 E: louisepurcell@whitehead-monckton.co.uk www.whitehead-monckton.co.uk

FINANCE

WHEN ‘NORMAL’ RETURNS I was hoping to use this article to talk about all of the opportunities which now lie ahead for farmers and businesses in the agricultural, horticultural and forestry sector as the weather dries out (finally), spring takes a firm hold, lambing and calving begins, we all put Brexit trade worries behind us and we get out and about to key events such as Agri South in May, to chat about the year ahead.

Unfortunately, as the coronavirus and the restrictions to contain it take a firmer hold, we are once again waiting for some level of normality to return to the sector and to the economy. I suspect most events will be on hold till late summer/autumn and further measures to restrict movements will be announced. At least with the technology available to us many of us can work remotely and we are still on hand to carry on and provide the advice and support which farm businesses need at this crucial time.

As the Government announces daily the different measures to help businesses and individuals, farmers will no doubt be left to keep calm and carry on farming. There is some certainty about what lies ahead financially as we reflect on the recent Budget and some of the key announcements that were made which affect the sector.

From a sector perspective, Rishi Sunak’s first Budget was probably a lesser concern than the poor weather we had endured up to the end of February, ongoing concerns over trade deals and access to critical staff and seasonal workers. The Budget and subsequent announcements, did however include a number of matters relevant to Agriculture.

INHERITANCE TAX RELIEFS

It was pleasing to see that there were no changes proposed concerning the key reliefs of Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR), despite pre budget concerns. It still seems likely that these reliefs will be reviewed in the not too distant future.

REDUCTION IN THE LIFETIME ALLOWANCE FOR ENTREPRENEURS’ RELIEF

The current £10 million limit has been reduced with immediate effect to £1 million. Treasury justification for this is the fact that the increased limit has had little impact on entrepreneurial activity. This will have a significant impact on the tax cost on live development projects. In the longer term this may increase the impact of rollover money on competition for the limited supply of land and may also have an impact on the value of development land, as owners look to pass on an element of the increased tax cost.

REMOVING THE ENTITLEMENT TO USE RED DIESEL

This measure is intended to be implemented from April 2022 but it is not expected to impact on agriculture, horticulture and forestry. Other sectors will be consulted and additional exemptions could be available.

EMPLOYMENT ALLOWANCE AND STATUTORY SICK PAY

The current employment allowance of £3,000 per annum will be increased to £4,000 per annum, for qualifying employers.

Employers with less than 250 staff will also be eligible to get relief for a maximum of two weeks statutory sick pay, per employee. This measure is

©Cubankite / Shutterstock.com

directly targeted to reduce the impact of coronarvirus and the associated selfisolation measures.

STRUCTURES AND BUILDINGS ALLOWANCE

With immediate effect, the rate of relief for new structure and buildings, is increased from 2% to 3%. This relief is akin to the old Agricultural Buildings Allowance and covers elements of qualifying buildings not eligible for more enhanced reliefs.

TAPER RELIEF CHANGES FOR PENSION CONTRIBUTIONS With effect from April 2020 the two tapered annual allowance thresholds will be increased by £90,000, meaning that individuals with an income below £200,000 will not have a tapered annual allowance for pension contribution purposes. The rates of relief also remain unchanged.

LOANS AND GRANTS

Various grants and a government backed loan scheme are also being introduced as part of the post Budget support enhancements.

With additional support measures and technical clarifications being issued on a daily basis, and given the timescales of drafting and publishing, catching up with your key advisors on strategic issues will be crucial to ensuring matters are structured in an efficient manner and relevant support measures are utilised.

We have a dedicated section on our website with the latest information and advice for businesses and links which show where to find further information to help you to stay up to date www.krestonreeves.com/coronavirus Farming can be a solitary business but we are all here to help keep your business operations running smoothly and we are available for a chat or a video call if we can’t get to you in person due to the various restrictions.

In the longer term, we can only hope that the current issues around food security, may help increase support for UK agriculture and horticulture.

Simon Budden

Director of Agriculture at Kreston Reeves T: 0330 124 1399 E: simon.budden@krestonreeves.com www.krestonreeves.com

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17

MONICA AKEHURST AT THE KITCHEN TABLE

> Some of the planting team

> Sunrise, lambing has started

> The trees are now flourishing

I HADN’T FULLY UNDERSTOOD THE AMOUNT OF WORK INVOLVED!

18

The mud has now turned to concrete. We’ve changed from moaning about too much rain to a desperate plea for an April shower. Rain was forecast, so my other half rushed out and spread a little fertiliser to ‘wake up’ the grass. He promised me this would provide adequate growth to enable the ewes to make plenty of milk for their lambs, but not enough to give them magnesium deficiency! But the rain didn’t materialise.

Our new hedging plants also need water. It’s ironic that our tree planting and fencing project had been delayed due to wet ground conditions. It wasn’t until the end of March that we managed to plant out 2,300 native whips, comprising hazel, alder, hawthorn, hornbeam, beech, willow, field maple and holly plants.

We secured some funding from the ‘National Grid visual impact provision – landscape enhancement initiative’ since the Dungeness to Bolney line of pylons crosses our farm. These were built in 1965. I remember seeing a workman, perched up high on the pylon, take off his jacket and throw it down. Initially I thought he was falling and was petrified. While some might say pylons are unsightly, over time you get used to them. We all use electricity.

Ripping out hedges to make field sizes larger was, not so long ago, called ‘progress’. Times change. I like the idea of planting hedges, but when I signed

> Family labour

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

up to do so, I hadn’t fully understood the amount of work involved! Luckily our household numbers have swelled as family members returned home before lockdown. We’ve made best use of this influx. It’s been fun, with everyone joining in, including the grandchildren and dogs, although their ‘help’ tends to be less constructive, more destructive.

Our resident horticulturist, Hannah, took charge, ordering plants, directing operations, measuring and setting up. We planted the whips in a staggered double row 40cm apart with a minimum of six plants per metre. We had two spade diggers, with the rest of us deployed watering, planting, putting in canes and applying the biodegradable rabbit guards. The dogs enjoyed digging holes, while George (20 months old) did quality control, mostly removing guards or strutting around with canes.

Adam Winter Contracting did a great job putting up some sturdy fences to protect our handiwork. I was particularly impressed by the staple gun they used; it’s so efficient. But maybe that’s because when I’m stapling, I’m lucky if one hit in three connects with its target, and then there’s the time wasted looking for errant staples that are playing hide and seek in the grass. I’m so glad we called in the professionals; money well spent. This year there will be no worrying about escaping sheep.

Alarmingly, the ground around one hedge developed dry cracks and we

> Adam using stapling machine

> Smart fences

realised that nature wasn’t going to co operate, so we needed a watering strategy. Now that operational grandfather rights for spraying no longer apply, we have a redundant sprayer. This can quickly be filled and dispenses water at a fast rate, requiring one tractor driver and one person to direct a wide bore pipe towards the plant roots. To help retain this moisture, we applied up to 1000-plus “bums’ worth” of sheep daggings on the ground around the plants, to help give them extra protection and provide some natural nitrogen. They are now flourishing.

Other half, myself and the spaniels have moved into our annexe, while the rest of the family has taken over the farmhouse. The Londonites, who are moving, arrived looking pale, accompanied by children with streaming colds.

Country living has visibly improved their health. While we were busy worming cattle, I was amused when my son-in-law, James, got shouted at for being in the wrong place at the wrong time! We should probably cut him some slack, considering that his normal day job was in Kensington and Chelsea council offices.

I asked James how he was enjoying life on the farm. His reply was surprisingly positive. He said he liked learning new skills and tractor driving, and that it was good to have a purpose during lockdown. It improves physical fitness; he’s done a lot of digging (breaking two spades) and faced new challenges like catching wayward sheep and how to hold a calf while tags are applied. He’s been building up muscle power, bagging up and feeding corn. He’s appreciating the fresh air and space while topping up his tan.

Camaraderie while working with family is fun. He now knows that you do not cut rhubarb but pull it. He’s cooked us some tasty meals and he’s learned that spicy/hot dishes are not popular with the boss.

> Tree planting

> Family planting team in action

It’s traditional to have Easter egg hunts, but beware as sadly there are some people who are going on hunting expeditions of a different variety.

On Good Friday afternoon I was in the shed connecting up a particularly dopey lamb that we’d had to bring inside when a white van swooped into our yard with three lads sitting in the front, all with their eyes peeled. Their excuse was that they were seeking used batteries. We asked them to leave and Nigel noted down their registration. Next day we heard that overnight a quad bike had been stolen locally; we passed on our information and the bike was found at their premises. These people infuriate me. No thought about the lockdown.

Calving is almost finished and we’ll be keen to turn out soon. Spring sowing is done. Lambing is happening now. There would be no time for socialising even if it were allowed. But we are missing our eldest daughter, a paediatric intensive care nurse, who is on ‘lambing leave’ but unable to come home.

Instead she is training NHS staff in the O2 centre how to use ventilation equipment. My heartfelt thanks go to all NHS staff for all they are doing.

A. Winter Contracting

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19

RICHARD WOOD PUTTING DOWN THE GAVEL

COMMON SENSE LOST

THE WILL TO LIVE

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I read an interesting article in The Times sent to me by a client and friend, who like me, is really worried about the volume of selfish people in this country. Witness the hordes who have ignored the Government’s advice on social separation. Witness the households with piles of unused stockpiled food overflowing their dustbins.

It began: “Today we mourn the passing of a beloved friend Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as – knowing when to come in from the rain – why the early bird catches the worm – life isn’t always fair – and maybe it was my fault.”

The piece goes on to detail the many ways in which Common Sense has been put to the sword over the years and explain how it finally gave up the will to live, concluding: “Not many attended his funeral because so few realised he was gone. If you still remember him – think about it. If you do not, join the majority and do nothing.”

On a lighter and more current note I have found it increasingly difficult to watch the early morning news, as it appears to be pretty much a repetition of the previous day’s offering. However, the Labour Party has a fresh and welcome look to it, the only downside being that we have lost the opportunity to witness Diane Abbott crunching out numbers.

I attended Ashford Market for the first two weeks following the lockdown and it felt odd and eerie to witness a very decent penning of stock of all classes with only registered buyers in attendance. It was comforting to know that the

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PRISON LABOUR

auction system was still paving the way and set the benchmark for deadweight offerings in very uncertain circumstances. I am pleased to say my local auction consistently performed above expectations.

I feel, however, particularly sad for those ruralbased businesses whose trade has ground to a halt and which look very vulnerable. Pubs, garden centres, local garages, riding centres and local tradesmen, to name but a few; fingers crossed that they will all recover. I am rubbish at sowing seeds and can’t wait to purchase some decent plants from our local garden centre to set out in June/July.

Management and I have just celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary with isolation and a bottle of Bollinger! I convinced her that my original plan had been to hire the Albert Hall.

My best wishes to all farmers, growers, their suppliers and customers and all those affiliated to the rural community.

Sir, Just read your Opinion article in the April issue. I emailed DEFRA and suggested that prison labour could help with harvesting It probably fell on ‘DEFRA Ears’ ! Sounds as though the Ministry of Justice needs to get its act together (with early release) as well.

When my father was farming in Buckinghamshire in the 1950s, I remember a coachload of prisoners (plus one warder) coming out to the farm to lift the potato and root crops (mangolds, swedes, etc.) They were ‘trusties’ (non violent criminals) nearing the end of their sentences.

They came for many years until dad retired in 1960. They also helped in the spring with hoeing the root crops and kale. They clearly enjoyed the back-breaking work out in the open air and were quietly rewarded at the end of the day with fruit cake from mum and cigarettes from dad.

In the 1960s, I went off in a very different direction and had a full career in the Royal Navy, but I still remember those days, as a lazy teenager, driving the tractor and letting everyone else do the hard work.

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ANITA HEAD ORGANISED CHAOS Well... who knew that life could change so radically in such a short space of time?

There had been great excitement in our household for my brother’s impending visit from the States. Fortunately or unfortunately, plans changed at the eleventh hour. Mr Trump decided to exclude Europe and it was only a matter of time before that included the UK. Coronavirus had hit. No trip across the pond for him. Plans cancelled from every angle. Life would change exponentially. Farm life continues as normal, but for the children and me life has changed unrecognisably.

School finished on 20 March and home schooling began. I have huge admiration for all school teachers.

I’ve now confirmed why I had no desire to become a teacher. The children have had virtual lessons online and have had registration at their usual time. The only difference is they finish 45 minutes earlier as they have prep to do in their own time.

They have adapted so well to home schooling; I would even go as far as to say that they are enjoying it. It’s rather tough at times and they have to be very self-disciplined. It has certainly been character building. The schools have been fantastic; not only have the lessons been live (provided the internet is working), but the help and communication from them has been excellent.

The only lesson exception has been PE, and I believe the children have lots of physical exercise at home. We decided not to send them in to school although they would have qualified for “key worker” status, as I started to work from home permanently and have made no on-farm visits since.

Lockdown began in earnest on 23 March. No going out for the general public except for an hour’s exercise a day. Our footpaths have almost been overcrowded. It’s worse than the M25 in rush-hour.

The final touch was a cyclist who came biking down the drive at a rate of knots and was inches from knocking Edward flying on his battery powered Gator. No apologies, no hand signals; he carried on regardless. I have to confess to reading the riot act in no uncertain terms.

I am sure that by the time you read this we shall be entering a further period of lockdown to try to combat this awful virus. Filling up with diesel or daring to venture into a shop fills me with dread.

I can liken it to being a leper. The orderly queue outside our supermarkets was a sight to behold. As for the panic buying; why, oh why? Being limited to two of the same products is quite a challenge when there are six of us, including three strapping farmers all of whom could eat for England. I can assure you that nine toilet rolls and two loaves of bread don’t go far in our household.

How did the outbreak start? It is believed to have been at a “wet market” in Wuhan, China, which sold both dead and live animals including fish and birds. Such markets pose a heightened risk of

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LIFE HAS CHANGED

UNRECOGNISABLY

viruses jumping from animals to humans. Hygiene standards are difficult to maintain if live animals are being butchered on site. They are also very densely packed.

The animal source of the outbreak is thought to have been bats. Bats are known virus carriers; in fact, because they live in such close proximity to each other, bats carry more viruses than any other mammal, so could anyone enlighten me as to why bats are a protected species?

A trip to the market to deliver some calves was the highlight of our Easter holiday outings. No pony club, swimming etc. No market breakfast and no venturing out of the truck. A drop and run service was in operation.

We have found so much to entertain us at home and we have all come to realise how lucky we are to live in such beautiful countryside. I came across a message on Facebook this morning that said: “The planes have stopped; the cars have stopped and the world has pretty much stopped. Funnily enough the pollution and C02 levels have dropped dramatically. Farmers haven’t stopped, they are still getting up to milk the cows, cattle are still being fed and the lambing sheds are in full swing. Crops are being drilled, yet the C02 has dropped. Maybe agriculture isn’t quite as bad as the media portrays it, maybe the world isn’t going to end because our livestock fart! Agriculture is actually going to be the one thing that saves us when this country needs feeding. Importing avocados, coconut milk, tropical fruits and anything else that is out of season is not sustainable for the future”.

Hopefully one thing to come out of this is that we realise as a society that we need to produce and manufacture at home and be far less reliant on imports. Two-thirds of the world’s antibiotics come from China; are scenarios like this really sensible?

Every industry or person involved in food production has risen to the challenge of providing for the nation. The pandemic has changed consumer behavior. For now, demand in the retail sector is

high, while the food service sector is almost closed down. Producers are adapting to these market demands at great speed. Long may it continue. We can only hope that consumers continue to “buy local” and remember how hard everybody worked to keep the cupboards stocked in a crisis.

I have huge admiration for all the ‘Key workers’ in this country and of course the NHS which is proving to ‘come into its own’. Each and every member of staff, from cleaners to consultants, deserves a medal. I would hope that events like Sport Relief and Comic Relief would be prepared to fundraise for the NHS. Goodness only knows how long it will take to pay for all the costs associated with Covid-19.

One of the many good things that have come about from Covid-19 has been that our vegan activists have been rather quiet of late. When I sat down to write this article, I convinced myself that I wouldn’t go off at a tangent on Covid-19/ coronavirus. Well, I do apologise for having a rant!

Life on the farm continues at its usual manic pace.

Spring drilling has been finished and the crops appear to be growing well. The grass is looking good but could do with a drink; did I really say that?

– although not too much as first cut silage won’t be long.

With no school run to do, we have completed a whole list of farm/house jobs that require attention. We have a string of ponies/horses that are competition fit and have no party to go to.

The sheep have finished lambing and all went well. Lambing percentages would appear to have increased this year. The goats have finished kidding and the cows are milking well.

Stay safe.

ANITA HEAD Farmer

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

21

OUT AND ABOUT WITH NIGEL AKEHURST

A DREAM COME TRUE Nigel Akehurst visits an ambitious young couple whose mission is to turn a smallholding into a community farm.

Fanfield Farm is a 3.5 acre ecological organic smallholding run

by Emily Huskins and her husband Chris, who grow and produce vegetable boxes for Arlington and the surrounding areas of East Sussex.

Emily and Chris bought the 3.5 acre smallholding in November last year after going through a rigorous application process with the Ecological Land Co-operative (ELC), which received planning permission to turn the land into three ecological smallholdings in August 2018.

Up until November of last year the young couple were urban farmers in Southampton, growing veg and salad part-time to sell at farmers’ markets.

They fell in love with the idea of running their own smallholding and jumped at the opportunity to apply for one of the smallholdings advertised by the ELC. The ELC application process comprised a phone interview, submission of a

comprehensive business plan and a final four-hour interview with four directors.

Emily said part of the attraction was the communal way of working with two other farms on the site – a similar-sized, 4.5 acre smallholding focusing on flowers and heritage veg called Aweside Farm and an 8.5 acre plot which was, at the time of writing, still vacant.

“The ELC were clear they didn’t want three identical Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) veg box-based businesses on site, which is why they have different sized plots suited to a diversity of farming enterprises,” explained Chris.

When they found out that their application had been successful, “it was like a dream come true” said Emily. They moved onto the land at the end of November and are living in a static caravan. They instantly fell in love with the land and surrounding area – but it’s not all been plain sailing.

22

>> > No

dig beds

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

FANFIELD FARM, EAST SUSSEX FOUR NAMED STORMS AND A PANDEMIC

“Storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge destroyed almost everything we’d done in the first two months,” said Emily. “We are now in a global pandemic - it does feel like someone doesn’t want us to be here.”

“However, the way things are at the moment it’s shown the importance of having a local food network that doesn’t rely on importing vegetables or on big supermarkets,” Chris pointed out.

Since the storms, Emily and Chris have made good progress gearing up for the growing season – rebuilding their shed, creating no-dig beds and erecting two polytunnels.

MARKETING BACKGROUND AND LOW COST OF LIVING

In addition to their fledgling farm business, Emily and Chris run a marketing agency supporting small businesses with digital marketing and helping them with branding, website design and social media.

While this provides a useful income stream, the pandemic has seen all of their contracts either paused or cancelled, although as Chris pointed out, this has at least allowed them to put all their effort into “getting the farm up and running”.

They are also thankful that the cost of living on the land is unbelievably low.

“We are on a rent to buy scheme, with very low mortgage payments, allowing us to put the majority of our capital into the farm,” said Emily. >>

23 > Emily

and Chris Huskins with Lexie in front of their caravan

FARM FACTS • Newly established 3.5-acre ecological organic smallholding on an Ecological Land Cooperative community farm in Arlington, East Sussex • Growing a wide variety of organic veg using old hand tools and agroecological methods • Running a local organic veg box scheme • Supporting farmers’ markets: coming soon to Lewes, East Dean, Framfield, Hailsham, Heathfield, Uckfield and more.

• Open days and volunteer days coming soon • Crowd funding via Crowdfunder website to pay for tools and improve facilities to help turn it into a community farm.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

OUT AND ABOUT WITH NIGEL AKEHURST THE ECOLOGICAL LAND COOPERATIVE (ELC) The ELC is a cooperative on a mission to provide affordable opportunities for ecological land-based businesses in England and Wales. It supports rural regeneration by developing sites for farming, forestry and other rural enterprises that are viable and of benefit to the environment.

In essence, the ELC purchases land with the help of investors and then sub-divides it into a number of ecological residential smallholdings to create the necessary conditions for those seeking to pursue land-based livelihoods.

24

Once planning permission is granted, the cooperative sells (on a 150-year lease) or rents the smallholdings to new entrants to ecological agriculture at an affordable rate and monitors the holdings’ performance against the detailed, whole-site ecological management plan.

<< FAMILY FARMING CONNECTION While both Emily and Chris are first generation farmers themselves, Chris has fond memories of family visits to his great aunt’s dairy farm in Worksop, near Sheffield. It was named Fanfield Farm, but when she died the land was sold off for housing and the site re-named. Chris, though, was keen to keep the memory alive and so the couple decided to use the name for their new smallholding.

His great aunt also left Chris her series 3 Landrover, which is now used as their main farm vehicle.

LOCAL ORGANIC VEG BOX SUBSCRIPTIONS

With the majority of local farmers’ markets shut due to the lockdown, Emily and Chris have been focusing their efforts on building up their veg box subscriptions and have seen sales rocket in the past few weeks as a result of shortages in supermarkets.

This year they are starting small and focusing on supplying 30 to 35 weekly customers, delivering small, medium and family-sized boxes to the door in local villages and towns from June onwards, with a longer-term plan to grow this to 150 or 200 boxes in the future.

Their land was also recently certified by the Soil Association, so all the vegetables will be organic, with boxes containing everything from tomatoes to carrots, salad to kale, potatoes to onions, broccoli to courgettes and plenty in between.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

Despite the challenging weather and economic conditions, the couple has received a warm

The ELC pilot site, Greenham Reach in Devon, was granted a five-year temporary permission in 2013, with three families moving on to develop their livelihoods and then all going on to apply for permanent permission in 2018. The ELC is delighted with the project’s progress to date and sees it as an example of small-scale, lowimpact land use in the UK. Since then another four sites have been bought, with Arlington the second to have steward farmers on the land.

For more information: www.ecologicalland.coop MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

welcome to the area from other local farmers like Abby and Thad from Peapod Veg in Hailsham, who have offered useful local tips, like how to get hold of free green compost.

The ELC has also been really supportive, with membership and engagement officer Oliver Bettany turning up with snacks and words of encouragement.

“It’s also been heartening to have Sinead and Adam from Aweside farm on site and going on the same journey as us,” said Chris.

The couple is also part of a pilot scheme run by the Land Workers’ Alliance, which has allowed them to access mentorship from established Brighton based CSA growers Fork and Dig it, who support Emily and Chris and fellow mentees Stonelynk Organics based in Hastings.

In addition they find online forums a useful source of information, with market gardening groups on Facebook providing a helpful place to ask questions and pick up tips.

GROWING WITH OLDER HAND TOOL METHODS, NO DIG AND POLYTUNNELS

“Growing with the older hand tool methods means we don’t need huge tractors or 100 acres of land,” said Emily.

“This means we can get the food to your plate fresher and faster, whilst improving the soil we grow in and keeping our carbon footprint as low as possible.”

This year Fanfield Farm is growing lettuces, tomatoes, cucumbers, courgettes, peppers, carrots,

FANFIELD FARM, EAST SUSSEX spinach, watercress, green beans, runner beans, leeks, chard, kale, garlic, potatoes, onions and more.

They are growing on 30m by 75cm no-dig beds because these “allow you to reach all the way across and carry out the majority of tasks with simple, standardised tools,” Emily explained.

The idea of no-dig, as the name suggests, is not to disturb the soil and to build up the organic matter and let the worms do the hard work. Because they are working heavy clay soil, though, they broad forked the existing pasture to aerate it and then laid cardboard to suppress any weeds before covering it with green compost.

The beds are divided into different garden areas and they have two 15m by 5m polytunnels. Tunnel one has four 15m beds and the second one has just one bed used mainly for cucumbers – as they don’t do well in the same tunnel as tomatoes – and for seed propagation.

At the time of writing Emily and Chris were in the process of skinning their tunnels and moving their 1,500 seedlings out of their caravan into tunnel number two.

CROWD FUNDING CAMPAIGN

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OUT AND ABOUT WITH NIGEL AKEHURST

26

<< they have recently launched a crowd-funding campaign on the website Crowdfunder.

“This project isn’t about us - it’s about great food, a real sense of our community and the future of our children and their children,” said Emily.

Chris pointed out that the UK farming and food production scene really needs to change; he believes we need to produce healthier foods and return our farms to being the central hub of our communities.

“Bigger than that, we need to preserve our soils, our environment and our climate for generations to come,” added Emily.

Readers can check out the Fanfield Farm campaign via the following link: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ building-an-organic-community-farm-in-eastsussex Local supporters can directly benefit from food on the table, while the fund-raising campaign also offers t-shirts, reusable mugs, farm tours, no-dig courses and even a holiday for people who contribute.

To date the campaign has raised nearly £3,000.

It hit the initial target of £2,000 on day two after winning £1,000 of match funding from NatWest for being a female-led business. The target has now been increased to £4,000, which will enable the couple to improve the wildlife habitat on the farm and double the size of their pond.

ANIMALS

Apart from their two rescue kittens Fruit and Veg and Labrador pup Lexie, Emily and Chris plan to start a flock of egg-laying chickens. They have electric fencing set up so that they can move the chickens around the farm and improve the gardens in a rotation, but they have since discovered

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

that everyone has panic bought chickens in the pandemic – so the normal suppliers don’t have any.

They also have plans to build a ‘chick chariot’ or a ‘chickshaw’, a simple design for a chicken house with nest boxes and perches on wheels that can easily be moved around.

Chris added: “we also want to keep a couple of goats and some Kunekune pigs, which aren’t as prone to digging everything up.”

SOCIAL MEDIA

With social media playing an increasingly important role in communicating for us all I found Chris’s YouTube farm tours particularly useful to get more of a sense of the farm, as I wasn’t able to visit in person (find these at www.fanfield.farm under the blog section). They will also be recording videos containing advice on how people can grow their own food.

The couple is also active on Facebook and Instagram and has a newsletter, all helping them stay in touch with their growing community of supporters both locally and further afield.

FUTURE PLANS

With so much happening all at once, Emily and Chris are focusing on the present day to day – getting their poly tunnels skinned and improving the facilities to make it more community friendly for when the government eases the current lockdown.

In the longer term they hope to be able to demonstrate that it is possible to generate enough income to pay one of them a full time minimum wage, which would then enable them to apply for permanent planning permission to build an agricultural dwelling on their land.

ACCOUNTANCY

HELP FOR RURAL BUSINESSES

IMPACTED BY COVID-19 The Government is under mounting pressure to announce ‘rural proofed’ support packages for businesses in the countryside impacted by the coronavirus. According to the Countryside Alliance some rural businesses risk being overlooked for help.

The group said rural businesses “in their nature differ considerably” to those in urban areas and need “rural proofed” packages to help during the period of the pandemic.

Many rural businesses are in the hospitality and leisure sector but there are businesses that may not be identified as such, and therefore would not be eligible e.g. horse racing stables are not eligible for government support. Livery yards and kennels are also in an unclear situation despite having been hit hard

by Covid-19, and the government is under pressure to review those businesses currently classified as leisure.

A further complication arises from the fact that there is a discrepancy between how each local authority views certain businesses depending on their activities. In particular those related to sport, and whether that activity is defined as a leisure activity. This is neither acceptable nor equitable where geography plays such a role.

WHAT IS AVAILABLE?

Government will provide additional Small Business Grant Scheme funding for local authorities to support small businesses that already pay little or no business rates because of small business rate relief (SBRR), rural rate relief (RRR) and tapered relief. This will provide a one-off grant of £10,000 to eligible businesses to help meet their ongoing business costs. www.businesssupport.gov.uk/small-business-grant-funding/

ELIGIBILITY

You are eligible if: • your business is based in England • you are a business that occupies property • you are receiving small business rate relief or rural rate relief as of 11 March 2020.

COVID19 AND CBILS (CORONAVIRUS BUSINESS INTERRUPTION LOAN SCHEME)

labour intensive, or seasonal, business.

While unfortunately I feel we are still in the early days of this unique situation with news coming out thick and fast from various sources, as well as Government announcing different advice, seemingly daily. If you are worried, or already having cash flow concerns, please call your existing funding provider who should be able to help in the short-term – they have the CBILS (Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme) government backed loans to call on, as well as most of the High Street Banks allowing three to six month capital repayment holidays on existing loans; most are also accommodating working capital overdraft increases, fee free, during this period.

SUPPORT FOR BUSINESSES THROUGH DEFERRING VAT PAYMENTS As you may have seen, VAT payments have been automatically deferred for 3 months. If you’re a UK VAT registered business and have a VAT payment due between 20 March 2020 and 30 June 2020, you have the option to: • defer the payment until a later date • pay the VAT due as normal.

However, many rural businesses benefit from VAT repayments and we advise that you submit your VAT returns as soon as possible to receive the refunds from HMRC to assist with your cashflow needs. HMRC have confirmed that repayments will continue to be made to businesses as normal during this period.

If you would like any further information or assistance in the areas we have covered above, please contact us – we are here to help.

Thankfully, at present, agriculture in general is possibly the least affected business sector, and who knows, there might even be a positive effect longer term. Perhaps people will see the value of the ‘farmer’? This said, it is still going to affect most businesses in some way, be it the potential closure of livestock markets, already very heavily controlled, or where there has been diversification on the farmstead, primarily holiday lets or camping sites. Another big consideration, along with Brexit, is the availability of workers if you have a

Ian McIntyre

Partner, Ashford office, Wilkins Kennedy T: 01233 629255 E: ian.mcintyre@wilkinskennedy.com www.wilkinskennedy.com

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27

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

NICK ADAMES WEST SUSSEX DIARY

WHAT UTTER MADNESS

28

It seems the country’s most self-promoted environmentalist, Chris Packham, co-founder of Wild Justice, has decided which corvids people may shoot. The result will probably astound every countryman and woman.

It appears he and his associates have come to the decision that jackdaws should not be shot, with which I imagine most of us concur. Astonishingly, though, because the jackdaw is to be spared, they go on to say the magpie and the jay, two of the three biggest avian killers of small garden birds as well as wild game birds (the third being the carrion crow) should also be included on the protected list…

What utter madness. Anyone with any real knowledge of nature, with an open mind and eyes to see with, will know full well the huge damage any one of these species can do to our smaller avian populations throughout daylight hours.

They all have their well-known hunting methods and one or more of any of them can, within half an hour, strip a small garden of all its eggs and fledglings.

Crows are generally a more silent sort; sitting, watching movements from early in the day before tearing fledglings, or even the whole nest, out in seconds. Magpies, at least around here, rise later and don’t start killing so early but cause absolute slaughter when they start, cackling to attract any mates in the neighbourhood, plus the watchful crows, to their killing party. When one hears that cackle, there are certain to be many more songbird deaths.

And then the jay comes along and quietly clears up with the same skill as the other two. It is nothing short of carnage.

So for Packham and his band to set themselves up as judge and jury on a subject about which they are either blind, ignorant or biased – or all three, will surely cause huge outrage, unless he’s ‘brought to heel’.

I don’t think there are many farmers and true countrymen around who would leave their gun in its sleeve when they see these events brewing, regardless of the totally ignorant ‘urban-based’ rules being promoted by these people. I certainly wouldn’t.

On our two old stock farms we are gradually emptying barns of all remaining straw and feed stocks, silage and hay. Had the early spring rains fallen as snow, I think demand would have been stronger, but when the drier days arrived in late March and warm sun woke (that’s not a word I like in its recently acquired usage, because although I don’t know exactly what it means, I’m sure I will firmly disagree with the folk to whom it applies) the grass, the rush for these feeds rapidly and unsurprisingly slackened.

In normal springs it would have been reassuring to see some leftover bales to reduce needs for next year, or for feeding animals through a drought, but now the only animals we appear to have around us are a couple of young fallow deer. They were in our garden day and night through the late spring, clipping all the reachable leaves on a couple of euonymus hedges as high as they could reach, removing early rose shoots and grazing the late show of snowdrops, quite unfazed by us watching them from inside the house.

Now they have moved on, probably found a better spot and, from my wife’s point of view, that’s

a good thing. But it was interesting while it lasted and it will save some hedge trimming this summer.

As I reported last month, the new vineyard is progressing rapidly. The first 50,000 German and French grafted vines are now in the store ready for planting in the next two weeks. The only concern seems to have been around transporting the planter across from Europe, although I think that will soon be resolved. I am also told that the vines for spring 2021 are already ordered and being grafted, which will bring planting by the end of May next year up to almost 100,000 vines.

I asked what varieties were ordered, not that it means a lot to me as I really favour water over wine, and the cows never took to it either! Apparently they are growing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot Gris. Then I imagine that as the soil structure strengthens on the lower soils they may change varieties.

Vines are a unique crop because they don’t want high fertility as it creates vigorous top growth rather than grapes. I think they will have a lot of initial growth on this vineyard!

The long, flooded winter brought a new sight to our Brooklands on the home farm. The land was under water virtually from Christmas through until the start of April on the lowest ground, and when it finally subsided we were presented with what appeared to be snow-clad ditch banks.

Given that our rivers have not been bottomed for over 25 year, the water cannot get out to the sea and is pushed back up hill – and with it came this sludge. It transpired, following testing by Southern Water, that it was heavily polluted with sludge from a sewage plant somewhat downstream of us which, because of the silted waterway, backed up into the ditches.

It was probably too wet for the various inspectors to risk wet feet, so this muck has permeated hundreds of acres of low land and presumably killed most of the aquatic life in the ditches we farmers try so hard to conserve. The inspector who tested it said it was “mostly toilet paper”, giving it the snowy appearance as it dried, but most of us know that toilet paper is not the only thing being flushed down the drain; perhaps even coronavirus? I think we are due some answers.

NICK ADAMES Former dairy farmer

> Banks of ditch after winter floods

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

Southern Farmers Ltd. AGRICULTURAL BUYING GROUP IN KENT, SUSSEX, SURREY, HAMPSHIRE & ISLE OF WIGHT

2020 Special Report Produced by

®

BUYING GROUP

MORE ORDERS THAN EVER When the going gets tough, they say, the tough get going – and that has certainly been true for the Southern Farmers team over the past month or more.

Members of the buying group Southern Farmers are used to relying on the 13-strong team to negotiate good prices and arrange delivery of everything from fertilisers and fuel to forage and even electrical goods, but the service has been nothing short of exceptional since the coronavirus crisis turned lives upside down.

With farmers and growers under even more pressure than usual to keep the country fed, demand for goods and services has been unremitting, while suppliers have faced their own problems, not least dealing with staff shortages caused by sick or self-isolating employees.

In response, Southern Farmers has stepped up its efforts, taking more orders than ever before from hard-pressed farmers and growers and finding suppliers who are still operating and can deliver the goods and services those members need.

“It’s like harvest and Christmas rolled into one,” said Southern Farmers Managing Director Brigitte Fifield. “It’s been mad, so busy. We’ve been working incredibly hard on behalf of our members to get them the supplies they need.”

At times that has meant clarifying to suppliers that they are permitted to deliver to farmers, who qualify as key workers because of their unique role in feeding the nation. “Some building material suppliers, in particular, didn’t have farmers on their list of people they could deliver to, so we had to step in and

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> Farmer Tim Piper checks on his pea crop seeds, after a dry start to the season

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

make the case for our members,” said Brigitte.

“Although their counters were closed, they had re-started deliveries but some of them didn’t realise that they could supply farmers and growers as well as more obvious categories like the NHS and care homes. We had to explain that feeding the nation was pretty vital and point out that agriculture was on the appropriate list.

“On other occasions we have had to prove to the supplier that the product we were asking for was for official farm use so that they would release the goods.

There have been lots of challenges, but we are used to tackling challenges and it’s something our purchasing team is very good at.”

The benefit to the farmer members, of course, is that they don’t have to deal with those same challenges. “With the weather finally brightening up after a disastrously wet winter, farmers just want to get out on the land; some of them have only just been able to finish drilling.

“With farm work to do, along with the increasing demand on food supplies caused by the current situation and, in some cases, their own family health concerns to think about, the last thing farmers want to do is to be searching the internet and making endless telephone calls trying to find someone that can supply aggregate or fertiliser.

“Southern Farmers has always been here to find the best price and get the

FEATURED COMPANY:

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right deal for our members and that is more important than ever when there is only a limited number of suppliers out there. We keep an up-to-date list of who has what and can deliver it to our members.”

Southern Farmers Chairman Steve Jemmett-Page paid tribute to the “fantastic” way in which the workforce – Brigitte plus six in the purchasing team and six more in accounts – had been supporting the industry “through extraordinary times”.

He highlighted one post-lockdown incident in which a fruit grower had taken delivery of 40 new mobile homes ready for occupation by seasonal staff later this year but had been unable to persuade contractors to connect them to the water and electricity supplies.

In the event Southern Farmers worked alongside the NFU to persuade the authorities once again that this was an essential task that would support the nation in its bid to keep food on the table. “We are helping to keep channels with suppliers open in order to meet members’ needs. I am really proud of the whole team,” he said. “Many businesses have stopped taking orders from private individuals, but they are still dealing with groups such as ours.”

With the Covid-19 lockdown coinciding with the arrival of reasonable weather and the chance to get out on the land, Southern Farmers was particularly busy dealing with fuel orders, supplying two million litres in a month – twice the normal quantity for the time of year.

Cereal seed tonnage is also up by 47% on this time last year, and all the signs are that the record-breaking results achieved by the group over the past few years will again be exceeded in 2020. Turnover was almost £44 million in 2019, up from £39m the year before. “This year we have set ourselves another challenging target. I’m not going to tell you what it is, but we certainly plan to hit it,” said Brigitte. >>

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SF3

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FEATURED COMPANY:

BUYING GROUP

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> Brigitte Fifield Chairman Steve is more cautious, concerned << that the likely squeeze on the economy caused by the government’s response to Covid-19 may have an impact. “We’ve been growing like Topsy for the past few years, but with the wider economy contracting there may be a question mark over that continuing.

We’ll be ready to deal with whatever comes though, and we will continue to maintain a tight ship.”

While life has been busy for the all-female team at Southern Farmers, it has also been safe, with social distancing measures introduced to make sure the team can protect themselves while looking after the farming community.

The accounts team, headed up by Jan Dickerson, is now operating a split shift system, starting earlier and finishing later so that only three of the team is in the building at the same time. The purchasing team is well spaced, delivery drivers have been banned from entering the office and there is a bountiful supply of hand gel.

“The biggest problem is that we have had to stop

> Jan Dickerson the tea run and tell everyone to make their own cuppa,” Brigitte joked.

The restricted social interaction has also highlighted another benefit of Southern Farmers membership. In more normal times the office welcomes local farmers when they call in to pick up their smaller purchases or just drop in for a chat.

“Southern Farmers is not just a buying group but a community,” said Brigitte. “Quite often members will have a question about something or will ask if anyone knows how to fix a particular piece of machinery. We circulate that on an email and someone inevitably comes up with the answer. This is a very sociable group, which makes the lockdown even harder.”

In more normal times, the main benefit for farmers and growers who join Southern Farmers – the only requirement is to have a business interest in agriculture – is undoubtedly the cost saving that joining the group offers.

Suppliers are carefully checked before being >>

SF5

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> Hannah Gray TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

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<< added to the list circulated to members, and virtually all of them offer a discount that is specific to Southern Farmers.

While members can make direct contact with any Southern Farmers supplier and quote their name and membership number in order to receive the discount, they can also make use of the highly experienced purchasing team, which can offer information on current offers and the most appropriate supplier.

It’s particularly useful for members who are taking on a new project, such as converting a farm building. One of Rosie Wickham’s purchasing team can help put together an entire shopping list of items, from skip hire through to aggregates, rainwater goods and electrical fittings, before placing the orders and arranging delivery.

“It is so much easier to let the purchasing team do it than to try to do it yourself and make dozens of phone calls,” said Brigitte. “And you can almost guarantee that when you get to the end of your list, whoever you are talking to will remind you of something you have forgotten.”

Bringing knowledge from our regional crop trials and Helix sites directly to you via our website

JOINING SOUTHERN FARMERS

Joining Southern Farmers costs £125 a year, plus an additional administration cost per transaction of between 0.35% and 2.1%, with the exception being electricity, which attracts a 2.5% charge because of the more complex administration involved. “We estimate that if you are spending more than £5,000 a year on products, membership is definitely cost effective,” Brigitte said.

For most farm businesses, that level of spend is easy to achieve, particularly given the vast range of materials and services on offer. Along with fuel, electricity, solar PV and bottled and bulk gas, it includes fertilisers, tyres, cereal seeds, fuel cards, hop string, chemicals, minerals, blocks and liquid feeds, forage, baling and silage products, motor spares, horse and pet equipment, mobile phones, horticultural supplies, machinery, bedding sand, fencing and veterinary supplies.

View virtual demonstration tours and video updates of our Regional Technology Centres – showing the range of innovative work taking place across the country and how this can benefit you.

Regional Technology Centres 2020

SF8

1 Carlisle 2 Alnwick 3 Warden Farming, Grayingham 4 Little Ponton 5 Ludlow 6 Harleston 7 Stowbridge 8 Fenland Potato Demonstration 9 Sutton Bonington 10 Brassica Demonstration 11 National

Technology Farm 12 East Demonstration Farm (NEW)

2 1

3

Alongside updates on in-field trial work, there will be information on: • Seed rate work and its impact on establishment, plant, tiller, ear numbers, how these crops are treated accordingly and the impact on yield • The farm in general, its soils and dynamic with carbon • Nutrition and bio-stimulant programmes linking to TerraMap – our new non-invasive soil mapping and testing technology.

10 9

5

4 11

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8 12

For more information and to keep updated with progress at our demonstration sites through Fieldwise Live, visit:

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FEATURED COMPANY:

Southern Farmers Ltd.

VETERINARY SERVICE

The veterinary service has been enhanced by the fact that two members of the team, Sarah Tester and Abi Sommerville, have recently been awarded their RAMA (Registered Animal Medicines Advisor) qualifications, which have replaced the old SQP (Suitably Qualified Persons) awards.

One new area that has taken off for Southern Farmers is water. Farmers were hit hard when one company took over water supply and began billing farms six months in advance while also only supplying one bill even when farm properties had their own sub-meters.

Southern Farmers worked with The Consumer Council for Water to resolve some of the issues and can now switch their members to a new supplier with different standing charges and a more flexible approach to billing. “Take up for the new offer has been huge,” Brigitte said.

Southern Farmers is a member-owned, not-for-profit, limited liability company, with the membership fee and the administration charges paying for the running costs of the operation, which is based at Windmill Farm, Rolvenden.

Alongside the cost savings, one of the main benefits of the system is that members only receive one account, even if they have used their Southern Farmers membership to buy dozens of different items right across the range of products and services available. Each individual invoice is attached to the account for checking, but they only pay one sum each month, by Direct Debit, saving a considerable amount of time.

BUSINESS BOOMING

With business booming, Southern Farmers is planning to introduce new software that will help the accounts team deal with the many thousands of invoices they handle each year.

The business is also working on a new website and has a Twitter presence

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

BUYING GROUP – @SouthernFarmUK. “This is a changing world and we need to keep up,” said Brigitte. “We have younger members joining and we need to cater for them.”

Applications for membership are currently on hold as it’s difficult to pick up trade references and because the normal director’s visits to new members are impossible in the current situation.

“One of our directors visits each potential new member to talk through what the group offers, assess the farmer or grower’s needs and make sure they understand the full range of benefits,” said Brigitte. “They are then supplied with their membership pack, complete with a full list of suppliers.”

Abi Somerville, a member of the purchasing team, makes a follow-up call or visit to every new member to encourage them to make the most of their membership and let them know that the team is there to help. “Abi has been making follow up calls for a couple of years now and those visits are making a big difference,” said Rosie Wickham. “We notice a real increase in purchasing from members she has talked to.”

Chairman Steve Jemmett-Page believes the coronavirus challenge has given Southern Farmers a new mission and believes that the group needs to build on the new loyalties that have been created.

“We need our members to be more group minded going forward,” he said.

“We need them to use Southern Farmers for all their purchases in future, not just because it saves them money but because it helps to make the organisation stronger for all the members. We have got a lot of people out of trouble over the past month or so and we want them to repay that by helping us continue to grow in future.” > Southern Farmers member Tim Piper of Owley Farm, Wittersham, uses the group for his spraying requirements among other supplies

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

SF9

BUYING GROUP

ONGOING SUPPORT East Grinstead-based Southern Sheeting, a valued member of Southern Farmers, has pledged ongoing support to farmers and growers during the coronavirus pandemic.

The company supplies roofing, cladding and sheeting to farmers and other agricultural businesses across the South East and is playing its part in the battle to keep the nation fed by continuing to deliver products to the sector during the health crisis.

Managing Director Tony Hobbs said: “The United Nations has described the coronavirus

pandemic as the biggest global crisis faced since World War II. “Farmers are urging people to sign up to help them harvest crops and feed the nation, so we wanted to do our bit. As a farmer myself I have a deep understanding for the struggles they face.

“We closed our yard at Southern Sheeting at the end of March, and while we are currently only quoting and processing orders, with no deliveries or collections being undertaken for our regular customers, we are making an exception for farmers. We hope this goes some way to

supporting the industry in these challenging times.”

During the crisis collections will not be permitted, but Southern Sheeting: • will continue to take orders from farmer members of Southern Farmers • will deliver orders to farms, usually within one to three days (delivery charges may apply) • will observe the Government’s social distancing guidelines; deliveries will be contactless and orders will be charged to the customer’s account.

ALTERNATIVE TO THE HIGH COSTS SF10

OF PAYING LANDFILL TAX Farmers and growers looking for an environmentally sound, competitively priced way to get rid of plastic waste from their premises can take advantage of the service provided by Southern Farmers supplier Farm XS. Farm XS, now operated across most of England by long-established Wiltshire chartered surveyors WebbPaton, was set up in 2006 in response to the Waste Management Regulations of that year, which banned the burning or burying of farm waste, including plastics.

It is a membership scheme which offers an alternative to the high costs of paying landfill tax at a local landfill site and currently serves 2,000 farms across most of the country.

Farmers store different types of plastic waste in suitable bags – or can buy them from Farm XS. When full they can either ask for them to be collected or deliver them to one of a number of Environment Agency-

regulated sites.

“We take all surplus plastics, including baler twine, spray cans, film and fertiliser bags, in return for an annual fee based on acreage,” explained director Mark Webb.

“We have collection sites in each county, with one at Ulcombe, south of Maidstone, one close to Billingshurst, West Sussex, one at West Dean near Salisbury, and two in Hampshire, one near Mattingley and the other close to Alresford. Alternatively we can collect the bags for an additional charge.”

Farm XS operates its own lorry mounted industrial waste baler which turns otherwise useless small amounts of plastic into baled material that can be sold for recycling, either in the UK or Europe. None is now sent to the Far East.

“Our aim is to sell everything, even for a small amount of money, because if someone is willing to pay for recyclables we know that they plan to put them to good use,” Mark explained.

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There continues to be much debate on how to improve soil health, increase yields and adopt sustainable farming systems. Experience has shown livestock manures provide a readily available source of nutrients and can enhance the natural productivity of poorer soils and facilitate a successful move to reduced tillage cultivation systems. Organic farmers have always valued the benefits of livestock manures as a fertiliser for a very good reason – manures provide a source of crop nutrition and boost natural soil fertility, writes James Short, Hutchinsons agronomist.

Poultry manure is perhaps the most complete natural fertiliser an arable farmer can apply and is often referred to as “rocket fuel” by growers who have used it on their own farm. Locally sourced poultry manure can be a very cost-effective fertiliser and is in much demand. It is available all year round but needs to be managed correctly to ensure the best utilisation of the nutrients by the crop it is applied to.

The high nitrogen content of poultry manure makes it ideal for autumn application before

Southern Farmers Ltd.

GETTING THE BEST FROM POULTRY MANURE oilseed rape or second wheat crops. Indeed, rapid establishment of oilseed rape is key to managing cabbage stem flea beetle which has now become a significant challenge to growing the crop in the UK. Applying poultry manure pre-drilling can help deter the adult beetles and provide a readily available source of nutrients. For spring applications, maize and potatoes are particularly responsive to poultry manure, while spring cereals, rape or linseed will also utilise the available nutrients.

An application of 10t/ha layer manure (30% DM) will typically provide up to 95 kg/ha nitrogen, 85 kg/ha phosphate and 85 kg/ha potash – all readily available nutrients to the crop following application. Poultry manure also provides sulphur, magnesium, calcium and trace elements.

Practically, it is advisable to apply poultry manure before drilling and incorporate immediately by cultivation to ensure the best utilisation of the available nitrogen. Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) regulations should always be adhered to and all livestock manures should be stored and spread following the code of good agricultural practice.

High yielding cereal crops remove significant quantities of potash and phosphate where straw is baled and removed. It is important to replace these nutrients and it is worth checking the soil health and nutrient status of your own fields to ensure yields are not limited by poor nutrition or soil acidity.

Likewise, an analysis of any manure being applied will ensure the nutrient content is taken into full account and utilised by the following crop.

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SF11

BUYING GROUP

We frequently get asked similar questions – the things that matter the most to our current and potential members.

SF12

Q: How do I join?

Just complete the membership forms and return them to the Southern Farmers office. You will then be visited by one of our directors, all of whom are working farming members, and they will explain how the group works and evaluate if you would benefit from the group membership. The application will then be voted on by the board of directors, when approved you will receive your membership pack and member number.

Q: I already have direct accounts with some suppliers, will I benefit from joining?

Due to the volume of goods put through our suppliers account, your discount through Southern Farmers should be greater due to the groups buying power.

Q: Do I have to place all of my orders through the Southern Farmers office?

No, you can call the office and ask a member of the purchasing team to source quotes and place the order, or you can book goods directly from our suppliers quoting your Southern Farmers membership number, other than fuel, which due to Customs and Excise regulations has to be ordered through the Southern Farmers office.

FEATURED COMPANY:

Southern Farmers Ltd.

FREQUENTLY

ASKED QUESTIONS Q: Am I able to purchase all my requirements through Southern Farmers Ltd? We normally say that we can deliver all goods except groceries, including your electricity, landlines, mobile phones etc.

Q: Do I have to buy in bulk?

No, there is no minimum order value, however with some products such as fuel and feed, suppliers do have a minimum delivery quantity. However, the company does run bulk buying schemes for certain products.

Q: Would savings on my purchases through the Southern Farmers Ltd make membership viable for me?

If you spend in excess of £5,000 per annum it is worthwhile you becoming a member.

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Q: How much does it cost to be a member?

Annual subscription is £125 + VAT, paid in two six-monthly instalments.

Q: How would Southern Farmers make a purchase on my behalf?

• Your order is either placed by the group office to the supplier or by you, booking directly to your membership account • The supplier delivers (or you collect) your goods and the supplier sends the invoice to the group office • The member is sent a monthly statement with all invoices listed and original invoices attached to the statement • The group collects payment from you for all invoices generated • The group pays the supplier.

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AT ASHFORD MARKET

HIGH STANDARDS OF BIOSECURITY,

WELFARE AND CLEANLINESS Many of us, by now, will have seen the shocking recordings of the ‘wet market’ in Wuhan where this wretched coronavirus first mutated from bats, or snakes, or whatever to create this pandemic that has turned our lives upside down and caused so much personal tragedy, quite apart from the enormous financial implications that will be a legacy for years to come. To describe this Chinese market as anything other than a time bomb waiting to explode would be an understatement.

The 21st century has arrived in Europe and much of the rest of the world but there is clearly a part of our small globe that wishes to play its part in the interaction of trade that cannot be allowed the freedoms they enjoy until they have raised their standards to a level that is not only acceptable morally but also cannot in any way threaten the well-being of populations worldwide. This may well bring restrictions and reduced choice on imported goods, but this is surely necessary for our own survival and for the ultimate development of a secure world.

Food is one of the essentials of our society and we have all been amazed by the ever-increasing availability of more varied products in our shops, our restaurants and on line, but really just how important is this great diversity? Are we not better to step back from the cliff edge and seek comfort in the great range of products from farmers and processors in regions that we know and trust so well?

Those who have let the world down so badly have an enormous debt to repay not just to human society but also to the planet and to the wildlife that appears to have been plundered in diabolical fashion.

All markets in the British Isles have moved well on from medieval standards and bear no relation to this outrageous mixture of abattoir, cutting plant, zoo, and ‘free for all’ supermarket.

Markets of all kinds, including livestock markets, earn their reputations for high standards of biosecurity, welfare and cleanliness. The importance of livestock markets in the efficient movement of stock to both abattoirs and farms was recognised by government from the outset of this pandemic and the code of practice for their operations was drawn up safely and swiftly, recognising the largely isolationist status of many of us working in the livestock sector.

Over the past month we have continued to run Ashford Market for the benefit of all but with

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

far fewer people in attendance. We cannot thank enough the sellers and buyers, the hauliers and staff for all the hard work and responsibility that they have shown to one another and to the greater society outside.

As time has gone on, we have all a greater understanding of this horrid disease, which has led to a greater discipline among us all. Movement of livestock so that it is in the right hands at the right price at the right time is one of the core benefits of the livestock market and the auction system. Only 20 years ago the foot and mouth disease ‘lockdown’ restricted livestock movements completely for a while and for a full 12 months before returning to normal. The livestock industry was hamstrung to the extent that price was wrong, product was wrong and everything was in the wrong place.

There are many challenges ahead for our whole industry, but we do still need to eat, and supply chains at local and national levels are turning themselves inside out so that our products can find

their way to those who want it at a fair price while hopefully giving reward to all those along the chain of supply.

Safety, at any time, must be our priority to our families, our friends, our workplaces, our communities and our society, and we must implore our representatives and leaders not to allow our futures, and our children’s futures, ever to be threatened again by an onward rush to greedy small world globalisation.

With best wishes to everyone at this difficult and dangerous time. May you, and your families, remain safe and well.

PETER KINGWILL Reporting on the cattle market at Ashford T: 01233 502222

www.hobbsparker.co.uk

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

41

AT COLCHESTER MARKET

VITAL OUTLET

42

This report is being written in the continuing Covid-19 lockdown, during the most extraordinary marketing times we have ever seen and with strict operating rules imposed.

The ability of livestock markets to stay open to sell most types of livestock â&#x20AC;&#x201C; prime, store and cull cattle, sheep and pigs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is providing a vital outlet for livestock producers at a very difficult time and is allowing retail and local wholesalers to bid fairly for the stock they require.

With reports of local retail butchers enjoying tremendous meat sales through late March and early April, as shown by their attendance at market to restock, we have to ask why some larger outlets needed to use imported beef and lamb to reduce prices. Surely this was, and is, the time to support English producers to the full?

Numbers of finished cattle are shorter than usual and more commercial sorts are finding a difficult trade, but butchery type cattle are finding a strong market with averages up on 12 months ago The cull cow trade has been affected by the closure of fast food outlets, but massive amounts of mince are being purchased by the public, many of whom are returning to regular home cooking and will hopefully continue to do so.

Store cattle are also selling at a satisfactory level,

with grass growing and seasonal buyers out in force.

The sheep market is also above where it was 12 months ago and is appearing to stabilize in mid-April after a roller-coaster trade around the lockdown period with numbers severely restricted in markets. It will be interesting to see how numbers are going forward, especially with respect to old season lambs, as many producers have cleared stock due to the very wet winter and poor turnip and other fodder growth.

New season lambs are coming forward in sensible numbers by mid-April, again selling above 12 months ago. With old season lamb numbers under pressure, the outlook appears to be good as numbers increase.

The cull ewe trade saw all records being broken in late March followed by a dramatic collapse in April but at realistic levels, although with the reduction in numbers forward it would be hoped that the trade will increase again.

More prime cattle and sheep could be sold to advantage in Colchester as we have regular buyers openly competing for stock for their shops and regional wholesale businesses and this must be the way forward. It is not too late to change the selling system where it appeared big is best; sell locally

GRAHAM ELLIS

Stanfords T: 01206 842156 E: info@stanfords-colchester.co.uk www.stanfords-colchester.co.uk and live to survive in these challenging times, which means use your local auction markets before it is too late.

Pigs continue to trade in a narrow price band, with numbers generally equating to demand and the cull sow trade dependent as always on the Sterling/Euro exchange rate.

Arable crops in the local area are looking well where spring nitrogen has been applied but spring sown crops are needing rain as the soil dries out.

Grass is also needing rain to encourage growth with the warmer weather now with us.

The next month is going to see all of us working in the most challenging times, but for the good of the country as a whole, rules will need to be followed to ensure the best agricultural industry in the world can still benefit from the open competition provided by livestock markets.

REWARDED FOR TOP FEED EFFICIENCY

Paying attention to close up cows and providing a consistent ration thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fed the same every day has made Buckinghamshire farmer Mark Wood a winner when it comes to feed efficiency. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For every mouthful of feed that goes in, I need to get as much out of it as I can,â&#x20AC;? explained Mark, who farms at Portway Farms, Twyford, Buckingham. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s about making quality silage and making sure thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s available to the cows; we feed out once a day, but we push up eight times a day.â&#x20AC;?

Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s keen eye for detail was rewarded at the recent Cream Awards where

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he won the High Feed Efficiency Award, sponsored by Mole Valley Farmers.

High fertility gives Markâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s herd the edge, with the 310-cow herd yielding 12,000 litres and achieving a pregnancy rate of 24 to 25% and a calving interval of 385 days. Not carrying any stale cows ensures efficient production and a feed conversion efficiency of 1.5. The herd is producing 820kg of solids/cow.

To lessen the effect of the natural drop in intakes around calving, all cows have a minimum of 17 days in the close-up straw yard. This limits social upsets that can detrimentally impact on intakes at this crucial time. In the close up group, every cow has 1.2m of feed space.

The farm has introduced 1.5kg a head of Nutritionally Improved Straw (NIS) pellets into the milkerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ration. In the high group, this is fed with grass and maize silage, protected fat, a blend, molasses, urea, yeasts, minerals and water. The impact on performance has been marked, with yields increasing by 300 litres/cow/year and butterfats rising.

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01403 822669 | info@westbrookagricultural.co.uk MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

> Mark Wood (left) with head herdsman Mark Green

ADVICE FROM THE VET

PERFECT PREPARATION Producing good quality forage is key to the profitability of livestock production systems. With the current extraordinary circumstances faced by the dairy industry, influenced by an abrupt change in consumer purchasing habits, reduced operating costs should be a focus for all. However, preserving forage for later use is expensive and also reduces the quality of the original forage by the time that it is fed. Minimising the losses in nutritional value through good silage making practice will not only save money and produce cheaper milk but also help to maintain the health of your livestock, writes Sarah Bolt, membership development manager at Kingshay which specialises in providing data-led practical support to dairy farmers.

So, what should be the key considerations for maximising the quality of your silage?

Firstly, a decision needs to be made on what you want from your grass silage.

Consider whether silage quality or quantity is more important. Is the target a high energy and protein crop or a later cut, bulkier but lower energy and protein crop?

This will need to be clear-cut right at the start of the planning phase, as this will impact the timing of your cut and consequently most other decisions around your silaging. It is worth considering specific silages for certain groups of cows, e.g. dry, palatable, low potassium (low potash index fields), fibrous grass silage for dry and transition cows. Undeniably, in most cases, silage for feeding to milking cows is most economic when cut early. With the latest Kingshay Forage Costings Report the cost difference between early and late cutting of grass for first cut silage is as much as 1ppl, largely impacted by the decline in grass quality. Remember, the quality of silage produced can never be any better than the grass put into the clamp.

Crop nutrition will also influence your targeted date for cutting. The wet autumn, winter and start to spring has caused many farmers to delay applying their slurry and fertiliser. Furthermore, due to the excessive rainfall, increased leaching will mean soil nitrogen is likely to be starting from a lower base. In addition to all this, mild temperatures have meant that grass growth has continued over the winter across much of the country. Consequently, adjustments to fertiliser plans will have been necessary in many situations, particularly where field travel has been difficult until the more recent dry weather.

Slurry should not be applied for 12-weeks prior to cutting to avoid contamination and subsequent spoilage of the silage. The window for fertiliser applications this season has been small so nitrate levels should also be a consideration. High nitrates can result in poor silage fermentation via the production of ammonia directly raising the pH, affecting palatability, energy and intakes. This season, there is certainly a case for using the age-old guide to nitrogen uptake of 2 units/acre (2.5 kg N/ha) per day, working backwards from your intended cutting date to calculate the maximum nitrogen to apply. If there is any uncertainty as to whether excess nitrogen has not been utilised, analyse your grass before cutting. Fresh grass analysis (available through Kingshay) costs less than £17 per sample. This is a good way to ensure you have the facts, so that you can cut at the right time to help prevent silage quality and

NITRATE LEVELS AT CUTTING

Nitrate N (%) Suitability for ensiling <0.10

Ideal

0.10 to 0.15

Reasonable

0.15 to 0.25

Possibility of a decrease in quality sugars and dry matter should be ideal

>0.25

Should not be ensiled until nitrates have decreased to a safe level

cow performance becoming an issue next winter.

Kingshay recommends that grass should not be cut before nitrates have decreased to below 0.10% (see table). Above 0.25% Nitrate N cutting should be delayed, and another fresh grass sample should be taken after three to five days.

Working closely with your contractor is essential. Book them early, indicating your likely timing. Changing your booking can sometimes be difficult, particularly bringing forward your cutting date, so it may be more desirable to book on the earlier side and move the date back, if necessary. Whatever you decide, keeping in regular contact with your contractor, especially if conditions change, is a must. The better informed your contractor is, the better service they can provide.

Order your silage essentials such as; sheets and cling films and where you can justify the cost – additives, well in advance of your requirements. This is good advice in any year, but this season it may be even more prudent, due to the current high demand on couriers.

Once the grass is cut, rapid drying will give the best silage results, this is easily achieved with conditioners alongside mowers or spreading the swath.

Chop length will depend on the role grass silage plays in the ration of your cows.

If you need a fibre source, then longer chop up to 5 cm (2’’) is essential. However, the longer the chop, the more difficult clamp consolidation and hence aerobic spoilage is likely to be more of an issue, particularly with drier silages. If a long fibre source is not required then a shorter chop makes it easier to produce good silage, e.g. 15 to 25mm (½ to 1”) will give better consolidation and fermentation.

Much is in the hands of your contractor – discuss your requirements for chop length, how you expect the pit to be filled and consolidated and agree who will sheet over the pit at night and remove it before filling the next morning. When using a silage additive, have the discussion about application rates. Providing written instructions avoids any misunderstanding. To achieve excellent results, it is vital that your contractor and their team understand the importance of good silage quality to your farm’s profitability.

Wastage in silage making is inevitable – but careful management can reduce losses significantly, resulting in considerable cost savings and markedly improved silage quality.

If you would like to discuss anything covered in this article contact your local Westpoint practice. Westpoint Farm Vets and Kingshay are part of VetPartners

ANDY RICHMOND KATHY HUME

Westpoint Horsham Westpoint Ashford T: 01306 628086 T: 01306 628208 E: info@westpointfarmvets.co.uk

JOHN MCALOON

Westpoint Sevenoaks T: 01959 564383

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43

ALAN WEST SHEEP TOPICS ALAN WEST Sheep farmer

44

My last paragraph in the March copy of South East Farmer (written on 14 Feb) was: “Just as a footnote, a point to watch is the developing coronavirus situation in China, which will no doubt have a significant and negative impact on the Chinese economy; this in turn will almost certainly send economic ripples around the globe. Quite what the effect will be on the wider global economy is uncertain, but it will have an impact.”

Who could have ever imagined that far from simply suffering an economic impact from Covid19, we would, within the space of two months, be facing a pandemic within the UK and have joined many other countries in lockdown?

The impact on the farming community has, I suspect, yet to be fully realised, but I’m sure that there will be a significant, far-reaching and long-lasting impact. The immediate effect on the sheep sector has been on lamb prices, prices that had firmed up nicely since the beginning of the year but which took a knock with the removal of demand from catering resulting from the forced closure of restaurants and the like.

I suspect we will see reallocation of New Zealand (NZ) supplies arising from coronavirus-inspired shutdowns in China reducing Chinese demand for NZ lamb (oh, the complexities and interactions of global produce markets). There is a degree of uncertainty as to future market opportunities, but at least with most auction marts remaining open, even if on slightly different terms, we still have access to a market.

The lack of availability of shearers for the rapidly approaching shearing season will also have a significant impact; with no, or very few, NZ shearers available there will certainly be pressure on UK shearers. Time for a few shepherds to sharpen up their shearing technique, I think.

Other impacts are not quite so obvious.

Without doubt there is a substantial segment of the sheep farming community within one of the vulnerable groups and in theory subject to some, if self-imposed, restrictions. I suspect the most significant of these groups is the over-seventies who are still actively engaged, a demographic of which we, no doubt, have a greater share than most other sectors of the economy.

I am sure, however, that most will not regard this as a major concern, since the vast proportion will, I’m convinced, not regard themselves as being particularly vulnerable. Most will be reasonably

> The first new addition to the shepherdess’ embryo Malling Herwick flock, a bonny little ewe lamb

INTERESTING TIMES fit (apart from the odd aches and pains) and not overweight, and the fact that we spend a substantial portion of our time working outside and socially separated, particularly at lambing, is an effective vehicle for social separation, if not isolation, and I am sure rather diminishes the risk of actually contracting Covid-19.

Probably a more significant cause for concern will be the social impact of Covid-19; sheep keeping can, at the best of times, be a lonely occupation at this time of the year in particular – we probably spend more time talking to our sheep (or dogs) than we do to other people, but current shut downs and movement restrictions risk pushing some producers into complete isolation.

Those few opportunities that we had for a little bit of interaction, the pub, the market, the feed store, are now denied to us or at least severely restricted, and with them the opportunities to share worries and concerns. Concerns over lambing, the availability of grazing, future market opportunities for lamb and sheep and a host of other things can assume major proportions if they cannot be shared.

A problem shared is a problem halved; the appreciation that others are experiencing the same problems does not make them go away, but often makes them easier to deal with. The opportunity to talk through potential solutions, or simply the availability of a sympathetic ear and

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

the chance to offload worries, can have a powerful psychological impact. But we still do have a very effective means of communication – the telephone and/or social media; a simple phone call or text can make a lot of difference and the mobile phone has extended the reach of that reassuring phone call into the lambing shed, the tractor cab etc.

Phone a friend now. A friendly voice and reassuring word can lift anyone’s spirits, or maybe you simply need to catch up or have a moan; to have someone to listen to your problems. In the current, difficult situation, even if face-to-face contact may be awkward, keeping in touch with friends and colleagues is more important than ever, both for their sake and yours.

I have certainly had concerns over the availability of grass; I currently have plenty of grass in front of the ewes and they really are milking well off it, but regrowth seems to be remarkably and depressingly slow, very much slower than would normally be expected for the time of year, to the point where future grass availability may become a problem.

After a few phone calls and the odd Tweet, I soon discovered that there are other producers, in many other parts of the country, in just the same position. This was confirmed by AHDB’s “Forage Knowledge” and highlights the benefit of communication and social media. The knowledge certainly didn’t solve the problem, but it did make

VET DIARY

EACH VISIT IS RISK ASSESSED Well it has certainly been a strange month.

Coronavirus has shut down the country, but not, as might have been expected, the countryside. Unfortunately, we have a handful of dairy clients for whom coronavirus has been a disastrous event so far, but having spoken to friends and farmers busy lambing, calving, and trying to get seed in the ground, many have conceded that if they hadn’t been watching the news they would not have known about it!

That is not to trivialise the situation in which we find ourselves. It is vitally important that I am able to serve my clients as best I can in the circumstances, but without risk to them, or to my dedicated vets.

In addition to animal welfare and farm economics, we must now consider the complication of an extra level of health and safety (beyond getting kicked by a cow), in terms of our decision making. Thankfully the British Cattle Veterinary Association have been proactive in this regard in directing the farm veterinary industry towards a safe, appropriate and consistent approach, although a healthy dose of common sense is always useful.

Each visit is risk assessed at the point the first phone call is made. We have to ensure in each and every case the risk to the animal and the food supply chain will justify any on farm visit, taking into account the risk to vets and farm staff and ensuring the “physical distancing” rules can be applied. In most cases it is easy to instigate those measures, but there have been occasions where distancing has been unavoidably suboptimal.

On Easter Monday I was called to calve a pedigree heifer that eventually required a Caesarean section.

As the farmer and his daughter were tugging on the hind limbs to deliver the calf, it was clear that we could not adhere to the prescribed guidelines; not that any of us minded in that instance, as long as the bloody thing came out alive. The same scenario will no doubt play out on many farms up and down the country, but the situations will inevitably be different. The people involved on Monday were young, fit, and healthy. When it happens to the lone farmer who is in his seventies with health issues, it will not be fair for me to put him at risk.

Part of our risk assessment is to ascertain the susceptibilities of those attending. Is anyone infected, self-isolating, or shielding? Does it require immediate emergency attention? Is anyone else available to help to minimise risk to the at-risk client? Do I need to bring a second member of my team? But that itself poses additional risk to the practice; as we are currently working as independently as possible, from home and from vehicles. We are trying to minimise face to face interaction between us to prevent multiple staff being off sick at the same time to maintain our availability of service.

Not much has changed in terms of workload but a lot has changed in terms of how we do it. Medicine collections are done only from collection boxes.

Herd and Flock Health reviews are being conducted via Zoom and even the most technophobic of clients seems to be adjusting to virtual meetings.

it significantly easier to live with. Fortunately, the warmer weather of the past few days (early April) seems to have stimulated a bit of grass growth and paddocks are starting to green over nicely again.

One thing that the current Covid-19 crisis has highlighted is how fragile the food distribution network is in the UK; a fragility that has generated significant problems, problems that have been aggravated by consumer panic and stockpiling.

The difficulties generated by the current crisis raise a number of questions that demand a significant review of the UK food sector once the crisis is over; a review that I suggest should go from farm gate to fork.

There really does need to be a very much stronger focus on local produce, on low food miles and on greater support for local producers. It is the dominance of a small number of very large retail grocers, driven largely by the desire to increase their own market share and boost profits, retailers with very little commitment or loyalty to

UK producers, retailers that are subject to little regulatory control and who pay little heed to voluntary codes of conduct, that have generated most of the problems that have arisen.

We need a safe and effective food production, processing, distribution and supply system; we need sensibly priced food at all levels, farm to fork, a system that is able to function effectively under pressure and a system that is able to support efficient and sustainable domestic food production. I know that there are reciprocal trade agreements and commonwealth interests, but should some supermarkets at this time be promoting NZ lamb when we have an abundant supply of quality home produced lamb available?

The crisis generated by coronavirus and its consequential effects has also brought sharply into focus the reliance of the UK on imported food products for almost 50% of our needs and the impact that this has on the food security and food resilience positions of the country.

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So, it’s April, and we are dealing with calvings, lambings, abortions, Nematodirus, tick burdens, joint ills, navel ills, failure of passive transfer, and semen testing bulls. Pretty much a normal April but with facemasks.

45 NICK PILE

BVM&S MRCVS, director of Cliffe Veterinary Group T: 01273 473232 E: nick@cliffevets.co.uk www.cliffefarm.co.uk

Supply and transport issues arising in third party countries impacted by Covid-19 and the threat from Channel and North Sea ferry companies to significantly reduce services no longer underwritten by passenger revenues, brings a fresh urgency to the debate and further highlights the fragility of the whole of the food network within the UK. The crisis really has very firmly positioned the spotlight on the need for future agricultural policy to focus on domestic production. While there are some things, like bananas, that we will never produce in the UK, priority should be given to increasing the proportion of good quality, affordable (which does not always mean cheap) food produced efficiently and sustainably in the UK. This is an aspiration to which the UK sheep industry could make a significant contribution, not as a heavily subsidised and inefficient sector but as a forward-looking, innovative, efficient and highly sustainable sector of the agricultural industry.

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

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ELVED PHILLIPS ARABLE NOTES

SUPERMARKETS MAY BE SHORT OF FLOUR AND YEAST, BUT FLOUR MILLS HAVE PLENTY

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We are living and working in unprecedented and dangerous times; one minute you are worrying about the quality of malting barley being loaded on a boat; the next you are wondering if you will still be alive in two week’s’ time! I think our attitudes to work, life and death will change because of this.

The now-completed sowing of spring barley in the south has helped with the illusion that life is going on as normal. That brings me to my specialist subject, malting barley. We now have the makings of a decent malting barley crop for 2020, especially where the barley was planted in the first half of March. It’s up, and with good rain last week it’s at the three leaf stage and looks well.

Late-sown barley has more to do to catch up; much depends on the land type, but this is perhaps the barley where it is better to add more nitrogen than usual for malting, and grow for yield, as feed. The sudden drop in demand for beer means that harvest 2020 could be the worst potential market for malting barley that we have ever seen. Old crop has led the way here, with UK maltsters selling back about 35,000 mt of malting barley they cannot use before harvest. This now has to be exported or used as feed.

Some national governments consider brewing beer as non-essential – the obverse of flour milling. So with a carry over of malt and malting barley, new crop malting barley has little or no premium. Of course we still need good growing conditions from here on to get

the crop, but with the largest world brewers reducing production by 50% (to match falling demand), micro craft brewers being down 75% and even distillers down 25%, the outlook for alcohol consumption, before any easing of the lockdown, is very bad.

The differential between new crop feed wheat and feed barley is as great as I have ever seen. Logically it should narrow – with hopefully barley improving – but these are not logical, predictable times. So given that the UK wheat price will be dictated by the cost of importing after harvest, there will be days when that price increases – and hopefully feed barley will improve on the back of that, even for a short time. If so, that’s when fixing a feed base for malting should be done. You may never see an actual malting premium.

The UK could have from two to three million tonnes of barley surplus; malting exports may be more difficult than feed, because of the 31 December Brexit deadline still being in place. On that point it’s difficult to believe the Government would heap more misery on the economy by sticking to a no deal ‘crash out’ at the end of the year, but you never know. I hope we will have another extension.

On old crop we have been able to carry on exporting malting barley to all parts of the EU over the past six weeks, but that will end shortly. It is so good to see the UK primary food chain working so well – as ELVED PHILLIPS other industries flounder – with our farmer members, central stores, Openfield hauliers, grain elevators and ships all working as normal, despite the

IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF YOUR SOIL

difficulties and risks.

Supermarkets may be short of flour and yeast, but flour mills have plenty. Millers have been producing twice as much in the past month, but the problem is filling enough of the 1.5 kg bags demanded by the supermarkets and public. So we may have to start lugging flour home in 15 kgs bags to keep the supply coming. So In summary, there is plenty of old crop wheat to see us through to harvest and too much barley.

Sterling is back to its pre-lock down exchange value against the Euro of 87/88 pence. Oilseed rape has recovered most of its £25 slump in February, and while the crops in flower are in most cases as poor as anticipated, reduced world demand for edible oils and Australian canola on the water heading for the UK makes me think it is time to sell some more old crop.

You may consider that with May 2021 wheat futures being £20 over May 2020, it may be worth carrying that over instead.

In Winston Churchill’s book The Great War, he listed life maxims including “first things first”, “being well before well being”, “what you do, do well” and ”always be strongest at the point of attack”. He added: “Good reasons can be given not only for either course but also for the compromises which ruin them”, adding: “But the path to safety nearly always lies in rejecting the compromises”. With hindsight this could be applied to the actions in the critical early days of our pandemic, when, because of compromises, crowds of 60,000 were allowed to attend Cheltenham races – when ‘herd immunity’ seemed like a good idea!

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STEPHEN CARR

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF

It must have been an autumn, winter and spring exactly like the one we’ve just experienced that finally broke my family’s centuries-old tradition of farming on the Sussex Weald. In 1872, my then 21 year-old paternal great-grandfather, heir to Church Farm, Maresfield, Haywards Heath, piled all his wordly possessions onto a horse and wagon, declaring ‘enough is enough’. He left his father heartbroken.

The farm comprised three acres of heavy Wealden clay of which the family had been proud owner-occupiers for 298 years. It had been a sodden bog for six months over the long wet autumn and winter of 1871/72, but an intense March and April drought turned the land into three acres of rock-hard concrete. It became impossible to prepare a decent seedbed for the crops, there was no grass on which to turn out the cattle, and that summer they made next to no hay.

And so my great-grandfather hitched up his wagon, loaded up his wife and young son – my grandfather – and headed for the South Downs, and my family has – more or less – stuck to farming chalkland ever since. I say ‘more or less’ because I have erred in the course of my farming

career and recklessly taken on some clay land with a distinctly Wealden character.

You know what is coming next. Last October, I sowed one 40-acre field of clay with wheat.

Initially I congratulated myself that I’d managed to get the field seeded before the heavens opened with a biblical deluge. That smug attitude soon dissolved as the seeds were submerged by four months of endless rain and simply rotted in the ground. The whole field became so wet that, even where seed did emerge successfully, no sprays of any sort could be applied, so blackgrass spread over the land like a modern plague.

Cut to March, and on went the glyphosate to kill off all of the blackgrass and the few stalwart wheat plants that had survived. My big fear was that the land, worked to a fine tilth in the autumn and saturated all winter, would now, in drought, more resemble an asphalt road than a potential spring barley seed bed.

And so it did. We had to pass the field with all manner of cultivators. We drilled the barley. We Cambridge-rolled the field to crumble some of the remaining clods. We flat-rolled the tilth to seal in any hint of remaining moisture.

At the time of writing, I’m still anxiously

awaiting a first proper rain to germinate all the seed. May is fast approaching, and I’m rapidly giving up any hope of a harvest I’ll want to remember. For solace, I retreat to my chalkland spring and autumn crops, which look full of promise.

From those same fields, high up on the Downs, I can see as far as Maresfield on a clear day. It lies shrouded in oak trees, a mere 13 miles to the north, yet, in some ways, another world away. A dozen times this spring I’ve paused to offer heartfelt thanks to my great-grandfather for having had the courage to break with the Maresfield farming tradition 148 years ago. If only his great-grandson had stuck a little more rigidly to his golden rule to ‘stay on the chalk’.

STEPHEN CARR Arable farmer

47

DON’T DELAY MACHINERY INSPECTIONS An engineering expert has urged farmers not to delay machinery inspections during the coronavirus pandemic.

Keith Short, machinery inspection engineer at Farmers and Mercantile Insurance Brokers, said there was confusion within the farming community over what constitutes an ‘essential’ and ‘non-essential’ inspection during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Although emergency extensions have been granted for some inspections, such as MOTs and first aid certificates, the law relating to the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) is still in place.

AGRICULTURAL SERVICES

He said that while farmers were “absolutely critical during these trying times,” they needed to remember how heavily they relied on their machinery to carry out this crucial work.

“Ensuring farm machinery is in safe, working order is not only key to keeping operations going during the pandemic but it is imperative for the survival of farmers, their workers, the business and its reputation,” said Keith, adding: “During the period of the outbreak, HSE has said that farmers must be able to demonstrate that they have made all reasonable attempts to have the thorough examination and testing (TE&T) carried out within the required timescales.”

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ARABLE With innovation the key to efficiency and productivity, Cereals LIVE will be bringing new technologies to farmers through its online seminar programme.

With the UK expected to be still under Covid-19 restrictions, Cereals will be delivering all of its content online on 10 and 11 June, bringing headline speakers into farmers’ homes and offices.

The Department for International Trade (DIT) Innovation and technology theatre will be focussing on how the latest developments and advice can help producers create more from less, boosting productivity with the most cutting-edge equipment and advice.

“Whether farmers are looking to know more about data-driven innovation, precision farming, plant breeding developments or sustainable crop health, Cereals Live has a range of webinars lined-up to inform and enlighten,” explained event director Alli McEntyre.

Elizabeth Warham, agri-tech lead at the DIT, explained that technology can help farmers produce

INNOVATION UNDER THE

ONLINE SPOTLIGHT more in a sustainable way and with less of an impact on the environment.

“In the UK, academia and research centres work closely with agri-tech companies using scientific breakthroughs in nutrition, genetics, remote sensing, engineering, robotics and meteorology to develop and commercialise innovative technologies, with the potential to transform traditional agricultural practices,” she said.

Seminar sessions will demonstrate how these cutting-edge developments are revolutionising modern farming. They will include briefings on data and digital innovation, including an introduction to the use of drones as an aid to crop walking and

creating usable data.

Sustainable crop health and nutrition, plant breeding technologies will also be covered, along with precision farming, with Jonathan Gill at Harper Adams providing an update on the Hands Free Farm and giving an insight into the cutting edge of autonomous farming.

Other sessions will focus on applying precision technology and farmer-led innovations, a session in which Mike Donovan, editor of Practical Farm Ideas, will pick his top farmer inventions over the past decade.

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www.cerealsevent.co.uk

TRAILER COMPANY SUPPORTS MENTAL HEALTH Trailer and muck spreader manufacturer Ktwo has launched a campaign to raise awareness of mental health in farming and provide support to those who need it.

The company, based in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, has set up the Spread The Load campaign to encourage and help individuals who are feeling overwhelmed to share their feelings and let them know what help is available. ‘’There are many pressures in life and the farming industry, and we want to use our platforms to raise awareness and share the support networks available,” said Robbie Polson, Ktwo Managing Director.

“This is a topic close to many of our hearts and now is an especially difficult time with the Covid-19 pandemic, so we wanted to launch the campaign as quickly as we could.’’

To start the campaign, Ktwo added a dedicated page to its website giving information on where farmers and their families can find support and advice during difficult times. The page links to many services and charities such as The

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

Farming Community Network’s Farming Help and YANA Rural Health Support, which offers a full directory of support services.

Ktwo is planning to develop the campaign further across its networks in the coming months and is hoping to run a roadshow across the UK to reach more people. ‘’We want to do our best with our own networks to help support mental health in agriculture and give people access to the services available to them. If we can help even just one person at a time of need it will have been worth it,’’ said Robbie.

Ktwo is also supporting the Max Hunter Fund, set up in memory of a young man who died in August last year aged just 28 and aimed at helping young people feel more comfortable talking about mental health. www.ktwo.co.uk/spreadtheload

AGRONOMY

FIELDWISE LIVE – NATIONAL TRIALS COME TO YOUR SCREENS

For crop production specialists Hutchinsons, it’s business as usual.

“Farming is not standing still with the coronavirus situation and neither are we. We understand the importance of trials results on both a national and regional level to help our agronomists make the right decisions for their farmer clients, ” said Stuart Hill, head of technology and innovation at Hutchinsons.

“This means that we will continue to invest in our national and regional trials sites, as we do every season. Our unique national Helix project will continue to look at innovative and relevant technologies and techniques that can make positive impacts on farm sustainability and profitability.

“Our groundbreaking 10-year Helios project (Hutchinsons Enhanced Light Interception Orchard System) looking at the effect of light capture on fruit quality in apples continues across our two sites in Kent and the West Midlands.

“We also recognise that no two farms or fields are the same, and what works well for one won’t necessarily work for another. Therefore the work that we do at our regional technology centres throughout the country on a wide range of soil types, crops and inputs will go on throughout the season.

“The only difference from having an open day as such, will be the way in which we share the results,” he pointed out.

“With the uncertainty around open days we are bringing our work from the regions to the grower – with Fieldwise LIVE. “Our aim is to be able to bring live in-season regular updates to growers on what is happening in crops throughout the season – with seven regional technical centres, the Helix project, and our national maize, brassica and potato trial sites, we are well placed to be able to deliver this.

“This will be done through a series of live videos from all of our trials sites

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at regular intervals during the season, which will be hosted on our new website,” he explained.

“By logging onto the bespoke Fieldwise LIVE section of the website, it will be possible to access these videos to see in real-time, the latest on how crops are progressing through the season, and the best advice on how to manage them from our leading technical experts and agronomists, who are fully equipped and ready to roll.

“We will also be using all of our social media channels such as Twitter @Hutchinsons_ag and our Facebook page to externalise our findings, so look out for these.

“We recognise that it’s not the same as the real thing – we enjoy and value the face-to-face interaction with growers coming to our open days as much as we hope they do – but we just have to recognise that this is not going to be possible for this summer,” said Mr Hill.

“However we hope that by bringing live trials reports and updates from our agronomists and technical experts from the field, we can continue to support farmers as much as possible in these challenging times.”

STUART HILL

Head of Innovation & Technology, Hutchinsons T: 07876 841180 E: stuart.hill@hlhltd.co.uk Canterbury: 01227 830064 www.hlhltd.co.uk

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

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SARAH CALCUTT FOCUS ON FRUIT

50

We suddenly have an enormous number of people wanting to work on British farms again, and as a consequence the conversations I am now having, compared to those of eight weeks ago, are startlingly different.

With the UK and Europe experiencing such high levels of employment in 2019, there was a great deal of concern over how growers would pick this year’s crop. Following the election manifesto promise that the Seasonal Worker Pilot Scheme numbers would be scaled up to 10,000 permits, I implored you to write to your MP to ensure that this happened and warned of the dire consequences of not having enough labour this year.

Sitting here on 14 April I am now completing a funding application to assist with the Kent’s Land Army facebook page, looking at the 8,000 people who have signed up to the call to action and discussing a temporary ALP license to help process the thousands of applications from people desperate to work.

For some accessing the page, it is an attempt to revisit the golden days of childhood, accompanying a parent or grandparent into a strawberry field, picking a few punnets and getting a few pence in return. With that in mind, a central aim of the site is to share the reality of harvesting in 2020; the need to be fit, nimble, available for a full working day, to have childcare in place, to understand the volume required to be picked by the hour and also to be in a position to sign up to the PAYE system of their new employer.

It is going to be an enormous task for growers to find a balance between dedicating enough time to recruiting locals and continuing to keep an eye on what is happening with their contracted EU labour force, which wants to come over but may not be able to travel.

There are a lot of desperate people out there.

Families who have been living from one pay day to another suddenly have no income; after years of not even ‘just doing ok’, they are suddenly even more reliant on food banks to feed their children.

With reports that unemployment figures

ENORMOUS TASK

FOR GROWERS

resulting from Covid-19 will increase by at least two million even before we know how many businesses won’t make it post-lockdown, we need a serious look at how we feed Britain.

Debates in the past week have looked at a national nutritional deficit – the rapidly growing proportion of our population for whom paying the rent or feeding their families is now a choice. Before this period began, we were discussing the challenge of a government advisor stating that we no longer needed farming in the UK, we had an agricultural bill consultation that didn’t talk about food and farming and a food strategy consultation that wasn’t looking at food security. One can only hope that the reverse will be the case now.

In his new book Feeding Britain, our food problems and how to fix them, Professor Tim Lang spends some time making direct comparisons to the national nutritional deficits and reliance on imported food prior to the 1936 report from Sir William Beveridge.

There is a stack of evidence that the food system must change as it had to then, that our food system is over-stretched and does not match food supply, health and ecosystems. We have a planning policy that ignores the grade of soil put forward as building land; surely the basic tenet that prime land is needed for food production should now be considered?

Cheap food is not the way forward. We need the national diet to be sustainable in every direction to avoid both so many people going hungry and poor returns for producers. In a report by the Food Foundation published this week, 1.5 million (3% of the population) were reported as having gone a

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

whole day without eating since the lockdown came into effect. Meanwhile 7.1m (14% of the population) said someone in their household has had to reduce or skip meals because they could not access or afford sufficient sustenance.

One of the success stories of this whole episode has been the responsiveness of food supply businesses. I’ve written before about the change in eating habits, the increasing proportion of meals eaten outside the home and how that impacts on the cooking ability of a large proportion of the population.

But might that be changing? Suddenly lots of people have time on their hands and can’t go out, while wholesalers who shuddered at the thought of box schemes are now delivering to thousands of homes.

Clearly not everyone will continue to cook from scratch once they can return to a simple trolleypushing escapade collecting ready meals, but there is a quiet optimism that one of the positives from all this will be a greater understanding of the value of food and the need to want to feed your family with real, fresh food. For those that have the money, this time may improve their health in the long term.

SARAH CALCUTT Chair, National Fruit Show

FRUIT

PICK FOR BRITAIN WEBSITE GOES LIVE Following talks between DEFRA and farming industry representatives aimed at helping farmers and growers bring together the teams they need for the 2020 harvest, a new website has been launched at www.pickforbritain.org.uk The aim is to put those who are looking for work on UK farms over the harvest period in touch with recruiters and farmers who have roles to fill. It follows national news that some farms are using charter flights to bring in Eastern European farm workers to help pick this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s early season crops.

The Pick for Britain website will act as a central hub that will signpost people

to the jobs available and provide information about all the different seasonal harvesting roles.

The website has links to the Governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Find A Job portal to enable individuals to search for jobs by type and location and will also provide links to a wide range of recruitment campaigns organised by labour providers and trade associations.

The website is hosted by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and has been developed in association with DEFRA, the NFU and related organisations.

Industry stakeholders have been asked to post seasonal worker vacancies at www.findajob.dwp.gov.uk, which will ensure a wide reach of potential applicants, including those people who are looking for work as a result of Covid-19 related redundancies or furloughing. The website already has more than 1.6 million registered users.

Details of top fruit and soft fruit growers looking for workers will be shared via the Summer Fruit and British Apples and Pears websites accessible from within the Find A Job section of the Pick for Britain website.

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51

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

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USING FURLOUGHED LABOUR DURING THE

PORTAL PICKING SEASON GOES LIVE

52

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme online portal went live on Monday 20 April.

This scheme allows businesses to claim up to 80% of each affected employee’s salary, to a cap of £2,500 per month. The scheme is accessible by all UK businesses.

Employees must have been designated as ‘furloughed’ for a minimum of three weeks and have been on the company’s payroll on or before 19 March 2020 with this status agreed with the employee. Employers must be enrolled for PAYE. The scheme has been set up to run for at least three months starting from 1 March.

If an employee was made redundant or stopped working for their employer before 19 March 2020 but was employed as of 28 February 2020 and was on the payroll, they can also qualify for the scheme if their employer has re-employed them and put them on furlough.

While HMRC’s decision to allow furloughed employees to seek work elsewhere could be a major boost for the agricultural sector, Joe Spencer, Partner at MHA MacIntyre Hudson, warns that farmers need to think carefully about how they take on and use these workers “With some 70 to 80,000 additional hands needed over the picking season, many farmers were understandably relieved when HMRC confirmed furloughed workers could take on additional employment on UK farms. As Covid-19 means thousands of EU migrant workers can no longer travel to the UK, there is a major shortage to cover.

“There are several factors to consider when enrolling furloughed workers on farms. Farmers need to be aware that making use of furloughed staff is highly likely to require consent from their original employer. This isn’t always necessary, as it depends on the nature of their employment contract, but it is essential to check this before hiring anyone.

“Farmers also need to think carefully about timing. Furloughed employees may have to return

to their original jobs before the end of the picking season in September. Taking on new workers who require considerable training may therefore not be cost-effective.

“The best solution is probably to hire workers with strong transferable skills, such as manufacturing plant workers, where the nature of their current work stands them in good stead for fruit picking.

“A final pitfall to be aware of is the need for a Gangmaster’s licence if one company acts as an agent to supply labour to another. For example, if a factory is working reduced hours, it may want to come to an arrangement with local farms to provide labour.

“The licence is required to provide staff on a mass level and takes six to eight weeks to acquire. This means it would be better for the farms to contact the staff working reduced hours on an individual basis, rather than go through their employer in the first instance. Depending on the workers employment contract, the employer’s consent may still be necessary.”

THINK ABOUT SUCCESSION PLANNING

The poor economic outlook, combined with a flattening of house prices, means farming families on the cusp of passing the business from one generation to the next should consider bringing forward succession planning, writes Philip Whitcomb, specialist in succession planning with Moore Blatch.

Something that previously may have been too expensive could be affordable now. Added to this, the vast sums that government is currently spending to prop up the economy will have to be re-paid at some point, meaning we could be looking at an autumn budget with tax rises or a reduction in the availability of Agricultural Property Relief or Business Property Relief from inheritance tax.

As this is something many farmers benefit from when the farm passes from one generation to the next, there is currently a window of opportunity that people would be wise to take advantage of.

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

LEGAL

COMPANY INCORPORATION Traditionally farms have been operated as sole proprietorships or general partnerships. The advantage of these types of unincorporated business are that they have low administrative costs and few legal or regulatory formalities that must be complied with – although partners of a general partnership ought to enter into a partnership agreement (a topic for another day!).

However, the owners of unincorporated businesses run the gauntlet of unlimited liability meaning they are personally liable for the debts and liabilities of the business. As a result, farm owners are increasingly recognising the advantages of operating their business through a company where, except in exceptional circumstances, their personal liability is limited to the nominal amount they must pay for their shares in the company.

Company incorporation is often accompanied by an issue or transfer of shares to family members to recognise their involvement in the family business or as part of a farm owner’s succession planning. However, the importance of creating a shareholders’ agreement as part of this process is sometimes overlooked.

WHAT IS A SHAREHOLDERS’ AGREEMENT?

On incorporation a company will adopt ‘articles of association’ to deal with the administrative structure of the company and its basic management.

A shareholders’ agreement is distinct from the articles and creates a contract between a company’s shareholders. It will cover a much wider range of issues than the articles and can deal with specific issues unique to farming and family run businesses. In contrast to the articles, the shareholders’ agreement will not be publicly available at Companies House.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A SHAREHOLDERS’ AGREEMENT?

Issuing or transferring shares to family members (or others) can mean relinquishing a degree of control over the farming business. A shareholders’ agreement can help farm owners address this issue by ensuring their approval is required for critical decisions related to the farm (so called reserved matters). If desired, other shareholders/family members can also be given a say on certain decisions.

A concern for any family run company is that shares may end up being held by someone who does not meet with the other shareholders’ approval. The agreement can create control over who may hold shares in the company by placing restrictions on the transfer of shares and stipulating what happens if certain trigger events arise (e.g. the death or incapacity of a shareholder).

Further, while family disputes are an uncomfortable thought, they are not uncommon. It is important that any issues are anticipated and can be resolved by reference to a well drafted agreement.

WHAT ELSE CAN BE INCLUDED IN A SHAREHOLDERS’ AGREEMENT?

The short answer to this question is anything. There is no limit on the type of issues that can be dealt with, but we do recommend they are limited to company matters. An exhaustive list is outside the scope of this article but common provisions include: • Management and running of the company: this will cover the method of appointing and removing directors, approval of any capital expenditure, and other financial issues. It is important that each shareholder has a clear understanding of how they should be contributing to the business and what rights to expect in return.

• Payment of dividends: this will ensure each shareholder understands the basis on which dividends will be declared and paid. It is common for shareholders to hold different classes of ordinary shares so dividends can be paid to some shareholders but not others. This provides flexibility over how profits can be allocated between family members.

• Deadlock: this will provide for resolving disputes between shareholders when they all expect a say in how the farm is operated. The deadlock provisions may refer the dispute to a mediator or an expert for determination or result in some shareholders being able to buy out the others so they can go their separate ways without necessarily winding up the farming business.

Shareholders’ agreements do require some careful thought and tailoring to the requirements of a particular farming business. However, the advantages of providing stability and protecting family members’ interests in the farm should definitely outweigh the time and effort involved in having one prepared.

TIM TURNER

Senior Associate, Brachers LLP T: 01622 776441 E: timturner@brachers.co.uk www.brachers.co.uk

Helping our agricultural community to thrive and grow Legal services which deliver long-term solutions to support the future of farming Call us on 01622 690691 Visit us at brachers.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

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LAND AND FARMS

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The Sun isn’t my usual paper of choice, but I couldn’t help notice a huge advert on the front of it recently.

“Thank you to British Farmers,” the full-page message from the supermarket Morrisons proclaimed, recognising the sterling work done by farmers keeping food on the nation’s tables during the coronavirus crisis.

The full fallout from the pandemic won’t, of course, be known for months, if not years. What we do know is that the human cost in terms of deaths will be incalculable, even before the tragedy of lost jobs and bankrupt businesses is considered.

In this context, it’s hard to find any good news, but one silver lining of this whole terrible cloud is that farming could be permanently repositioned in the nation’s psyche.

As Britain went into lockdown, as supermarket shelves emptied and people – understandably – feared for their next meal, we collectively remembered the role of the farmer in terms of keeping food on our tables.

In terms of sparking a new sense of perspective, comparisons were made with the Second World War. In what for many has been an era of plenty, we again focused on what constituted ‘essentials’ and what were ‘luxuries’. Food, like health, was at the very top of the ‘essentials’ list.

Now isn’t the time for the agricultural industry to try to make political capital out of the situation. This isn’t in farmers’ natures and, in truth, most are too busy trying to get through the next few months. But hopefully consumers and politicians will have been reminded about the ‘key worker’ status of those who, quietly and without a fuss, have carried on doing what they do best – producing safe, top quality and traceable food to the highest welfare standards.

Those who remember it – and our historians – tell us that the general sense of goodwill towards farmers in the years after the Second World War was a result of their efforts during those dark days and contributed to a slew of favourable agricultural policies.

While we mustn’t inadvertently give the impression that the agricultural sector considers itself somehow

AGRICULTURAL POLICY COULD BE ‘REWRITTEN’ more ‘key’ than the many others – NHS staff spring to mind, for example – who have stepped up to the plate so selflessly in this national emergency, the crisis has reminded us how much we need a vibrant farming and food sector that gives the population ready access to safe, affordable food.

I’ve also noticed a marked decrease in the farmingbashing that can be pervasive on social media.

Instead, there has been an acknowledgement of – and gratitude for – the role these families are playing in keeping their communities fed and safe in these difficult times. I’ve read heartening tales of farmers acting as the ‘glue’ of their communities, keeping elderly and vulnerable people supplied with essentials.

I also saw a poll in the farming press asking readers if they felt footpaths should be closed. In this climate of fear and uncertainty, it would have been easy – understandable, even – to answer ‘yes’. More than half of respondents, however, felt they should be kept open to allow the nation to responsibly spend time outdoors and get the fresh air and exercise mandated in the government’s advice. Actions like this help cement farmers’ position in the nation’s hearts and minds.

For businesses facing acute financial hardship, the old adage that ‘fine words butter no parsnips’ will seem particularly apt at present. Any shift in policy will come too late for some businesses, already entirely reliant on BPS to make the difference between profit and loss.

Enterprises needing seasonal labour from the EU, those relying on visitor and events-based diversification incomes and dairy producers are among those in the toughest position. And while coronavirus has less of an immediate, direct effect on the bottom line of many arable businesses, the wet autumn and winter has left many facing huge challenges anyway.

The situation has reminded me of the importance of a ‘bird in the hand’ and the value of ‘guaranteed’ income, in as much as any income can be in today’s unpredictable world.

Hard as it is to plan for the medium and long term when many businesses are fighting for their short term survival, now could be a not-to-be-missed opportunity to consider a Countryside Stewardship application.

The scheme has rightfully had its share of bad press but, with the closing date approaching (the deadline for Mid-Tier applications is 31 July, and if you’re requesting an application pack by email or phone you have to do that by 31 May), there is an additional appeal to the guaranteed income stream that such a five-year agreement could provide in a period of uncertainty.

All the more reason, too, that when the payments available under the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) are eventually announced, they should properly reflect the importance of the work – whether that’s feeding us, keeping our drinking water clean, keeping our air fresh or providing a biodiversity-rich, climate change-combatting environment.

There will be many competing, and some entirely justified, demands on Treasury coffers over the coming years, but perhaps there could be a fundamental shift in the policymakers’ hierarchy, with agriculture moving upwards. Long-term, that would help the fortunes of individual farms, even if the sad truth is that some businesses will fall by the wayside in the coming weeks and months long before they are able to benefit from it.

KEVIN JAY

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

• Basic Payment Scheme • Farm and Estate Management • Farm Business Consultancy • Rent Reviews • Countryside Stewardship • Ecological Surveys

Call us on 01892 770339 or email info@c-l-m.co.uk www.c-l-m.co.uk

MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

LAND AND FARMS

During this unprecedented time when the nation has been asked to stay at home, the issues of poor-quality housing, overcrowding, homelessness and affordability are again highlighted. This crisis has also emphasised the enormous value of our open spaces.

Now, more than ever, a solution to our housing crisis needs to be found – how do we provide the number of homes needed in places where people want and need to live, whilst delivering open space and protecting our environment and countryside?

The first thing to acknowledge is that there is no single answer, but could redefining the purpose of the Green Belt play a significant role in the solution?

The 1947 Planning Act formally introduced the planning system as we know it and the Green Belt classification. Its primary function was to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open. It now accounts for 12.5% of the country’s land mass, an area greater than that currently developed. It is often celebrated as the greatest success of our planning system but has the policy reached its sell-by date?

The Green Belt has become an institution, embedded in people’s psyche as the embodiment of British countryside. It is now a battle ground and one which is widely thought to be under constant threat of destruction. However the reality is something quite different. The Green Belt is not a designation which recognises landscape quality or environmental significance, nor provides public access as of right; in fact two thirds of Green Belt is within agricultural use and is largely inaccessible.

While the policy encourages opportunities for public access and environmental improvements, there are no powers to secure this.

There is no doubt that this policy has been overwhelmingly successful, but what modern function does it still serve and should this be prioritised beyond meeting housing need and locating those houses in the most suitable and sustainable locations?

The continued relevance of the Green Belt has been the matter of various studies over the past

GREEN BELT – IS IT TIME FOR A CHANGE?

30 years. The Adam Smith Institute called for the designation to be abolished completely. It claimed that it caused economic, social and environmental harm by creating a “green noose” around our urban centres. The report claimed that just releasing Green Belt land located within 800m of a railway station could deliver one million homes within London alone.

On the flip side there are those who campaign fervently for the maintenance of the status quo.

CPRE are one of many organisations that claim these areas provide vital environmental and social benefits which are incompatible with housing development. They criticise the developments that have been allowed for not providing the promised level of affordable housing or the economic benefits. Is there no middle ground?

One which alters the function of the Green Belt as an asset for the communities it serves, providing access to green infrastructure and protecting and enhancing biodiversity, while at the same time recognising the existing economic requirement for urban growth?

Could Green Belt policy be more sophisticated?

A policy which provides effective protection of land which has genuine environmental or recreational purpose whilst releasing suitable land for much needed homes? There are already numerous land classifications which councils could use to provide

meaningful protection such as SSSIs, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, National Parks and Metropolitan Open Land. These could be extended or new classifications created to protect those areas that local people feel are significant to their community.

At the same time councils would need to remove the disproportionate weight given to the protection of Green Belt land and judge land on its suitability in terms of best meeting social, economic and environmental aims.

House builders also have their part to play by delivering high quality developments which provide the range of homes needed in an attractive and sustainable environment. Developments which provide quality open space and infrastructure that are seen to provide tangible benefits to both existing and future communities.

These notions are not new, however if a revised purpose for our Green Belt is to be recognised it would require a significant change in policy from Central Government. What is forgotten in this debate is that the Green Belt has doubled in size since 1979, yet any reform to Green Belt policy has become the proverbial “hot potato”. Despite the commitment by all political parties to resolve the housing crisis, a fundamental reform to the Green Belt will require political courage and this may be the real housing challenge.

Could your land have development potential?

Find out more about land promotion

VICTORIA GROVES

Senior Planning Manager, Catesby Estates plc T: 01256 637914 E: victoriag@catesbyestates.co.uk W: www.catesbyestates.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

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Whilst the country is in lockdown, we continue to operate working remotely, and are just on the end of a phone or email if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to discuss the farmland market or any requirements you may have.

All of our latest information, research and advice on the farmland market and all aspects of farm and estate management is available through our Rural Hub. Discover more: Rural.struttandparker.com

National Estates & Farm Agency Team

Mark McAndrew 07702 317231 mark.mcandrew@struttandparker.com

Will Whittaker 07884 866275 will.whittaker@struttandparker.com

60 offices nationwide | rural.struttandparker.com

LAND AND FARMS

www.batchellermonkhouse.com

Pulborough 01798 877555

WORKING TOGETHER Early lessons on property management The past few weeks have caused unprecedented issues for everyone. Health and wellbeing must be top of everyone’s agenda. Stresses arise from myriad directions.

Batcheller Monkhouse’s management teams has been dealing with numerous enquiries from residential tenants anxious about their ability to pay their rents and commercial occupiers fearing that business income will dry up. At the same time farmers and rural businesses, reliant on diversified income from holiday lets, venue hire and other enterprises, are seeing this essential source of revenue evaporate. The knock-on effects of this crisis are staggering, and it seems everyone and everything is interlinked.

It is likely that we will be dealing with Covid-19 and the after effects for months to come. The fundamental question therefore is how we can all get through this and be back up and running as soon as possible?

Now is the time for a unified strategy to help all recover as quickly as possible. Our view is that it is incumbent on both sides of the landlord/tenant equation to work together to find a workable solution. Only then will the wider economy recover.

Key questions need to be asked.

WHAT FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IS ALREADY AVAILABLE?

There is a huge amount of help out there in various forms. This includes: • Furloughing arrangements for employees • Self-employment income support • Rates relief for some sectors including hospitality, leisure, retail and others • Business Support Grant – offering up to £25,000 cash for certain sectors • Income Tax and VAT deferments

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

• Mortgage holidays • Business Interruption Loan Scheme • Commercial Banks offering repayment holidays and restructuring We would strongly recommend that both landlord and tenant explore these avenues before agreeing to any measures.

Alex Wilks

Harry Broadbent-Combe

Haywards Heath 01444 412402

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WHAT STEPS MIGHT BE TAKEN?

While there are numerous financial measures designed to support the economy and protect individuals from economic crisis, clearly there will be instances where measures need to be taken.

Such measures might include: • Rent deferments – partial or whole • Rent holidays • Rent reductions • Change in payment dates – quarterly changed to monthly.

Such measures can only be agreed by mutual consent. Open dialogue is the key to success. No tenant should expect their landlord to willingly agree to a deal to reduce income unless they are confident that all other support measures have not been properly investigated. At the same time, however, no landlord will want to see a tenant get into financial difficulties, difficulties that may make their recovery only more arduous. A careful balance needs to be struck.

Once all the facts are known we would recommend that a flexible agreement is reached under which any financial measures are subject to review, perhaps on a month by month basis. We have developed such agreements that are already working well.

Working together the rural economy can weather this storm. Please contact your local Batcheller Monkhouse office for advice and help, whether you are a landlord or a tenant.

Chris Tipping

David Blake

Tunbridge Wells 01892 509280

Oliver Robinson

Kate Richards

Battle 01424 775577

Leo Hickish

Charlotte Pearson-Wood

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

Land & Property Experts

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Brightling, East Sussex

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£695,000

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OIEO £2,450,000

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An agricultural unit with farmhouse Buildings & yard with planning for 4 dwellings Grade II agricultural land extending to approx 100 acres

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Marden, Kent

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A development site to convert agricultural buildings Planning granted for 9 units & redeveloped farmhouse Total site area approx 3.76 acres

A detached farmhouse (AOC) with outbuildings Planning permission for replacement dwelling Extending in total to approx 10 acres

Shepherdswell, Kent

Cowden, Kent

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Collier Street, Kent

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102.10 acres of productive Grade II & III arable land Two separate lots with road & river frontage Large field sizes for ease of working

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A detached farmhouse & outbuildings with planning Far reaching views to the north and east Extending in total to approx 22.02 acres

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Pevensey, East Sussex OIEO £390,000 A block of grazing marsh on the Pevensey Levels SSSI and RAMSAR site Extending in total to approx 78.44 acres

www.btfpartnership.co.uk E challock@btfpartnership.co.uk

T 01233 740077

E heathfield@btfpartnership.co.uk

T 01435 864455

FARMLAND SALES ON HOLD

Until the past few weeks, sellers had been ready to commit to the market following the clear general election result, and buyers who had previously been frustrated by the lack of stock to consider had been eagerly anticipating new farms and estates coming to the market. Unsurprisingly, all that seems to be on hold at least for the time being, says Chris Spofforth, Savills head of farm agency in the South East.

One of the wettest winters on record made drilling conditions exceptionally tough for many farmers and the current dry spell has come as a significant relief. On an additional positive note, domestic food security seems to be back on the political agenda, even if it claims less column inches than farmers being asked to focus on “public goods”. Undoubtedly, the recognised imperative to produce a large proportion of the food we consume and the myriad evolving natural capital angles provide opportunities for progressive landowners and farmers.

As it stands, we are continuing to prepare those farms that are earmarked to come to the market for sale. Because of the extremely wet weather, launches had largely been delayed until mid-May in any event. So we are doing all the necessary due diligence and preparing the marketing material as normal. We can take a decision at the very last minute as to whether or not to delay a launch and it is worth remembering that these days it takes no more than 24 hours to get a property live on our website and the property portals. We can also send links with details to those on our database of buyers, so being prepared and communicating with our buyers and sellers is a priority over the coming weeks.

Our approach to the new way of working will continue to evolve and when the current movement restrictions ease, we are aiming to get back to as close to normal practice as is possible, within the realms of safety and guidelines issued by the health experts. There is also the technology to create virtual tours of dwellings and drone footage of land to share with potential buyers.

The dramatic fall in the stock market may encourage some of those with funds to invest in land and property so we may see investors entering the land market again/competing for farmland. You only have to look back to the global financial crisis to be reminded of how land has been viewed as an attractive, long term defensive investment class.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

LAND AND FARMS STEYNING, | WEST SUSSEX

OFFERS IN THE REGION OF £550,000

RARE OPPORTUNITY A rare opportunity to purchase a well equipped small equestrian property in an unspoilt rural location has come to the market with Batcheller Monkhouse, Pulborough office.

Furzefield Farm has direct access onto a Public Bridleway for hacking out.

There is a mobile home and adjoining office building with permanent consent subject to an equestrian tie. The stable yard and land include: • Timber built mess room with tack room and WC • Concreted stable yard, with wash down area • Pair of timber stables • Two single boxes • Range of three timber stables with tack room • L shaped range of three pony boxes, a feed

WOKING | SURREY

room and separate rug store • Off lying pair of stables with lean-to store • Outdoor arena • Hardcore area for potential lunging ring, subject to planning • A number of post and rail fenced paddocks • In all approximately 6.16 acres (2,49 ha).

GUIDE PRICE: £760,000

44 ACRES

ATTRACTIVE PARCEL

OF PASTURE LAND

Bullhousen Farm is an attractive parcel of pasture land situated between Bisley and West End extending to approximately 44 acres and is for sale with the Pulborough office of Batcheller Monkhouse.

A single block of agricultural grassland with perimeter livestock fencing comprising a mixture of fairly level permanent pasture fields on generally sandy soil, and some heavier brookland meadows, that grow an abundance of grass, either side of a small water course. In all approximately 44 acres (17.80 hectares) which are for sale as a whole or in the following three lots:

Lot 1: • Approximately 11.3 acres (4.57 hectares).

• Pasture field • Brookland meadows • Guide Price £200,000 Lot 2: • Approximately 19.2 acres (7.77 hectares).

• Pasture field • Brookland meadows • Guide Price £310,000 Lot 3: • Approximately 13.5 acres (5.46 hectares).

• Two level pasture fields • Guide Price £250,000

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K C I P

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

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LAND AND FARMS

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BTF Partnership is offering for sale an east Kent agricultural holding with a range of farm buildings with planning permission for conversion into residential property, a detached period Grade II listed farmhouse and over 100 acres of arable land. The property is being offered for sale by Informal Tender as a whole or in five separate lots with a closing date of Friday 12 June 2020.

Long Lane Farm has been in the vendor’s family for the last 80 years and is located on the outskirts of Shepherdswell village. Canterbury, Folkestone and Dover are all within a ten mile radius. The property extends in total to approximately 103.81 acres with the agricultural land in arable production under a traditional arable crop rotation. The yard and buildings onsite are now dated and are predominantly vacant following the grant of planning permission for four new residential dwellings. The property is available as a whole or split into five separate lots: Lot 1 : A Grade II Listed farmhouse with period features throughout and three double bedrooms, good sized gardens and grounds and paddock land extending in total to approximately 1.21 acres. This lot has a guide price of £595,000.

Lot 2: The farm buildings, yard and land which includes a detached Kent Barn, former milking parlour, Dutch barn and a range of generalpurpose buildings all within approximately 1.88 acres. Planning permission has been granted for conversion of the Kent Barn into a detached five-bedroom house extending to 3,261 sq ft, conversion of the milking parlour into a detached three-bedroom house extending to 1,615 sq ft and

SHEPHERDSWELL | KENT

GUIDE PRICE: £2,205,000

103.81 ACRES

AGRICULTURAL HOLDING WITH A RANGE OF FARM BUILDINGS

a new build pair of semi-detached two-bedroom cottages extending to 753 sq ft each. This lot has a guide price £600,000.

Lot 3: Grade II Agricultural land extending to approximately 33.68 acres. This parcel is gently sloping and adjoins lots 1 and 2 and is planted with a crop of winter oilseed rape. Vacant possession will be available after harvest 2020. This lot has a guide price of £340,000.

Lot 4: Grade II Agricultural land extending to approximately 36.51 acres. This lot has recently been planted with a crop of spring barley and

includes a narrow strip of the adjacent Stafflands Wood along the northern boundary. Vacant possession will also be available after harvest 2020. This lot has a guide price of £365,000.

Lot 5: Grade II Agricultural land extending to approximately 30.35 acres. This lot has also recently been planted with a crop of spring barley and will be available with vacant possession after harvest 2020. This lot has a guide price of £305,000.

Long Lane Farm is available as a whole with a guide price of £2,205,000.

P O T MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

K C I P

www.batchellermonkhouse.com Residential

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You can advertise land and farms in South East Farmer from as little as £285. A great way to create interest from serious buyers.

Equestrian

Specialist Bespoke Planning Advice for your planning journey

FOR SALE

www.therpp.co.uk CIRENCESTER 01285 323200

CRANBROOK 01580 201888

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01303 233883 jamie.mcgrorty@kelsey.co.uk

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office@therpp.co.uk

www.batchellermonkhouse.com Residential

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Rural

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Equestrian

EAST SUSSEX, NEAR HEATHFIELD PRICE ON APPLICATION

EAST SUSSEX, NEAR RYE GUIDE PRICE £80,000

Investment opportunity with well-established rental incomes.

Rental Businesses include:- Café. Fishery and Riding Stables. Set in approximately 110.46 acres of permanent pasture and woodland.

For sale as a whole.

In a wonderful rural location about 6.6 acres.

The land has in recent years been used for arable. It is partially stock-fenced, with a mature hedgerow on the eastern boundary. The northern boundary borders the River Tillingham.

APPLY: KATE RICHARDS 07902 754 649

APPLY: BATTLE OFFICE 01424 775577

Battle 01424 775577

Haywards Heath 01444 453181

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

Pulborough 01798 872081

Tunbridge Wells 01892 509280

London Mayfair mayfair@batchellermonkhouse.com

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

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Forma offer a competitive and reliable service. We have over 30 years experience in the construction sector and the family have been Sussex builders since at least 1605! We specialise in the supply and construction of steel framed buildings, together with the repair and refurbishment of existing farm buildings.

Based in the heart of Sussex, Forma cover the South East and offer a range of services including steel framed buildings, groundwork, steel / fibre cement / timber cladding, concrete panels, roller shutters and sectional insulated doors, asbestos removal, gutter and drainage work and general farm building maintenance.

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MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

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FARM BUILDING REPAIRS We will continue to work through coronavirus, and we will be available to attend site and estimate customers projects and/or insurance repair/works.

We have now insisted that our employees wear suitable personal protection equipment on any such works until further notice.

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Kenward Construction based in Horsham, West Sussex offer a full design and build service for your next steel framed building including composite cladding, concrete panels, roller shutter doors and bespoke designs to meet individual planning conditions.

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.

Arrange a site visit with one of our contracts managers to discuss your project in more detail by emailing enquiries@kenwardgroundworks.co.uk or call 01403 210218

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Agriculture ~ Cold Storage ~ Equestrian ~ Industrial ~ Waste Recycling • Agricultural Buildings • Cold Store Buildings • Equestrian Buildings • Industrial Buildings • Waste Recycling Buildings TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

01323 890403 www.danddconstruction.co.uk info@danddconstruction.co.uk

• Structural Steel • Drawing Services • Design Services • Mezzanine Floors • Custom Steelwork

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020

63

CLASSIFIEDS

CONSTRUCTION

JPR “ROOFING” & GUTTERING INSTALLATIONS LTD

Supply and erecting of

Steel framed buildingS

Fully insured and licensed. 23 years family run business.

Covering all KENT & SUSSEX

AND

We will continue to work through coronavirus, and we will be available to attend site and estimate customers projects and/or insurance repair/works.

We have now insisted that our employees wear suitable personal protection equipment on any such works until further notice.

www.ardaviesfarmservices-canterbury.co.uk

A.R. DAVIES FARM SERVICES

GRAINSTORE INSTALLATIONS

Est 1986

Family run business with over 45+ years of experience, from concept to completion.

Family business Family runrun business with over 45+45+ years of of with over years

LET’S KEEP WORKING!

CONSTRUCTION

Asbestos Sheet removal Roof & gutter repairs New roofs & cladding Refurbishments Roller shutter doors Demolition & clearance

experience, concept experience, from concept Steel framefrom buildings, to completion. to completion. cladding and associated works.

Steel frame buildings, Steel frame buildings, cladding andand associated cladding associated Specialists in: works. works.

• Agricultural,

ALL WORK ALL WORK

Specialists in: in: equestrian & light Specialists • Agricultural, industrial buildings • Agricultural, equestrian & light equestrian & light • In house fabrication industrial buildings industrial buildings •• In Planning services house fabrication • In house fabrication available • Planning services • Planning services available available01323 848684 lanesconstruction.co.uk lanesbuildings@btconnect.com lanesconstruction.co.uk lanesbuildings@btconnect.com 01323 848684 lanesconstruction.co.uk lanesbuildings@btconnect.com 01323 848684 APPROVED APPROVED

SHORTLAND STRUCTURES LTD

We are available to carry out ESSENTIAL REPAIR WORKS to AGRICULTURAL LIVESTOCK/STORAGE BUILDINGS etc

64

Contact Arthur on 07860 193716 Mark on 07771 516716 Tel/Fax: 01227 831658 ardfs@vfast.co.uk

Contact: Chris, for a no obligation quotation: Tel: 07813 142145 or 01233 659129 (7 days) www.jprmaintenance-construction.co.uk

• STEEL FRAMED BUILDINGS • CLADDING • ERECTING • • EXTENSIONS • ALTERATIONS • CONCRETE PANELS • ROLLER/SLIDING/PERSONNEL DOORS •

Penfold Profiles

Tel: 01732 460912 Mobile: 07976 287836 Email: sales@shortlandstructures.com

www.shortlandstructures.com

Asbestos removal Sheeting Guttering

CONTRACTORS LAND DRAINAGE, EARTHWORKS, GROUNDWORKS & CONSTRUCTION FULL LAND DRAINAGE SERVICE sportsfields, amenity and irrigation systems using Mastenbroek trenchers

RAMSA K M

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B

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PONDS, LAKES & RESERVOIRS construction and maintenance

Specialists in agricultural and industrial buildings ASBESTOS Survey Removal Disposal

GROUNDWORKS & CONSTRUCTION primary excavations, aggregate sub-base, agricultural construction and concreting

GUTTERS Aluminium liners PVC liners Accessories

SHEETING Complete buildings New roof system for conversions Repairs – Rooflights

07864 823 476 07889 481618 penfoldprofiles@btinternet.com www.penfoldprofiles.co.uk

Penfold Profiles. Lees Paddock, High Halden, Ashford, Kent MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

ENVIRONMENTAL HABITATS water course maintenance and improvement works

For all enquiries call 01233 860404 07770 867625 (Harvey) or 07768 115849 (Dave)

Grubbing, timber & groundwork services • orchard grubbing

• land clearance

• windbreak removal

• excavations

• timber extraction

• cultivations

• fallen tree removal

• pond dredging

• ground contouring

• reservoir construction

W.H.Skinner & Sons

01622 744640 - 07711 264775 www.whskinnerandsons.co.uk

CLASSIFIEDS

CONTRACTORS CONTRACTORS

Mainland

Competitive Direct Drilling Service

Rentals and Developments Limited

Using our proven Simtech Aitchison direct drill we seed into all surfaces - grasses, clovers, brassicas, cereals, pulses, maize and all mixtures.

The unique T-slot boot allows a perfect environment for the seeds to germinate, along its 2.7 sowing width with 18 rows.

This method saves time and money compared with more traditional re-seeding methods, but is also capable of stitching and rejuvenating existing crops.

Town Place Farm, Haywards Heath Tel: 01825 790341 Mob: 07970 621832 Email: Charlie@townplacefarm.co.uk

EVENTS

BULK EARTHWORKS & PLANT HIRE

HIRE SPECIALISTS ACROSS THE SOUTH EAST

Plant Hire Equipment Available:     

John Deere Tractors from 100-250hp Excavators from 8-35 tonne Bulldozers D4, D5, D6 Loading shovels Telehandlers

• Toilets & Showers for hire • Large range of Temporary canteens, stores & welfare units

Covering the South East OD & PARTNERS

S W ATTWOOD 07714 480088 & PARTNERS NAGE

• Events also catered for with marquees & toilets

john@mainland-rentals.co.uk

LAND DRAINAGE

VEYINGToadvertise in South East Farmer FIELD MAPPING telephone 01303 233883  DRAINAGE SURVEYING

E

• Effluent Tank Emptying

 

DESIGN SWA DRAINAGE

SW ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

S W ATTWOOD & PARTNERS FROM £220 PER ACRE LAND DRAINAGE

ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

ND DRAINAGE

FIELD MAPPING DRAINAGE SURVEYING DESIGN DRAINAGE

220 PER ACRE

ON SIT OUR

FOUR JAYS GROUP

®

Tel: 01622 843135 Fax: 01622 844410 enquiries@fourjays.co.uk www.fourjays.co.uk

FENCING Manufacturers of Chestnut Fencing Products Hardwood gates Cleft post and rail Stakes and posts Chestnut fencing

CWP fenci f n ng

Tel: 07985298221 www.cwpfencing.co.uk

HAULIERS 07860 728204 Hay & Straw Merchant | Machinery Haulage

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION • FIELD MAPPING • DRAINAGE SURVEYING PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR • DESIGN • DRAINAGE d.com WEBSITE: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

oodfarms.com PHONE: 01795 880441

PLEASE CONTACT JAMES OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE TOM: 01795 880441 or 07884 664035

james@swattwood.com EMAIL: james@swattwood.com  EMAIL: GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING HAY & STRAW IN STOCK | ROUND & BIG SQUARE BALES  LANDwww.swjfattwood.com DRAINAGE Find us on Facebook ER INFORMATION  PLANT HIRE OUR NTACT US OR VISIT WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020 TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883  INERT TIPPING  GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING

www.attwoodfarms.com

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CLASSIFIEDS

PRESSURE WASHERS FOR SALE

SWEET HOME HINTON AMPNER Farmer and journalist Charlie Flindt’s diary from 2015 – warts ‘n’ all!

Available for only £11.99

SALES, SERVICE & HIRE OUT of Pressure Washers, Vacuums, Scrubber Dryers, Sweepers & Dry Steamers from the leading manufacturers!

Fully Stocked mobile engineers with full manufacturer training.

Over 45 YEARS in trading!

TEL:01293 554750 TEL:01293

from eBay, Amazon and all good bookshops

WWW.PRESSURECLEAN.CO.UK WWW.PRESSURECLEAN.CO.UK

RADIOS INDUSTRIAL DOORS 66

DOORS LTD

SUPPLY INSTALLATION MAINTENANCE SERVICE

CB RADIO

®

thunderpole.co.uk

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

INDUSTRIAL DOOR SERVICES Sectional doors • Roller Shutter doors • High speed doors Loading bay equipment • Personnel and Fire doors

STORAGE TANKS KING

STORAGE TANKS Horizontal Cylindrical Tanks

Culnells Farm, School Lane, Iwade, Sittingbourne, Kent ME9 8QJ Fax: 01634 360955 Mobile: 07973 299664 Email: sales@yiannisdoors.co.uk

Tel: 01634 378523

From 54,500 litres to 27,250 litres (12,000 - 6,000 gallon)

www.yiannisdoors.co.uk

Single and twin compartments, with cradles

Bunded Tanks

IRRIGATION

From 27,000 litres to 10,000 litres (6,000 - 2,000 gallon) With cabinet, guage and alarm All suitable for fuel, water and effluent Call today for details

Why dig when we can trench it?

Tel 01638 712328

www.thekinggroup.co.uk/tanks

SMITHS

Trencher with operator for installing: • Irrigation and water pipes

of the Forest of Dean Ltd.

• Utility cables and ducting

The Tank and Drum Experts

• Repairs to water pipes • Impact moling

Enquiries FieldWaterInstallations@gmail.com Est 1993

01580 891728 or 07768 626131 www.fwi-trenching.co.uk

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883 MAY 2020 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

®

Buy from stock. Visit us to collect or same day dispatch with nationwide delivery.

New and recycled IBC Tanks. Plastic and Steel Drums. Water Tanks, IBCs & Fittings. ®

VisitVisit www.smdd.co.uk www.smdd.co.uk

Or telephone on 01594 833308 for more information.

Or telephone on 01594 833308 for more information.

CROSSWORD ®

VINEYARDS

COMPLETE OUR CROSSWORD TO WIN A mixed box of 500ml sparkling ciders including four bottles of Biddies 5, Red Love cider and Biddies 8

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Care of crops and animals (9) Dirt (5) Without flavour (9) ---- bike, off-road vehicle (4) Precipitation (4) Amaze (7) Perimeter guard (8,5) A very good golfer (7) Exams (5) Gas (7) Shrub (4) Village in Surrey (9) Animal purchased at market (5,4) ---- Orchid (4)

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Emerge from an egg (5) Japanese food (5) The measurement of land (4) Piece of furniture (7) Whole cheeses are this shape (5) A person who is trained to assist childbirth (7) Turkey breed (4) Wild animal droppings (4) Fabulous (9) Simple (4) Limb (3) Uptight (5) Look (3) Gradually wear away (5) Tree (5) Plant with long stalks used in salad (6)

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Crossword by Rebecca Farmer, Broadstairs, Kent

PRIZE ANAGRAM: Plant tissue capable of cell division (8)

To enter, simply unscramble the

anagram (8) using

the green squares.

Email your replies with your name, address and phone number to sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk Correct entries will be entered into a draw which will take place on 20 May. The winner will be announced in the June edition.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS: 1

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VINEYARDS

We are offering readers the chance

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Biddies 8. For more information about the vineyards, please visit www.biddendenvineyards.com or call 01580 291726. *Subject to availability

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LAST MONTH’S WINNER: Derek Sprake from Ventor, Isle of Wight Correct answer: Costello

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | MAY 2020