South East Farmer June 2022

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

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47

JU NE 2022

CONTENTS

35 NEWS & REPORTS

04 Farmers urged to use Common Law to fight back.

06 Delay on import checks criticised.

08 Future bleak despite lifting of bird flu ban.

16 Supporting hungry families.

REGULARS

14 MONICA AKEHURST Farming is relentless.

18 NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS...

Nigel visits farmer Anthony Becvar at Little Goldsmiths Farm in Blackboys, East Sussex, to find out why he’s moving over to a more regenerative approach.

27 STEPHEN CARR 29 ANITA HEAD

30 SARAH CALCUTT 38 NICK ADAMES

Do you consider the rook vermin?

39 ADVICE FROM THE VET

Lungworm and fluke of ruminants in the UK.

www.kelsey.co.uk Cover picture: Shutterstock

23

40 ALAN WEST 44 LEGAL

47 LAND AND FARMS

27

FEATURES

12 TASTE OF KENT AWARDS

Tasty award for chemical-free pioneer.

23 GE WHITE & SONS

"It’s about trust. You need to be able to trust the people you ask to do things to get on and do them."

35 GREEN COUNTIES VETS

Set up four years ago, the practice now has three vets working with an increasing base of progressive and motivated clients.

43 PASTURE CARE

One Oxfordshire contractor is pioneering a solution for ridding crops of persistent weeds.

NEWS

FARMERS URGED TO USE

COMMON LAW TO FIGHT BACK

4

Farmers are being urged to fight back against Draconian laws that a new pressure group believes could lead to a food shortage in the UK. The group, Feed the UK (FTUK), is concerned that incentives aimed at encouraging farmers to take land out of food production, along with the increasingly tight legislation governing the industry, are damaging the country’s ability to feed itself.

And in a revolutionary call to action, it is encouraging farmers to get to grips with Common Law and challenge the constraints it believes are hampering the industry.

Meetings are being planned at which Common Law experts will explain how farmers can fight back, with organiser Venetia Carpenter claiming the information will help those attending “discover and enforce their rights as sovereign food providers and regain control over their future”.

She explained “FTUK is a consortium of farmers and concerned individuals who have come together to tackle the very real issue of crippled food supply chains as UK farmers are being encouraged to stop producing food, which will ultimately lead to a UK food shortage and a reliance on foreign imports.

“We are working with people who understand Common Law and who can help farmers negate onerous legislation. This will give farmers more freedom, time, and money.”

Venetia, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators and of the Association of International Accountants, as well as an accredited mediator, said the initial meeting in Stelling Minnis, Kent, on 20 May was the start of a wider campaign.

She is herself a farmer’s daughter and part of a family that has been farming in the Weald of Kent since the 1600s. She is also joint owner of 120 acres of farmland that is currently rented to other members of the family.

She explained: “The Government is offering incentives to farmers to take land out of food production, but to ensure the UK remains selfsufficient and resilient, Grade I and II farmland must always stay in production.

“The Government wants land taken out of production and given over to schemes such as planting trees and flowers and encouraging birds, but these schemes aren’t commercially viable and won’t ensure UK farmers can continue to ‘Feed The UK’.” She said the problem was set to get worse, with rising food prices fed by spiralling costs in inputs such as fuel, labour, fertiliser, pesticides, gas

and electricity, while supermarkets were unwilling to pay more.

Venetia said the recent trade deal with Australia was hypocritical because of the food miles involved and also pointed out the impact on freshness, reliability and the security of the UK’s food supply chain.

“In volatile times, when fuel is at an all-time high, the supply of everything that is imported is more precarious than ever; pesticides and fertilisers that farmers have come to rely on, and even labour, are mostly imported and all are in the balance. When times are hard, countries will feed their own before sending food overseas,” she commented.

On the increasing problem of legislation, Venetia pointed out: “A hundred years ago, farmers had far more freedom and considerably greater rights in law which are fast being eroded by recent legislation. Most farmers wish to preserve their farms, lands, livelihoods and secure a future for themselves and their families.”

She referred to “various pieces of legislation that are crippling farmers”, including rules about when on-farm activities are allowed,

> Venetia Carpenter

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

including when hedges can be cut.

“These ‘rules’ are often subject to the farmer applying to a third-party organisation or Government ‘quango’, including the Environment Agency, and these ‘rules’ are often a burden to farmers in both their time and expense,” she pointed out, stressing: “With an understanding of Common Law, farmers can challenge the Government with confidence and within the boundaries of the law.”

The next meeting of FTUK is planned for The House, Meadow Worsenden Farm, Biddenden TN27 8EL on Thursday 9 June, at 7pm.

FTUK can be contacted by emailing venetiacarpenter@outlook.com

OP INI ON FUTURE OF GENE

TECHNOLOGY

The battle lines are already being drawn over the future of gene technology following the Government’s announcement in the Queen’s Speech that it would be bringing forward new primary legislation in the form of The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill.

While the announcement was immediately welcomed by crop science organisation NIAB, the Soil Association was understandably less impressed about the plan to take certain breeding techniques – where the resulting plants could have occurred naturally through conventional breeding methods – out of the scope of GMO rules.

Louise Payton, senior policy officer – farming with the Soil Association, said the bill would mean “a high-tech free for all of GM plants and animals on a commercial scale”.

She added: “There is clear opposition to this removal of transparency and safety checks. The overwhelming majority (85%) of respondents to the Government’s own consultation are against this move. When facing the combined climate, nature and health crisis, we need action to tackle the causes of disease and poor resilience in the first place.

“These technologies do not do this well and really are the lowest priority on what is a very long list for the Government, and they must not be used as a risky PR front for inaction.

“The move is also a direct violation of choice by the Government for farmers and consumers who chose non-GM and in conflict with organic standards which are enshrined in UK law.”

NIAB chief executive Professor Mario Caccamo, though, said the announcement marked a further important step towards more science-based and proportionate regulation of the technologies following recent rule changes to free up experimental field trials of gene edited crops. He said it would boost prospects for UK plant science and the development of more sustainable farming systems.

“The bill announced today will provide a more straightforward route to market for seeds and crops developed using advanced breeding technologies such as gene editing,” Professor Caccamo said. “It sends a clear signal that Britain is adopting a more pro-innovation approach outside the EU, bringing our rules into line with other countries such as Japan, Canada, Argentina, Brazil and Australia, and opening up much greater potential for inward investment and international research collaboration given the UK’s strengths in genetic science.

“Innovation in plant breeding will be the single most important factor in helping global food supplies keep pace with a growing world population in the face of climate change and pressure on finite natural resources of land, water, energy and biodiversity.

“The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has brought into sharp relief the precarious balance which exists between global food supply and demand and the need to explore every option to increase food production sustainably.”

He said access to new precision breeding techniques would “help accelerate the development of higher-yielding crops more resilient to pests and diseases, environmental conditions and climate change effects and food products with improved nutritional qualities and reduced need for agricultural inputs such as pesticides and synthetic fertilisers.”

Louise Payton, meanwhile, conceded: “In terms of GM animals, which has major welfare implications, the Government has at least said it will not proceed until these concerns have been met. This must include responding fully to the results of the public dialogue, launched yesterday, to explore views around gene editing in farm animals.”

Beyond music

So, hands up anyone who didn’t think Ukraine would win the Eurovision Song Contest a couple of weeks back. To be fair, Kalush’s Stefania was a good song, but the fact that the population is suffering so dreadfully under the attempted Russian invasion of their country meant that the popular vote was always going to swing the result in their favour.

That ‘beyond music’ sentiment clearly also helped the UK entry. Again, a solid song and performance, but to go from ‘zero to (almost) hero’ in one year was surely more about this country’s solid support for the Ukrainian people than it was about some kind of musical revival in a country that really doesn’t need its music reviving, thank you very much.

It was a small gesture of support for the Ukrainian people, but one that will perhaps have allowed them a brief respite from the daily grind of trying to live under the threat posed by Russian forces that are becoming ever more desperate as they face such brave and sustained resistance from people they expected to subjugate with ease.

On the subject of small gestures, DEFRA’s announcement that it will pay dwindling Direct Payments to farmers in two staged instalments will provide some relief for those struggling with cash flow as input costs soar, but let’s be honest about this; it’s the same total sum and farmers can only spend it once.

If DEFRA really wanted to help the industry it would come up with additional support that reflected the pressures farmers face as they try to feed the populace rather than tweaking an existing payment that is in the process of being phased out.

But perhaps bringing in extra help would not have provided the same opportunity for George Eustice to tell us that such a gesture would “never have been possible” in the days of the horrid old EU. That felt like point scoring on a scale not even achieved by Kalush.

DEFRA has, of course, replaced Direct Payments with the green-focused Environmental Land Management scheme, an edifice that looks increasingly shaky as the (lack of) details emerge. In essence, though, the various tiers of ELMS encourage farmers and landowners to focus on the countryside rather than on growing food.

That’s laudable to a certain extent, unless you happen to be a climate change denier, but there is an increasing view that it’s unsustainable in terms of domestic food production. The situation in Ukraine, allied to the international embargoes placed on Russia, have further squeezed global supplies of staple foods.

The situation has inspired one organisation, Feed the UK, to rally farmers in what might best be described as an uprising.

The group wants farmers to learn about, and take advantage of, Common Law in a fight back against the move towards what organiser Venetia Carpenter has described as “planting trees and flowers and encouraging birds.” I, for one, will chart its course with interest.

MALCOLM TRIGGS - EDITOR

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

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5

NEWS

DELAY ON IMPORT CHECKS CRITICISED

6

The Government’s decision not to implement the planned controls on imported food and agricultural products has come under fire from two major farming organisations.

While the NFU said the U-turn was “unacceptable” and would be another significant blow for British farm businesses already facing unprecedented rising costs, the National Sheep Association (NSA) said it was “disappointed” that Ministers had again delayed the implementation of full import controls for EU products.

Checks on EU imports should have come into place in January 2021 at the end of the Brexit transition period, but the failure of the UK Government to implement border control checks fully has meant imports are not subject to the rigorous checks placed on UK exports, the NSA pointed out.

Chief Executive Phil Stocker commented: “There is a real danger we are paving the way for an unlevel playing field when it comes to trade, which is putting greater pressure on UK producers at an extremely volatile period of time for the industry.

“The outcome of Brexit and new trade deals across the world appears to be leaving our farming industries having to meet higher standards and greater export controls and costs while opening access to our markets for products not produced to

the same standards, not subject to the same border controls and benefitting from levels of financial support not available in the UK. “This could seriously damage our own food security, and at a time when all the signs suggest that, like energy, we should be seeking greater levels of domestic food productivity.

“If the Government continues to put this sort of pressure on our farming businesses at the same time as [they are] having to fight an uphill battle with rising input costs, we could well be heading towards a food security crisis with impacts for dietary health.”

NFU President Minette Batters said it was “astounding that the Government is taking such an unacceptable approach to critical checks for agri-food imports from the EU”. She added: “These checks are absolutely crucial to the nation’s biosecurity, animal health and food safety and without them we really do leave ourselves at risk.

“For the introduction of these checks to have been delayed three times was bad enough, but to now have them essentially scrapped in favour of an unknown system is unacceptable. Our producers have to meet stringent controls to export their own products abroad and this continued lack of controls for EU food imports is beyond belief.

“The government has said that controls will be delayed until a digital solution is created and so we now need to see urgent and cast-iron guarantees that it will provide the resources to implement this digital solution as soon as possible and ensure it is robust. Waiting until 2023, or beyond, would simply be too late.

“While we recognise this is a challenging situation for everyone, this decision will come as another hammer blow to farm businesses that are already struggling with enormous inflationary costs and ongoing labour shortages. Not to mention the impact of being left at a continued competitive disadvantage to our EU competitors, who are still enjoying an extended grace period which gives them access to the prized UK market relatively cost and burden free.

“There have been many commitments given to the British farming industry around making it easier for us to export and creating a thriving food production industry. These promises have been left in tatters by trade deals which have undermined our own farmers, an agricultural policy that does not appear to support food production and now by the continued slashing of red tape for EU competitors in favour of a yet to be developed, unproven system that comes at a cost that is currently unknown.”

NPA CALLS FOR TESCO SUPPORT

AS INDUSTRY FACES CRISIS Retail giant Tesco has been urged to do more to support struggling pig producers as the National Pig Association (NPA) warns that four out of five producers could go out of business within a year.

The NPA has warned that unless Tesco joins the ranks of other supermarkets that have agreed to pay more for pork to support struggling pig producers, it will be at risk of losing its British pork supply base.

The appeal, in the form of an open letter to Tesco chief executive Ken Murphy printed on page 16 of this month’s South East Farmer, follows a survey showing that 80% of producers will go out of business within a year unless their financial situation improves.

With the Co-op, M&S, ALDI, ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose now paying more for British pork through their dedicated supply chains, NPA chairman Rob Mutimer has stressed that Tesco’s scale means it is “uniquely positioned to act to

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

prevent the destruction of the UK pig sector”.

The NPA says UK pork producers are facing unprecedented losses as costs of production soar due to record pig feed prices. It currently costs an estimated 203p/ kg to 216p/kg to produce a pig, a figure set to climb further as wheat prices continue to rise due to the war in Ukraine. Average pig prices, though, remain below 170p/kg, meaning many producers are losing tens of thousands of pounds each week.

Tesco, the UK’s biggest retailer, which has just announced a trebling of profits to more than £2bn, has yet to respond to the crisis hurting its pig suppliers, according to the NPA. The pig industry has already lost an estimated 10% of the breeding herd as producers have left the industry or cut down on production. “By 2023 British pork will be in such short supply that most retailers will no longer be able to source it,” Mr Mutimer warns in the open letter.

NEWS

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A high-performing Essex dairy farm will be welcoming visitors for the renowned Gold Cup Open Day on 5 July.

The event is being held at Stapleford Abbotts, near Romford, home of the Curtismill pedigree Holstein herd owned by the Torrance family, winners of the 2020 NMR/RABDF Gold Cup. The farming partnership of John Torrance, father Robert, mother Janet and wife Lucy was crowned the winner at the Dairy-Tech event at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire. The competition was delayed because of Covid-19.

The herd of 670 cows and 430 followers is one of the top in the UK for PLI (profitable lifetime index). The family aims to breed cows that will produce 70,000 litres of milk during an average of five lactations.

SOLAR-POWERED SEED-N-WEED ROBOT WITH SIMPLICITY ON ITS SIDE A fully autonomous, solar-powered robot capable of precision drilling and then weeding the crop without the aid of cameras will soon be available from Opico.

The FarmDroid, the brainchild of two Danish farmers, offers pesticide-free weed control with zero fuel bills and uses ultra-accurate GPS to record exactly where it places each seed.

The high level of accuracy means that on each subsequent weeding pass the FarmDroid does not need to identify the weeds as it knows exactly where the crop plants should be and simply hoes between

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them, using blades to slice off anything that isn’t where it knows the crops are.

This approach means that, unlike similar machines, it doesn’t need banks of high-definition cameras and complex computers to identify and target weeds. It also means the machine can start the weeding process before the crop has emerged because camera recognition is not required.

Because FarmDroid is solar-powered, there are no fuel bills, which not only saves the farmer money, given the current increasingly volatile energy markets, but is also environmentally friendly and

contributes to the farm’s ‘green’ credentials and energy self-sufficiency.

The six-row FarmDroid FD20 will cost close to £65,000 including the cost of the RTK base station, but OPICO suggests “grant funding is likely to be available to assist with the purchase of this innovative seeding and weeding machine”.

The FarmDroid concept was the brainchild of Jens and Kristian Warming, two farming brothers from central Denmark. It was launched to the world at Agritechnica 2019 and there are now more than 250 machines working across northern Europe.

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

7

NEWS

FUTURE BLEAK DESPITE LIFTING OF BIRD FLU BAN

8

The British Free Range Egg Producers’ Association (BFREPA) has said its members remain at “breaking point” despite the lifting of the mandatory housing order imposed by DEFRA in response to the avian flu outbreak.

More than 27 million free range and organic hens have been allowed outside since 2 May following the lifting of the ban imposed in November that saw eggs from free range and organic flocks re-labelled as barn eggs from 21 March in accordance with EU marketing legislation.

BFREPA Chief Executive Robert Gooch said: “It’s really good news that shoppers will soon have free range eggs available on the shelves, and British farmers are extremely grateful to consumers for continuing to buy eggs from these flocks even though they have been temporarily re-classified as barn eggs.

“But while it’s a relief to my members, lifting the housing order does not solve the crisis facing the egg sector. It will not remove the huge hikes in energy, transport, feed and labour costs they are experiencing.

“The picture is bleak – a recent survey of our members suggested 51% of free range and organic egg farmers were considering exiting the industry.

Even a small number coming out of egg production

would lead to egg shortages which we predict will come later this year.”

BFREPA is campaigning for an increase of at least 40p per dozen – 80p per dozen for organic eggs – to be implemented immediately and has written to the eight major food retailers in the UK urging them to

act before businesses go bust.

The association has said Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Lidl, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose are all to blame for the desperate situation and called a crisis summit in May to discuss the issue.

Photos: lovemydesigns / Shutterstock.com

HELPING STRUGGLING FARMERS

WITH CASH FLOW ISSUES The Government is to make Direct Payments to farmers in two instalments a year for the rest of the agricultural transition period.

Seen as a way of helping struggling farmers with cash flow issues, the change will see the first 50% of this year’s entitlement paid from the end of July, with the second payment made at the end of the year.

DEFRA said the aim was “to support farmers with cost pressures caused by demand and instability seen across the globe”.

It added: “With agricultural commodities closely linked to global gas prices, farmers are facing rising costs for inputs including manufactured fertiliser, feed, fuel and energy. Due to heightened worldwide demand as the global economy reawakened following Covid-19, by February the price of gas had quadrupled on the previous year, and with the instability caused by war in Ukraine, that price has risen further.

“Output prices, particularly wheat, are also high and from analysis published

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) it is clear that farmers should continue to buy their inputs as usual. The steps government is taking to bring forward payments will allow them to do so.”

Environment Secretary George Eustice said that while higher farm gate prices mean farm profitability was likely to remain stable, farmers faced short-term pressures on cash flow.

He added: “In the days of the EU this would never have been possible due to the way audits worked and the need to enforce the three crop rule during the summer.”

Rural Payments Agency Chief Executive Paul Caldwell pointed out: “This is not just an opportunity to support farmers here and now through a cash injection.

It’s a permanent change to bring Direct Payments in line with what will be a more regular payment system under the new Environment Land Management schemes.”

SOIL pH

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9

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AN OPEN LETTER TO THE TESCO CEO

10

Dear Mr Murphy, British pig farmers across the UK are battling for their very survival and I am writing once again to ask for your support and to warn you of the consequences of continued inaction.

The problems facing the sector have been building for some time and have arisen through no fault of the primary producers.

As I am sure you are aware, the industry has endured an unprecedented crisis over the past 18 months as a result of labour shortages and Covid-19 disruption in processing plants that led to huge backlogs on farms and the needless culling of tens of thousands of healthy pigs, many within your own supply chain. This was before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting cost increases pushed farmers from a very challenging financial situation to a critical one.

National Pig Association survey data suggests there are still 100,000 pigs stuck on farms that should have gone to slaughter, and farmers are losing in excess of £50 per pig due to the enormous gap between their cost of production and the price the supply chain is paying for pork.

Eighty per cent of pig farmers surveyed indicated that they will not survive the next 12 months if things don’t improve and by 2023 British pork will be in such short supply that most retailers will no longer be able to source it. Tesco is in a unique position to help because of its UK market share and volume of pork sales.

Unless action is taken now and a fair price is paid, there will not be a domestic pig industry left to service the demands of your shoppers and we know how much they value fresh British produce. A relatively modest investment by Tesco will not only prevent the destruction of the sector but will also mean that British pork will still be available at a price affordable to your customers. Paying a little more today is likely to save you money in the long term.

Several of your competitors have already recognised the vital role they play in supporting British farmers and have taken action. The Co-op, M&S, ALDI, ASDA, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose have already begun to support their suppliers, with many paying more for British pork through their dedicated supply chains while the industry battles through this uniquely challenging time.

A similar commitment from Tesco would make an enormous difference to the many farmers that supply you.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the luxury of time and each week that passes puts pig farmers further into the red. I fully appreciate that every part of the supply chain is under strain from inflationary pressures and your customers are struggling with the cost of living. However, I am sure that shoppers and shareholders alike would want you to back British farmers and ensure that we can supply you with fantastic pork for decades to come.

Rob Mutimer, Chairman, National Pig Association

LACKING FARMER CONTENT

Dear sir, I felt last month’s issue was lacking real farmer comment, so here's my tuppence halfpenny's worth.

I am really tired of MPs and political commentators prattling on earnestly

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2022 about Partygate and Beergate. Apparently, 43% of the 650 MPs have criminal records compared with 6.3% of the rest of us, they work their own hours, never need to retire and, if they do, have gold-plated pensions. They are also privileged to be able to speak their mind in the House of Commons with no comeback; try that at your local.

Churchill in WW2 managed to hold back the might of the Third Reich. Priti Patel couldn`t stop a rubber inflatable powered by my grandchildren at full paddle.

Talking about institutionalised incompetence, I was lucky enough recently to visit and walk on the Goodwin Sands, the 10-mile by four-mile sand bank known as the "shippe swallower" (to quote Shakespeare). It is well worth a trip; the place has a presence that really affects you – beautiful, eerie and peaceful all spring to mind.

I was with 20 or 30 others on different boats but still felt a strange need to leave the group and seek solitude. The Goodwin Sands Trust (www.goodwinsands.org.uk) is fighting the establishment to stop them using the sands as an enormous open cast quarry for cheap sand mixed with the bones of shipwrecked souls.

Dover Harbour Board needs cheap fill, the Crown Estate needs to sell it to them and the (government-run) Marine Maritime Organisation has rubberstamped this atrocity.

Kent County Council’s Archaeological Officer has no comment about a place that has a recorded 2,000 shipwrecks plus WW1 and WW2 aircraft and a low estimate of 50,000 souls who rest there, and even the Commonwealth War Graves Commission remains silent.

Sorry for the impassioned rant, but as farmers we are constantly criticised for damage to our fragile land, and to see a piece of Kent that man has been unable to vandalise until now ignored by those who are paid to protect it disgusts and insults me.

I would love someone who represents our county/environment to comment please. The Goodwin Sands have a physical presence, they are also the largest maritime museum collection of 1,000 years of history and we are custodians.

David Steed, Manston, Kent

Farm and Equine

twitter INDIVIDUAL INSIGHTS

Plastic

To better introduce our new committee, we will be sharing individual insights to each and why they have agreed to help lead NextGen Fruit Group for the next two years. Follow the link to meet @OliPascall from @clock_farm our #CommitteeChair. https://linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:6930779978062049280 NextGen Fruit Group @NextGenFruit

Recycling Scheme 32 sites across England

01793 842062 farmxs.com The professionals in rural recycling

DON’T LET THE WAR IN UKRAINE DERAIL ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS Dear Sir, While our thoughts are with the people of the Ukraine, some of the polarised arguments circulating in response to the issues exacerbated by the current conflict pit short term opportunism against the wider needs of future generations.

The renewed cynical, business as usual mantra dressed up in the ‘emperor’s new clothes’ of feeding people cannot be allowed to deflect from the significant environmental challenges we face.

Neither the climate crisis nor the biodiversity collapse will wait for more favourable socio-political conditions to prevail. Whether we like it or not, it’s essential to support a global transition towards sustainable food systems within which organic farming and other agroecological approaches are key.

The latest IPCC report says that global temperature is likely to increase by more than 3⁰C in the coming decades. Severe harvest failures will become common.

The UK is already one of the world's most nature-depleted countries - in the bottom 10% globally and last in the G7. The grim reality is that we have prioritised food above the environment for the past 60 years.

There is much talk of the need to intensify food production, but one third of food produced globally is going to waste. Just 55% of the world's crop calories are directly eaten by humans, 36% is used for animal feed and 9% for industrial use. We need fundamental change in our diet, our food system and our consumption, not more food.

The continued promotion of intensification is detrimental to the rigorous debate needed around the issues of resilience, productivity, food security and their associated environmental and economic impacts.

The UK’s reliance on imported feed, fuel and other inputs is being magnified through the lens of Putin’s war, but these issues within our food supply chain are not new. We need systems that rely on less-intensive use of increasingly scarce inputs in large part derived from fossil fuel resources.

We are at a tipping point. Continued intensification will undoubtedly create an even greater long-term threat to UK food security as our overall agricultural capacity will be undermined and irretrievably diminished.

Roger Kerr, Chief Executive, Organic Farmers & Growers

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11

TASTE OF KENT AWARDS

TASTY AWARD FOR CHEMICAL-FREE PIONEER FRUIT CATEGORY WINNERS FOR 2021 WERE: Kent's Tastiest Apple Winner: Elverton Farms Ltd, Faversham Product: Gala Kent's Tastiest Pear Winner: B Piper Partnership, Maidstone Product: Concorde Kent's Tastiest Cherry Winner: A C Hulme & Sons, Canterbury Product: Penny variety

Environment champion James Smith, who runs Loddington Farm, near Maidstone, was named Kent Farmer of the Year at the prestigious Taste of Kent Awards in May. Judges praised the transformation at Loddington Farm since James, who no longer uses synthetic fertilisers or herbicides and is phasing out fungicides and insecticides, introduced his new approach after a 2016 Nuffield Scholarship allowed him to travel widely and investigate new ways of growing fruit profitably.

Kent's Tastiest Raspberry Winner: R C Boucher & Sons, Sittingbourne Product: Driscoll’s Zara variety

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Kent's Tastiest Strawberry Winner: John Myatt & Co, Rochester Product: Nobility variety (Fruit prizes sponsored by South East Farmer)

OTHER FARMING-RELATED PRIZES INCLUDED:

Kent Wine of the Year Winner: Balfour Winery, Staplehurst Product: Balfour Brut Rosé (Sponsored by Furley Page and NFU Mutual Ashford, Tenterden & Whitfield) Kent Dairy Product of the Year Winner: Kingcott Dairy, Staplehurst Product: Kentish Blue (Sponsored by: BTF Partnership) Kent Non-Alcoholic Drink of the Year Winner: Biddenden Vineyards, Biddenden Product: Sparkling Apple Juice (Sponsored by: Barretts) Kent Beer of the Year Winner: Cellar Head Brewing Company, Tunbridge Wells Product: Session Pale Ale (Sponsored by: NFU Mutual Ashford, Tenterden & Whitfield) Kent Cider of the Year Winner: Turners Cider, Marden Product: Apple Pie Cider (Sponsored by: A C Goatham & Sons) Kent Ambient Product of the Year Winner: Bray's Bees, Ditton, Aylesford Product: Honey (Sponsored by: Crowe UK)

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

He had become disillusioned with fruit growing in the UK because of concerns over the huge financial risks and the impact of chemicals on people's health, but now runs a successful operation using his extensive knowledge and experience of working with nature rather than chemistry.

According to the Loddington Farm website, in 2020 in one orchard he spent more money on books than agrochemicals in his quest to grow chemical-free food.

Runner up in the Farmer of the Year category, sponsored by BTF Partnership, was Nonington Farm, Goodnestone, with G L Boulden & Sons, Romney Marsh, Highly Commended.

The annual awards, staged by Produced in Kent, brought together some of the finest producers, farmers, retailers and hospitality businesses in the county for a celebration of the best in the Garden of England.

The glitzy flagship event, held in person for the first time since 2020, was staged at the Kent Event Centre, with around 400 guests enjoying a three-course meal created by The Curious Eatery and featuring Kent wines, cheeses from The Cheesemakers of Canterbury and Kingcott Dairy

and ice cream from Solley’s.

Provenance Potatoes, based near Deal, took home the Kent Food and Drink Business Award after being recognised for linking local farms and using innovative solutions to reduce their carbon footprint.

Floortje Hoette, Chief Executive of Produced in Kent, applauded the very high standard of this year’s finalists. “The judges and I were blown away by the exceptional quality of food and drink we have here in Kent, and it’s wonderful to see the support for buying local hasn’t faded postpandemic,” she said.

Of the finalists, she said: “They have shown innovation, diversification, sustainable practices

and immense talent within their specialist fields.

It makes me enormously proud to spotlight these Kent businesses.”

South East Farmer was one of a number of sponsors supporting the event, with our own fruit industry correspondent Sarah Calcutt on hand to present the prizes in a number of categories that were judged at the National Fruit Show last October.

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MONICA AKEHURST AT THE KITCHEN TABLE

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Great weather for lambing. I’m happy to report that the ewes’ good condition didn’t produce as many problems as I’d feared. Only a couple with minor prolapses, treated and soon lambed with no harm done.

Fewer triplets this year, which I wasn’t sorry about. The few pens in the shed were rarely used.

However we did make some temporary pens in the field, mainly to protect inexperienced ewes who were clueless to the danger of predators. We culled six foxes that we deemed to be too active in the lambing field.

I’ve helped with delivering a few larger lambs and those that jammed two side by side. One such ewe who was tight for space required one lamb to be pushed back, so I asked my other half to assist by holding up the ewe’s back legs because gravity makes it easier to sort out.

Unfortunately, the ewe didn’t appreciate this lithotomy position and her protesting kick was stronger than his grip; consequently I got a tidy blow to the face which sent me flying. In a slightly dazed state, I delivered both her lambs alive and sported an impressive black eye for my efforts.

Luckily, due to no time or energy for socialising, there wasn’t too much explaining to do. The joys and dangers of farming.

If the younger generation is not sure how to do something they simply watch an appropriate YouTube video and then, hey presto, give it a go.

I’ve concluded that my ewe-lambs could benefit from this resource because some of them are making a right hash of motherhood. I opened my curtains early one morning to see a newly born lamb approaching a gaggle of youngsters in turn, only to be soundly rebuffed. His mother, who was clearly scared witless, was several metres

FARMING IS RELENTLESS away whirling around in terror at the sight of her afterbirth trailing behind her. I sighed, collected up Brie the sheepdog and set off to reunite mother (nicknamed The Wildling) and her plucky offspring.

She was challenging to catch, petrified of her lamb and horrified at the thought of breast feeding.

Now when checking the flock, I feel a little glow of happiness when I see what a good mother The Wildling has become. It’s strange how differently animals react. Generally I find it’s best not to interfere, but sometimes a little guidance is essential to preserve life.

There’s one oldish mule who we’ve named Big Bertha because she looks fit to burst. She gazes back at you and nonchalantly chews her cud, as if to say: “I don’t know what you’re worried about”.

She hung in there, one of the last to lamb, choosing dusk to produce a set of enormous triplets. Initially her lambs struggled to find her low hanging teats.

Bertha is such a sensible mother our ewe-lambs could learn a lot from her.

Last weekend we had a new lambing supervisor when Anna our granddaughter came to stay while her parents went to Melton Mowbray to eat pie and attend the Artisan Cheese Awards.

Anna settled into life on the farm, happily

> Anna supervising lambing

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

mixing in with dogs, sheep and cattle. We were all delighted when Anna’s parents returned bearing four huge trophies. You’ll have to allow me some proud mother bragging rights here. Hazel and Martin’s Pevensey Blue beat 500 entries and was named Supreme Champion, winning best blue, new, and English cheese. They’ve worked hard to achieve this result and maybe we deserve a little recognition for our role as cheese tasters.

Everyone needs time out occasionally. However much enthusiasm you have for farming, the work list is endless. “Farming is relentless,” I was told the other day, and it’s so true. If you’re working all hours, lacking sleep, facing more than your share of challenges and it feels like you’re getting very little thanks, then it’s probably time to take a break. With the running of the farm to consider, this is never easy, but however much we consider ourselves indispensable, there’s always a way.

Taking time out to refresh is time well spent.

Pre lambing, we had three nights away, staying in Brockenhurst in the New Forest. We went on some lovely walks, seeing some tall Redwoods and Douglas Firs. One tree’s stats said it was planted in 1859, was over 50 metres high and could live for over 2,000 years, and another claimed to weigh

> Big Bertha over 105 tonnes. It made us feel very small, gazing up in wonder at them. The famous Knighthood Oak, also known as the Queen of the Forest, has a girth of 7.38 metres.

While away, the family insisted that we should go for a meal at The Pig. I was amazed to discover that from Sunday to Wednesday it was fully booked for lunch and dinner, apart from one slot on Monday evening at 21.30 hrs. I agreed to take it and was impressed by how busy this place must be.

The Pig boasts a 25-mile radius of sourced food. We looked around the kitchen garden in daylight and had an interesting chat with the head gardener, who has two helpers. It looked immaculate and I felt slightly envious. The pig paddocks were ominously empty, as was the chicken house.

The beef on the menu, I noted, came from Ireland. I ordered it but they were sold out. So I had a pork chop costing £24; vegetables and salads were extra. I calculated out that if you get an average of 40 chops from a pig, that translates to £960. Knowing the recent poor prices that pig farmers have been getting, I was struck by the injustice in the food supply chain.

Our evening’s experience was completely underwhelming. Drinks and food were overpriced, the service unremarkable. But I admit their marketing strategy was admirable. Could farmers learn from this?

We arrived home refreshed, but promptly developed a second bout of Covid-19 which we unknowingly spread to the rest of the family. On the plus side, all our cattle are out grazing pasture and the spring calving is now finished, with the calves enjoying rollicking around.

> This ewe gave me a black eye

> Anna's parents collect trophies

15 > Bertha has it all sorted

> Anna helping Grandma > The lambing team with The Wildling's lamb

> The dogs enjoying that wild garlic fragrance

> This looks a cosy place to rest up

> Turning cattle out TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

> The kitchen garden

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

NEWS

SUPPORTING HUNGRY FAMILIES

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Farmers who despair at the thought of wasting surplus or below-par produce can instead support hungry families, thanks to a Londonbased food redistribution charity.

Founded in 2016, The Felix Project has grown rapidly to become the largest food redistribution charity in London. Its website points out that while 1.5 million adults in London struggle to be able to afford food every day and 400,000 children are at risk of missing the next meal, around 1.6m tonnes of food is wasted at the primary (farm) stage of production each year.

Now the charity, which already works with a number of farms across the South East, is looking for more partners keen to see what would otherwise be wasted food put to good use.

The Felix Project operates out of four depots,

served by a kitchen that produces up to 4,000 ready meals a day, and has a vision of “a London where no one is hungry and good food is never wasted”.

Last year it delivered the equivalent of 30 million meals to more than 1,000 community organisations, including charities and schools, all free of charge.

Kate Brookes-Smith, the charity’s supply coordinator, explained: “With leftover food high on the global agenda, due to its environmental impact, and the demand to deliver to those in need growing, our aim this year is to expand our farm rescue programme to work with more farms within reach of London.

“In 2021 our volunteers picked 30 tonnes of super fresh and nutritious produce from over 15 farms.

We picked apples from Bardsley England’s pollinator trees, pears and apples from Brogdale Collections,

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

leeks from F C Palmer in Ely and squash from The Patch, Milton Keynes, to name a few.”

The Felix Project also collaborates with other charities and often picks alongside Kent groups The Hythe Environmental Community Group and Deal With It when they have been offered too much produce for their own local good causes. In February the group picked two tonnes of cabbages from Trevor Bradley at Boundary Farm, Wingham and put them to good use.

The charity is fully insured and self-sufficient regarding transport, equipment and volunteers and is keen to hear from farmers across the South East who want to make sure their hard work in growing nutritious crops is not wasted.

Contact: kate.brookes-smith@ thefelixproject.org for further information

IN CONJUNCTION WITH

FROM THE FRONT LINE

PROMOTING NET ZERO

In these times of turmoil is “net zero” still a relevant aim? asks Peter Knight, managing director of Burgate Farms Ltd, Hambledon, Surrey.

There is a saying along the lines of “three months is a long time in politics”. Well it seems a long time in farming, as well. How the world has changed since my last article. The Ukraine conflict is having repercussions worldwide and unfortunately looks like it could continue for some time yet.

Even before the Ukrainian conflict, the industry was experiencing inflation on inputs at levels never seen before, and the increase in energy costs since the war started has kicked prices even higher. There are many figures banded about saying ag inflation is running at 20% plus. Judging by my fuel, fertiliser, and repair bills that is believable.

During April the NFU ran a series of local county level events to continue to promote net zero at a practical level, with many events being on farm. I believe the easiest way to encourage people to start moving along the road to net zero is to demonstrate how it could save them money, highlighting what can be done to cut emissions and energy use.

Fuel and fertiliser are two of the largest contributors to emissions in farming, especially in the arable sector. The increase in oil and gas prices has focused us all on how we can reduce our usage of, and reliance on, everything that is energy hungry.

If, through improved management, we can reduce the amount of cultivation used to establish crops it is a win-win situation. Less fuel is used and

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by less soil disturbance more carbon is retained in the soil. It does require a bit more management time, or dirt kicking as I call it. Many of us are guilty of following the same cultivation regime year on year, (usually because it works).

With fuel costing over £1 a litre, cutting out a cultivation has the prospect of saving big sums, which quickly repays an hour’s dirt kicking. I purchased a second hand direct drill late in 2020, with the intention of feeling my way into the concept of zero cultivation establishment and I can say it has not been straightforward, especially on our more difficult land.

When conditions are good the results are excellent; this spring, with the lack of rain since drilling, direct drilled land has retained more moisture and crops look much better than land that was cultivated and dried out. Conversely, drilling in tricky conditions into chopped straw last autumn led to patchy establishment due to slugs and wet in equal measure. Having said that, where we cultivated and drilled in similar conditions, the establishment is no better.

The lesson is that direct drilling works when ground conditions are favourable, it undoubtedly saves money and it does a bit towards saving the planet!

Crop nutrients, nitrogen, potash and phosphate are energy hungry to produce and transport, so any

reduction or improvement in use will have a direct benefit on your bottom line and the farm’s carbon footprint.

Start with the basics; test your soils, produce a nutrient management plan, use organic manures wisely, test organic manures so you know what you are applying and make appropriate reductions in the amount of bagged fertilisers used in conjunction with other manures.

Given the current price of bagged fertiliser, make sure every kilogram is justified, not easy when dealing with the vagaries of the British climate but base your use on historical average yields, not aspirational ones that are achieved once every 10 years. Sorry, didn’t mean to preach but it is surprising how many 8 t/ha wheat growers fertilise hoping to get 10 t/ha.

I have used the same amount of nitrogen on wheat for many years and average annual yields have ranged between 7.5 and 11 t/ha; my conclusion is that nitrogen is not the limiting factor.

Finally, we all need to carry out a carbon audit by completing a carbon calculator. I know reducing cultivations and using fertiliser as efficiently as possible will reduce the carbon footprint of the farm, but unless I measure it I can’t prove it. I am sure it is only a matter of time before all businesses must carry out carbon audits, so might as well bite the bullet and get ahead of the game.

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

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NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: LITTLE GOLDSMITHS FARM

FARMING IS ABOUT LOOKING AFTER THE SOIL This month Nigel Akehurst visits farmer Anthony Becvar at Little Goldsmiths Farm in Blackboys, East Sussex, to find out why he’s moving over to a more regenerative approach.

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Turning off Beechy Road into Little Goldsmiths Farm, I drive past a modern grain store to my left and park up in the concrete farmyard.

Looking around I see a traditional cluster of former diary buildings that are now home to a community of thriving small businesses.

A group of young craft brewers is kicking a football around in the yard, waiting for more kegs to arrive. I make a beeline for a New Holland tractor and muck spreader and find the farmer – Anthony Becvar. We sit down on a couple of small hay bales opposite the old silage clamp to chat.

I learn he is the third generation to farm at Little Goldsmiths. His grandfather, Gustav Becvar, came over from his native Czechoslovakia to buy the now 200-acre farm in 1938. He ran a pedigree herd of Dairy Shorthorns and was keen on showing his stock, said Anthony.

He died in 1952 and his father John Becvar returned from studying agriculture at Reading

University to take over, working with his brother Dick until the early1960s when John switched breeds to pedigree Friesians and carried on dairying by himself until 1999.

By then the milk price was too low to warrant investment in the old buildings and expand the herd, so John decided to get out of dairy farming.

He bred heifers and trained them through the old milking parlour for sales in the north and ran around 60 beef crosses. At the time Anthony was at Wye College, studying agriculture. He graduated in 2001 and unfortunately later that year his father died.

The animals were sold, and with the farm buildings now vacant the family approached a neighbouring farm, which had diversified into commercial lets, for some advice on doing something similar. Before long they had their first tenants, bringing in a vital extra income.

At that time, they were contracting out their best

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

land to a local arable farmer, renting the remaining pasture to a local livestock farmer.

Heeding his father’s advice to “get a job, as the farm won’t pay you”, Anthony has had a ‘nine to five’ since leaving university and currently works as a tree officer for East Sussex County Council.

He manages the farm in his spare time and over the years has gradually taken on more of the arable duties, working closely with the contract farmer before he retired.

“He used to take all our grain and sell it with his,” he said. So when he retired in 2013, Anthony took the decision to build a new grain store and began buying his own kit.

“We’ve become more independent and less reliant on contractors and the aim is to be far less reliant on commercial inputs – which are volatile to the soil and plants as well as in price and supply,” he said.

Over the past few years soil health has become a

> Anthony Becvar major focus, having struggled with the weather and crop failure.

Their soil is mainly Wealden clay and used to be very “marginal”, he said. Over the past 20 years they’ve worked hard to improve it through minimum tillage, only using the plough when necessary.

“When you put the plough in the ground you tend to turn over yellow sticky stuff and you’re back to square one immediately,” he explained.

“We’ve had some good crops and can produce quality at harvest, but it’s all starting to move in the other direction. We’ve taken advantage of the soils and we’ve not been putting anything back in. With the weather being more unpredictable and extreme, the chances of ideal establishment, growing seasons and harvests are getting fewer and we need the farm and the soils to be flexible to adapt to this.

“We’ve always sold the straw off the field to a local beef farmer. He’s been good – pays on the dot and collects it straight behind the combine. Because of that we’ve been reliant on bagged fertilisers,” he said.

It’s really shown in the past four years, he said.

The clay is difficult to work because it’s either too wet or too dry. Sometimes the weather is kind and great seedbeds can be achieved, but more often than not there are compromises.

“Our best land about a mile down the road is a sandy silt loam and is now slumping and capping every winter. We’ve just been taking the organic matter out of it and not replaced it,” he said.

"We’ve had channels carved out of it – we’ve not seen erosion on this farm before and now we’re seeing it.”

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A TURNING POINT AND LEARNING A NEW APPROACH TO FARMING

“I’m still young and I want to continue farming for some time. I want my kids to have the opportunity to carry on. I’m the third generation and I don’t want to be the last,” he said.

Anthony has been growing group two milling wheats, hitting specs and getting premiums.

But the cost of doing that has been an increased reliance on nitrogen and higher stress levels on the soils, on the plants and the pest burden, he said.

“I’m quite happy growing group three or group four wheats now and not having to whip it to chase premiums which might not be achievable simply due to the weather at harvest,” he went on. “By doing that it gives me a bit more flexibility mucking about with seed rates and drilling timing.

Even mixing varieties, things like that.

“Having done a three-year degree in agriculture – in a conventional approach it’s not like I’m taking a step backwards. It’s like learning a new degree – I’m now going to learn how to do it another >>

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*THE FIVE REGENERATIVE PRINCIPLES:

• Don’t disturb the soil • Keep the soil surface covered • Keep living roots in the soil • Grow a diverse range of crops > Barley roots

• Bring grazing animals back onto the land WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

NIGEL AKEHURST VISITS: LITTLE GOLDSMITHS FARM << way. It’s just learning a new approach. The whole eco system approach to things, with the soil food web constantly in mind, and doing the best for the soil so that the crops I grow are the healthiest they can be.

“I’m not knocking agronomists and advisers; they’re essential, but when someone says ‘you’ve got this disease or pest and you need to spray this’ most of the time we just do it with no thought about the fragile soil symbioses between the plant and soil microbiology that would be affected.

“Soil is not an inert substrate for us as farmers to use infinitely. We know, for example, that adding organic matter benefits soil. But many don’t know why and how complex the role of organic matter is – and that with continued mechanical working and inorganic chemical applications, the benefit of added organic matter is massively reduced.”

TWITTER COMMUNITY AND DOING THINGS DIFFERENTLY

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Twitter has been a lifeline in terms of getting in touch with other regenerative farmers, said Anthony.

Reading up more and being pointed in different directions by people like organic dairy farmer Dan Burdett (who was featured in South East Farmer back in October 2019) and regenerative agricultural consultant Niels Corfield, has given him the confidence to try doing things differently and ask more questions.

"I stopped spraying insecticides last year, partly because I keep bees on the farm. Insecticides are pretty broad spectrum – we’re hoping to kill the

pest but we’re also killing the pest’s predator too,” Anthony said.

“By not spraying insecticides you allow the predator population of the pest to increase and that will forever control the pests. It’s putting your faith in it. For years we’ve put faith in agronomic advice and chemicals. Sometimes you see results, sometimes you don’t and sometimes you’re spraying preventatively for a pest or disease, and if you don’t see it, you have to believe it worked because you spent money on it.

“Last year I let a lot of arable weeds back in around the margins and the improvement in insect life was immeasurable. It may not be linked after just one year, but we’ve got nightingales, yellowhammers and linnets as well as many other birds back on the farm. It’s nature’s way of giving you a little thumbs up,” he said.

He understands that a lot of farmers who have been farming the same way for 30 to 40 years and getting consistent yields might find it difficult to understand the need to change. Shifting focus on the soil health as much as on plant health takes a bit of a leap of faith, he explained.

“I’m very lucky in that I make the decisions.

Mum has still got the cheque book but it’s one line of thinking and I’ve only got 110 acres of arable.

It’s only me making the decisions and taking responsibility for the outcomes. The income from the commercial lets means that financially we are pretty stable, which allows me to take a few risks.

“Varietal choice and end market access are still very important. There are people out there breeding new varieties of cereals for us and we

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

have new varieties coming out every year, some of which have greater abilities to fight disease – you can choose them on a score rating.

“Much of the time the yield score is the priority for choice, and justifiably if you have a good agronomist and a wide variety of pesticides on the market. However, I want to put varieties that have better breeding for disease resistance to the test in a lower input system.”

This season’s winter wheat so far hasn’t received any fungicides. One field has only had a pre-em herbicide treatment.

Anthony explained: “One of the biggest steps is having a far higher tolerance of some pests. We have to follow IPM (integrated pest management) for crop assurance. How far individual farmers take this is down to them, but to me farming regeneratively is taking a step beyond IPM by adding a soil health principle to the general principles*.

“Every time I put a chemical on it, yes it might remove that problem, but everything stresses the plant. Even nitrogen – crops love it, they grow, but over-application, poor application or poor timing can cause stresses that can then bring forward fungal diseases, insect pests, lodging and other issues, and this can lead to a vicious cycle of input use.

“With everything I do now, my first thought is: ‘how will this affect the soil and the soil microbiology?’”

After every application of pesticide or fertiliser, Anthony sprays on a carbon source to buffer the soil.

> Old slurry lagoon

UNDERSTANDING SOIL

Farming is a lot about looking above the soil, said Anthony.

“I’m really focusing on what’s underneath. Our soil came from rock. It’s just geology. The only thing that took it from rock to something we could grow crops in is bacteria and fungi. If we neglect them or kill them then the soil will revert to geology.”

He adds that understanding the relationship between the soil and plants is key to making improvements.

“It’s the plant roots that feed the fungi by exuding carbohydrates which they produce through photosynthesis. How do you feed the fungi? It’s not just a case of chucking organic matter at it, because organic matter is made up of very complex carbohydrates – your chopped straw or muck.

“It takes a long time for that to break down far enough to feed the fungi, and it may never reach that state. What the fungi want is the sugars which come out of the roots of the crop. It’s not an easy fix – the best way is to have plants in the ground and look after them, not to spray fungicides and not having fungicides coated on the seed. You’ve got to create the bond, not disturb the soil and break it."

INTRODUCING MORE COVER CROPS

“On the farm we used to spring crop, but we’ve been solely winter cropping for the past seven or eight years,” Anthony said. “The spring can be a difficult time to move the soil here as it can go from being too wet to too dry in 24 hours.

“Hence we’ve recently gone with winter cropping, but for the past few winters it’s not been as easy as that. With the black grass pressure everyone says you’ve got to drill late and three years ago we missed the boat completely.”

To help improve the soil, Anthony is growing more year-round cover crops, planting them after harvest and working with a local livestock farmer to graze them off the following summer.

“I can be growing vetch, rye, phacelia, radish, mustard, oats, turnips – the more the merrier really - and I can tailor it to be more grazable. We can graze it hard over the summer and then spray it off. Some of the plants have long tap roots which can break down through soil pans – that’s like me running the subsoiler through, only I have living material doing the work for me,” he said.

“We can also grow winter-only cover crops which can be terminated in the spring and sown into. This year we’re growing spring barley in the ground where the wheat failed. Fortunately, I had time to plant some cover. Growing cover crops gives me the option of direct drilling, which would be better than direct drilling into cereal stubble on our soil.

“There’s lots of different things you could do and the only way to find out is if I try it. Having the balls to give it a go is the first hurdle to jump.”

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> Compost heaps

TRIALING NEW METHODS

To improve his soils he recently bought a secondhand sprayer to apply compost teas and humic and fulvic acid on his crops and soils. He also bought a muck spreader and is working with a local beef farmer, swapping straw for muck, and another local farmer who supplies him with horse manure from nearby stables.

To create his own compost, he is also taking solids from their old slurry lagoon and mixing it with old hay, the imported muck and wood chip from their resident tree surgeon and turning it with his telehandler. This year he intends to trial the Bokashi composting method, which involves not aerating the heap, but adding a fungi/bacteria mix and covering it, he said. The end product is a carbon and nutrient dense form of compost.

He has also tried adding freeze-dried mycorrhizal fungi in the seed drill with the wheat seed, so it goes down the slot with it, but this can be an expensive method. Instead, for this autumn, he is creating a Johnson/Su bioreactor, which is another composting method but one that can create a liquid full of beneficial fungi and bacteria that can be used as a seed dressing.

“So straight away it forms a bond with the plant roots,” he said. “The cereal seed is recleaned only or saved and cleaned with no fungicide treatments added. This year I have wheat saved from last season that I will have cleaned and dressed with my own homemade treatment ready for this autumn.”

Another regenerative method he is trialing is companion-cropping.

He explained: “last May we broadcast clover into a standing wheat crop, with the idea that after harvest I could direct drill a cover crop into it and the soil would have had continuous cover and live root activity.

“Needless to say, it didn’t work; the crop was already too established and closed up. Not quite enough light. Saying that, it was there. I was close.

Next time I will sow my crop of wheat and then

broadcast it on so they grow up together.”

The grassland will be managed more regeneratively as well. The ground has been mown for hay and grazed extensively with sheep, but alongside what the animals have excreted, only a bit of bagged nitrogen has been added to the soil.

The homemade compost and soil sprays will also make it onto the grass, which will now be grazed in more of a mob or cell grazed style, with longer rest periods. Anthony will also look at creating a more diverse sward with direct drill herbal ley mixes, which should help give some extra drought tolerance to the clay soil, make for a more nutritious sward and help improve soil health and fertility.

FUTURE PLANS

“In farming, trialing takes a long time as you only get one shot at it per year. This is why I’m really at the very beginning of this journey,” he said.

Anthony showed me an impressive looking cover crop growing outside his grain store.

“Last autumn I drilled 30 acres of this cover crop.

It didn’t take very well as I probably drilled too late.

We had a lot of blackgrass come up through it. So I’ve had to resow that 30 acres again this spring. All that discing, power harrowing, drilling, rolling – it was all a waste of time.

“What I did do was chuck some of the seed that didn’t go in the drill on the side of the farm drive here. This is soil that’s never been moved. It’s never had a problem with drying out because it’s always had living roots in it. The fungi and bacteria are always being fed; there’s healthy populations of it and what’s growing here is proof of that,” he said.

“My plan is to make the soil central to my farming operations, the one thing that matters most. I’m aiming to follow the five principles of regenerative agriculture* as best I can to create a soil that can sustain crops long into the future without a heavy reliance on inputs. This will hopefully mean that it can sustain the next generation of Becvars at Little Goldsmiths.”

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FOUNDED ON TRUST Entrepreneur and farmer Bill Bridges knows what’s important when it comes to getting projects completed. “It’s about trust,” he explained. “You need to be able to trust the people you ask to do things to get on and do them.”

That trust has underpinned the relationship that Bill has built up with steel framed building specialists G E White & Sons over the past two years as he has transformed Mynthurst Farm, near Leigh in Surrey.

Bill, who began farming back in 1984, when in his forties, had a vision for the 800-acre farm that didn’t reflect the old and careworn buildings that were there when he moved in. He brought in brothers Gary and Jason with the intention of ‘patching up’ an existing cattle shed, but soon agreed that it really needed replacing.

The G E White & Sons team got to work and did such a good job of replacing the old double span building with a bright and airy single span construction that Bill invited them back to tackle the next project. And the next. And the next…

There is no doubt he will ask the team back in the future, too. “I wouldn’t have anybody else,” he confirmed. “Having someone you can trust working on the things that are important to your business is worth a heck of a lot.”

Bill, whose “brilliant” daughter Billie runs the farm on a day-to-day basis, grows barley and oats on 250 acres at Mynthurst Farm as well as keeping 270 head of beef cattle and around 300 sheep. With other business interests also needing his attention, he needed a reliable company that would get on with the building work while he carried on with the day job.

After they finished the 45m by 20m cattle shed, complete with an extra two metre cantilever to either side, Bill asked G E White & Sons to build a new grain store, an impressive 50m by 30m structure, six metres to the eaves and with a power floated concrete floor from Essex-based specialists Steyson Concrete Floors.

The next project was to turn an unwanted silage clamp into a straw shed, something the G E White & Sons team achieved by adding a new framework and roof onto the existing walls, but it was the next

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challenge, renovating a sheep shed, that saw Gary and Jason really pull out the stops.

The original plan was simply to replace the old roof lights in the building, but when the brothers investigated, they realised that the asbestos roofing sheets were far beyond their ‘sell by’ dates.

“I decided we would have to refurbish the whole shed, including new Yorkshire boarding, doors and rainwater goods, but I needed it done in a fortnight

so that I could get the sheep back indoors,” recalled Bill. It was a challenge, but not one that troubled Gary and Jason, who met the deadline in good time.

The ten-strong G E White & Sons team, which also features dad Geoff, now 76 and retired but still working alongside his sons most days, also builds equestrian and commercial facilities and has built up a strong reputation across Kent, Surrey and Sussex. >>

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> Bill Bridges

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<< Gary and Jason gave their father’s name to the business in tribute to everything he had taught them when they set it up 17 years ago, but it took them ten years to persuade him to come and work for them – despite the fact that he was already at retirement age. “He’s still out there virtually every day showing the youngsters how it should be done,” commented Gary.

“I once rang him at 6am to check he knew where he was supposed to be working that day and found he was already on site and wondering where we had got to,” added Jason. “We really benefit from his lifetime’s experience and knowledge.”

Gary and Jason’s own years of experience, allied to Geoff’s, gives G E White & Sons an impressive pedigree, and one that shines through in the quality of the work they do, whether creating luxury stables, renovating tired business units or building an impressive new grain store from scratch.

In the equestrian world, prestige projects have included building a new stable block for race horse trainer Gary Moore, an impressive range of buildings at Hickstead Place for top international showjumper Shane Breen and stabling and a hay

barn for Clive Cox at John Francome MBE’s yard at Lambourn in Berkshire. Like many other clients, Clive and former national hunt champion jockey John have become personal friends of Gary and Jason.

One commercial project currently reaching completion is the transformation of the Kilmarnock Farm business park in West Sussex for Mark Vickers.

Mark runs the 44-acre business park, which was developed from an old stable block on the farm, which has been in the family since 1950. G E White & Sons has built two new units and completely refurbished ten others, including stripping out asbestos, insulating all the units to current standards and replacing the panelling.

“The team has done a brilliant job of transforming the site,” said Mark. “Gary and Jason are always on the end of a phone if you need them, and they oversee the whole project from start to finish. I can basically just leave them to get on with what needs doing.”

With clients investing a great deal of trust in Gary and Jason’s workmanship and project management skills, they make sure they use

trusted suppliers and contractors, working with the likes of Clark Lifting Solutions UK, Southern Sheeting and flooring experts Steyson. Other companies qualifying for a ‘special mention’ are valued groundworks specialists Cook & Son and United Concrete.

While focusing on quality, G E White & sons prides itself on competitive pricing and the brothers continued to invest in their own plant, machinery and equipment, allowing them to be as self-sufficient and responsive as possible.

The brothers also have an eye for design, particularly when dealing with equestrian buildings, delivering a bespoke finish that sets their buildings apart from the competition.

Above all, though, it was their practical, hands-on approach, and their ability to take the project from start to finish, that made life so much easier for Bill Bridges at Mynthurst Farm.

The experience, skills and knowledge of the ten-strong team quickly saw the company established as his ‘go-to’ source for building work across the farm – and he looks set to continue going to them for a while yet.

25

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ELVED PHILLIPS ARABLE NOTES

OILSEED RAPE ACREAGE PLUMMETS

26

While we all agree that the war in Ukraine is very bad for all concerned, if there is any benefit to UK Agriculture – apart from the price inflation enjoyed by lucky old crop long holders – it is that the question of food security has been pushed way up the political agenda.

In the past three months there have been at least six questions and debates in parliament about the security and supply of UK farmed food, whereas there had previously only been about that many debates in the past five years! This should be a bandwagon of opportunity that the main parties should wish to jump on.

We need to remind the Government of our reliance on imports of oilseed rape from Ukraine. We have already imported 238,000 metric tonnes this year; it would have been more but for the war. The supreme irony is that this reliance is self imposed, as the ban on using neonicotinoids caused our oilseed rape acreage to plummet.

Of course, neonicotinoids are freely used in the production of Ukraine oilseed; so where is the logic in that? If Ukraine’s supply to the UK is permanently stopped, where do we get the oilseed from? And what will be the provenance of the seed? We only produce about half of the oilseed rape that we need; so even before this essential supply was cut off, the powers that be needed to “wake up and smell the coffee”.

In Germany the Government has already switched 2.5 million acres from “green” schemes back to food production.

Our government has given themselves the luxury of five years to replace the BPS with other schemes, but this process is being overtaken by current events. They are at least 18 months behind the curve, which is the lead

time farmers need to plan their forward neighboring countries like Romania, ELVED cropping, so they must accelerate this PHILLIPS Bulgaria and Poland to access Baltic ports. process now. They cannot ignore the Likewise, shipment by train has continued Openfield focus that the war has brought upon the to the EU. Russia has continued to ship need to guarantee UK food production. wherever it can. Only Russian-bound ships can operate The UK grain market follows the Chicago and French (because no one else can obtain marine insurance) to futures; mostly up but sometimes down. Some have those countries where sanctions don’t apply. tried to introduce the weather as a competing bullish We must not forget that both Russia and the Ukraine factor with the war, but personally I cannot see anything have to ship a huge portion of their crop in July/August dramatic anywhere in the world which we have not seen and September/October as they never did have the before at this time of year. storage infrastructure and were always short of hard The “weather stories” usually sort themselves out, but currency. Now Ukraine may have no large surplus this granted we have a long way to go to harvest. Some of year and might anyway retain what they produce for our Hampshire and Wiltshire farmers are telling me that themselves. Russia is different; they are talking of a their farms are looking as good as they ever have at this wheat surplus of up to 40 million tonnes! They can export time of year; both winter and spring crops. it still ok, but the question is over who will buy it?

I forecast some months back that even without the At present we have record high forward prices for war the UK was on track to run out of wheat and barley every cereal and oilseed. I don’t want to spoil the bullish before harvest starts. So the first imports of new crop fun, but what if Russia decided to dump its potential from France will be eagerly awaited. In the case of wheat surplus onto someone who would deal with wheat, that should mean prices staying firm through them, like China? Notwithstanding the latest Covid-19 July and probably up to the first week of August. In outbreak, China is still regarded as the big open mouth theory, the French should have winter barley available of demand in the world. in July, so there is more risk in holding feed barley, but Maybe just to frustrate our Western markets, Russia the difference between old and new crop has narrowed, could agree to take China out of the world wheat market with new crop appreciating over the past month. by undercutting the unsanctioned market. If that were The war grinds on, but more slowly, as Russia seems to happen – and subject to the rest of us having normal content to consolidate what it has gained since 2014 in harvests – that could be very detrimental to our forward the east and now the south of Ukraine. With no quick prices. resolution, the rest of the grain trading world has got So don’t be too greedy; keep selling small amounts on to arrange alternative supply chains or more creative into this record forward market and one day you will ways of continuing to export grain from both Ukraine be right. I remind you of the old Chinese proverb - “He and Russia. who rides a tiger dare not get off”; because the tiger will Ukrainian wheat and maize has been accommodated eat him! At some point you will have to get off and sell as “bed and breakfast” to be able to pass through something.

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CAN WE AVERT A GLOBAL SHORTAGE

OF WHEAT?

As if UK wheat prices were not already volatile enough, now comes news of a growing drought in the breadbasket of western Europe that is also known as ‘France’.

Between 1 January and 9 May, France received an average of 200mm of rain. This is barely half the country’s normal rainfall over that period and the least rain since 1960 in any year bar 1976 and 2011. French producers are already predicting small ears and a light harvest unless things improve quickly, but at the time of writing the weather forecast for the country looks extremely unfavourable in terms of a break in the drought.

This is very worrying, not just for French farmers but for the world. France produces 35m tonnes of wheat (compared to the UK’s 13m tonnes) of which it exports roughly half, making it the world’s fourth largest exporter.

Those exports have never been more crucial, given that Ukraine’s exports are disrupted by Russia’s invasion. Russia has also stopped its own wheat exports to ensure that it has a strategic reserve, given that few countries now want to trade with Russia because of its rogue status.

Russia and Ukraine together account for a quarter of globally traded wheat, so it’s no wonder Egypt’s government (Egypt being the world’s largest importer of wheat) recently stated that it was counting on France to supply it with the crop.

Just what effect this uncertainty and volatility will have on our government’s wheat production policy it’s hard to tell. As we are all aware, the UK farm policy emphasis since Brexit has been on re-wilding, biodiversity and reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions rather than increasing wheat production.

Indeed, the recently published ‘National Food Strategy’ that was commissioned by the Government barely mentions national food security or increasing UK wheat production as policy goals.

The problem, of course, is that the world’s climate is now changing to such a degree that simply trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to stop climate change may not be enough to avert a global shortage of wheat.

India, which has become a major wheat producer and even exporter, is currently struggling with a heatwave. In the US, 30 out of 50 states are experiencing droughts, as are two large grain-producing states in Canada Saskatchewan and Alberta. Even the wheat crop in China, the world’s largest wheat producer, is thought to be in trouble because of unfavourable weather.

So, what is a humble Sussex sodbuster supposed to make of this? With new crop 2022 wheat prices continually being dragged ever higher by old crop prices I guess I will be tempted to sow wheat from fence row to fence row this autumn, allowing for limitations created by blackgrass.

But the scary thing is that we may not be many years away from our government insisting that we do just that – for ‘food security’ reasons.

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AGRONOMY

OILSEED RAPE CHOICES

FOR AUTUMN 2022

Peter Brundle, Hutchinsons Southern Seed Manager, believes that current market conditions and a wide choice of varieties are causing many to consider including oilseed rape (OSR) in the rotation for autumn 2022. He believes the question on many growers’ minds is: “Should I or shouldn’t I?”

28

The first consideration is the end market, which is as firm in price as many will ever recall but with much volatility. Even without the subsequent transformation following the unfortunate circumstances in Ukraine, the market was likely to be relatively bullish as we are for the foreseeable future net importers of OSR until the market regains the areas planted at the end of the last decade.

Additionally, even with the current nitrogen prices, the gross margin for the crop, if established well, will stack up favourably at 3.5 t/ha given present market values.

There would certainly appear to be some reduction in cabbage stem flea beetle pressure, although this is by no means the case for the entire country. It is also safe to say that, had there been moisture present in the very damaging autumn of 2019, the challenge, although significant, would undoubtedly have been less destructive. The planting of markedly reduced areas in the past two autumns has also impacted flea beetle numbers.

Considering these factors, we will almost certainly see a decision to plant an increased

OSR area for autumn 2022. Key to this will be planting when the conditions are right. This could be as early as late July or as late as the end of September, given warm soils and moisture.

Preparation of a good seedbed is also essential.

CHOOSING THE RIGHT VARIETY

The decision on variety choice is key. Hybrids would be the preferred option as they possess traits that the conventionals largely do not. Aurelia and LG Aviron are two key hybrids with TuYV resistance, pod shatter resistance, RLM 7 phoma resistance and, in the case of LG Aviron, the best light leaf spot resistance currently available.

Aurelia is suited to earlier drilling and LG Aviron, with its superb autumn and spring vigour, is well suited to the third week of August and beyond. Add to these choices PT303, with sclerotia resistance, and you have three key options.

If conventional is the preferred option as home saved seed is a requirement, then look no further than the two most widely grown varieties in the UK, KWS Campus and Acacia. Campus has remarkable consistency and has now been successfully grown for eight years with a reliability

that many growers find reassuring. Acacia has shown its abilities in the past two years and is also a sound option. TuYV resistance in the conventional market can be found in Annika.

Should Clearfield® factor in your calculations, then Matrix CL looks to offer the best package available at this moment.

Finally, there are the clubroot resistant options which should only be grown where clubroot is an issue and not because they now offer less of a drop-off in yield. Croozer and Chrome have a track record in this sector, while newcomer LG Scorpion offers TuYV resistance and exceptional autumn vigour to aid establishment.

Clubroot could conceivably be a more widespread threat this season, as earlier drilling offers more risk. Clubroot can appear from nowhere and infection is a threat in moist soils where temperatures are in the range of 16°C to 25°C; pH levels below 7.5 add to this risk.

In summary, correct establishment is key. This means drilling into the right soil conditions at the correct time with the best varieties. The 10 varieties listed above offer a competent solution for all sectors.

PETER BRUNDLE

T: 07774 707494 E: Peter.brundle@hlhltd.co.uk Canterbury: 01227 830064 www.hlhltd.co.uk

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

ORGANISED CHAOS ANITA HEAD

COST OF FERTILISER DIRECTLY

PROPORTIONATE TO COST OF GAS

As I write this we could do with a little rain although I’m sure after I’ve finished this article it will come down by the bucket load.

I can honestly say that we’ve well and truly been to Badminton. What a week. We walked over 100 miles in six days and partied equally hard.

Exhausted is an understatement.

We have come back to reality with a bump. First cut silage is nearly complete and the yields so far have been good. The maize is all drilled and ready for a drop of rain (fingers crossed).

The digestate experiment that I wrote about last month came to an abrupt halt after many false starts and failed promises. The inevitable outcome came about and the agreement that was made in my kitchen last December never came to fruition.

Grumpy was very GRUMPY. Buying fertiliser “on spot price” was always going to cost us a lot of money and indeed cost us a lot more than pre-buying fertiliser last year. Grumpy has always said that relying on others is a huge risk and this definitely proved to be the case when those who had promised so much failed to deliver one drop.

Thankfully after a dose of fertiliser the crops are now back on track and looking well, but it has been a huge cost to the business.

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It has become apparent to all that the cost of fertiliser is directly proportionate to the cost of gas.

We need to find other avenues that we can become more reliant on in our own natural oil and gas reserves.

In a previous article I mentioned how shortsighted the cancellation of the Cambo oil field project now appears. It is also interesting to note that it takes 10 to 15 years from the commissioning of a new oil field for that oil to come onstream. In contrast, it only takes eight to 12 weeks for gas from a newly-commissioned shale gas field to hit the marketplace.

The UK sits on some of the largest shale gas sites in Europe; with the correct political will, this gas could be lowering our gas prices within months. I fail to understand why the Government continually ignores this problem.

Shale gas, first extracted in New York in 1821, is a natural gas stored deep underground in a finegrained sedimentary rock. It is extracted using a process known as hydraulic fracturing or fracking.

This involves drilling long horizontal wells in shale rocks more than a kilometre below the surface.

The Government has decided to pay 50% of our BPS in July and the remainder in December

to help farmers in the current climate. This is very welcome and will be appreciated by all concerned, but in a few years the BPS will no longer exist so, what will the future hold? A token gesture by the Government, I feel.

When will the Government and the population value the food they put into their mouths?

Food wastage is still in abundance even with the increased cost of food. Farmers seem to be benefiting from the increase but are losing out thanks to the increased cost of raw materials. They are, in fact, essentially treading water.

Badminton implemented a ‘no plastic bottle’ theme to be as environmentally friendly as possible, but traders bypassed this ruling by using plastic glasses instead. The plastic usage/wastage is out of control in this country. People need to start taking reusable bottles everywhere. We all put our phones in our pockets before we leave; we just need to pick up a water bottle or cup as well.

Until next time, stay safe and take care.

ANITA HEAD Farmer

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

29

SARAH CALCUTT FOCUS ON FRUIT

ROCK N’ROLL IN AGRICULTURE

30

“We do lead, we do need to be brave about it and shout about what we have to offer the world,” Jo Churchill, Minister for AgriInnovation and Climate Adaptation, told the Innovate UK Joint Centres Conference in April.

She went on to state that “domestic production matters”, that we need food resilience and that ‘we’ will always support our farmers and innovators.

We need to shout about what we do; we need to inspire young people to join agri-tech; we need to be looking forward to improving the welfare of animals, the environment and the welfare of the British population, which should have access to the highest quality, sustainably produced diet.

The conference continued with pledges about how the research base will be leveraged to help the industry ensure agri-tech centres become easier to deal with, creating a shop front from which anyone can access support in developing technology and delivering a public service.

They were incredibly positive words from the minister as she joined with Indro Mukerjee, Head of Innovate UK, in pledging to support the future of agri-tech development in the UK for the benefit of global farming. We need to be more rock n’roll, she repeated. We need to attract skills and the

SARAH CALCUTT Executive Chair, National Fruit Show

talented, ambitious people needed for the sector.

So, what did we see in action that is heading the way of the fruit sector? First up was Fotenix, showcasing disease detection using LiDAR cameras. LiDAR is a method for determining ranges by targeting an object or a surface with laser and measuring the time for the reflected light to return to the receiver. It can also be used to make digital 3D representations of areas on the earth’s surface and ocean bottom by varying the wavelength of light, and is now being assessed as an early disease detection tool. Just imagine a time when the drone flies over to count the fruit while it is also scanning for disease outbreaks not yet visible to the human eye!

Then Antobot; already active in strawberry tunnels, Antobot is not a mile away from the agility and delicate touch required for picking top fruit.

The Small Robot Company also gets an honourable

mention; though it currently has arable applications, it too has enormous potential in an orchard situation where the balance of species under the tree needs managing – weed control by an autonomous robot drone which can choose which plants/invasive weeds need to go.

These are all designed to reduce the reliance on expensive people who could be earning more money for the business doing something elsewhere. In the instance of Fotenix, it has real potential to revolutionise aspects of the agronomist’s job.

Next must come the policies to support this, and we are still waiting. Recommendation 11 of Henry Dimbleby’s National Food Strategy report (page 252) is that £1 billion be invested in innovation to create a better food system.

Adding to the £280m ring fenced by DEFRA in the Agricultural Transition Plan, the funding focusses on farmer-led innovation, recognising that the driving force behind regenerative agriculture has usually been the people on the ground, trying out new ideas. That investment needs to be in technology as well as in agroecological methods that have been starved of investment until now.

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The unprecedented labour and inflation issues facing the fruit industry and the need for wider support from the supply chain was high on the agenda at the British Apples & Pears Limited (BAPL) annual trade event in mid May. Chaired by broadcaster and Countryfile presenter Charlotte Smith, the webinar featured a panel of British growers, including Ali Capper, Executive Chair of British Apples and Pears.

The event was a chance for BAPL growers to update UK retail representatives and the trade on the coming 2022 season, highlighting the challenges facing the industry as well as the success of British top fruit.

BAPL speakers were clear about the need for the supply chain to help growers in such challenging times and stressed that growers needed to be able to make a profit so they could invest in the future of the crop and in sustainable farming to protect the industry and the environment.

The company announced that the 2022 British apple and pear season would officially begin on Monday 3 October to tie in with the strong consumer demand at that time for British apples and pears.

The promotional activity will focus on the three themes of heart health, affordability – important during the current cost of living crisis – and sustainability.

The webinar included a special message of support from Raymond Blanc.

For the third year running the renowned French chef will be championing British apples for their taste and flavour, reinforcing the importance of buying British at the core of his messaging.

Ali Capper commented: “2022 is set to be one of the toughest ever years for growers and the webinar was an important opportunity for us to highlight the issues ahead and speak directly to the industry.

“The country is experiencing a hard time financially and the rate of inflation in costs is one that growers have not seen before in their lifetime.

The good news is that we have the opportunity to build on self-sufficiency and increase the sales of dessert apples sold in the UK, so now is the time to work together, supporting growers and committing to the future of British apples.”

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

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WILL THE CONSUMER PAY FOR RISE NEEDED

32

Late April and early May saw a continued strong beef trade in all livestock markets, with buyers generally short of requirements. Numbers in Colchester were at average levels and more could be sold to advantage.

Best cattle were regularly trading to 270p/kg to 280p/kg liveweight, with a few exceptions above. General run of good meated steers and heifers 240p/kg to 260p/kg with very few below 220p/kg.

With the high input costs of feed and labour for cattle these prices are required; in fact a rise is needed, but the question is whether or not the consumer will pay it.

The cull cow trade is at the highest levels ever seen, reflecting the demand for manufacturing beef. Many vendors looking to cut numbers are taking advantage of this.

The sheep trade continued at a consistent level throughout, but £150 per head for heavy hoggets seemed to be the cap. Plenty of old season lambs were trading at £130 to £150, with weight certainly seen in abundance in the markets and handy weights trading around 300p/kg. This is well below 12 months ago, but still producing a satisfactory return for most. The high cost of stores reducing gross margins, but no great increase in feed costs for old season.

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New season lambs were coming forward in better numbers throughout the period, again trading below last year’s levels but with best lambs trading up to £165 per head and well-fed lambs making a premium. Grass lambs coming forward towards the end of the period were trading around 300p/kg to 320p/kg depending on weight.

The cull ewe trade remains buoyant throughout, with numbers generally insufficient for this strong demand. More could be sold to advantage.

The pig trade unfortunately hit another difficult period, with numbers exceeding demand and the crisis in Europe having some knock-on effect on the trade throughout the period. We need to see a substantial increase in pig prices to ensure those few remaining family units continue, while even the large ones are under severe financial pressure.

The cull sow trade is also difficult and not increasing as we had hoped. The initial rise was good, but it did not continue. Let us hope the next month sees an increase with the better weather and barbecues seeing an increase in demand.

Generally, crops desperately need rain in the Essex area, with little forecast as this report is being written and little seen through the period of April and early May. Crops are beginning to suffer.

CUTTING METHANE

EMISSIONS BY 30% A new report from Ruminant Health & Welfare (RH&W) highlights the part reducing key endemic diseases in ruminants can play in contributing to the Global Methane Pledge aimed at cutting methane emissions by 30% by 2030.

Produced by Moredun Research Institute in conjunction with RH&W, the report, Acting on methane: opportunities for the UK cattle and sheep sectors, sets out to help farmers discuss the health status of their herd or flock with their vet or animal health adviser in order to reduce methane emissions.

“Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas (GHG) when compared with CO2, and on many farms contributes over 50% of total emissions, explained Nigel Miller, RH&W chair. “It’s important to remember that methane is the only short-term gas among the big three GHGs that has the potential, if managed, to slow global warming.”

According to DEFRA, ruminants are responsible for 45% of UK methane emissions, mostly through rumen digestion, manure and slurry. RH&W has pointed out that the area where the sector can make an immediate difference in is the contribution certain livestock diseases make to emissions.

Dr Philip Skuce, principal scientist at Moredun Research Institute, said it was already known that improving livestock health and welfare could reduce methane emissions by 10%. “This new report takes us a step further by mapping the GHG profile of key endemic diseases identified by RH&W with the input of farmers and veterinary health professionals,” he said. As an example, he said studies had shown that gastrointestinal parasites led to a minimum 10% increase in emissions in lamb production.

The full report is at: https://ruminanthw.org.uk/actingonmethane

AT ASHFORD MARKET

EXCEPTIONAL DEMAND FOR BOTH CULL COWS AND EWES Bullish prices continue across all sectors of the livestock industry, with strong demand and reduced supplies compared with previous years.

Not all price rises had been expected, though, with differing trends and patterns compared to the norm reflecting changes in demand for different cuts at retail level.

The trade for cull stock, in particular, has been exceptional, with the price differential compared to prime animals now smaller than ever experienced in the past. Despite the improvements in returns, we are quite rightly reminded that these price levels need to be monitored for sustainability and profit margin against escalating costs.

In recent months domestic retail sales have eased slightly, reflecting the expected loss in trade to the food service industry. Although this has not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels, it is expected to grow in the future. Globally, while imports of beef and lamb are unlikely to change much and remain at relatively low levels, exports are expected to grow due to slightly lower overall domestic demand and increased food service demand from the continent.

SHEEP

Since the turn of the year the finished sheep trade has not kicked on as expected, with increased national slaughterings of more than 10% compared to the previous year and an over supply of heavyweights nationally often contributing 70% of the total entry in Ashford.

The prices throughout January to March 2022 averaged around £116, some £6 below the peak prices achieved in December 2021 and the average prices achieved during the same period in 2021, but still some £20 per head above those achieved in 2020.

The trade has perked up in recent weeks, with the April average at £122, with best handyweights selling readily around 300p/kg and highlights including very smart Beltex hoggets to around £170 from O’Neil Smith Ltd, Brighton and T Husk, Dover.

The high point of the sheep sector has undoubtedly been the cull ewe section, where trade has been phenomenal. Despite large numbers at Ashford Market, up 20% on the year, and national slaughterings up 10% on the year, the prices have surged since the turn of the year from an average of £90 to £127 throughout April; this average is some £5 above that achieved for hoggets during the same period.

The highlights have included Continental ewes to £236 from S J & J L Vine, Hailsham; Suffolk cross to

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£176, N A Balcomb & Son, Romney Marsh; Romneys to £165, H Metcalfe, Tenterden and Mules to £146, Bungehurst Farms Ltd, Tunbridge Wells.

CATTLE

The beef trade continues to firm as supplies remain tight with national slaughterings down 4% to date this year. The demand at Ashford has been strong throughout, with an average price this year of £1,350, up 13% on the year and up 34% compared with 2020.

The best beef bred continental cross continue to take the pick of the trade at 250p/kg plus, with highlights including the following from regular vendors. A superbly rounded British Blue bull topping at £2,068 (280p/kg), J & S Wareham; Limousin cross steers £1,855 (273p/kg), W Alexander (Shoreham) and Blue cross steers £1,781 (255p/kg), K & P M Sinden; Limousin cross heifers £1,771 (273p/kg), D W Ferguson Ltd; Blonde cross steer and heifer £1,616 (255p/kg) and £1,589 (263p/kg), G L Boulden & Sons; dairy bred Limousin and Hereford cross steer £1,528 (245p/kg) and £1,482 (234p/kg), A J Down.

In the native bred section, the best have attracted prices in excess of 235p/kg, notably Angus cross steers £1,664 (238p/kg), G Sole & Sons and £1,713 (232p/kg), Leggatt Farming Ltd; Angus cross heifer £1,447 (234p/kg), D W Ferguson Ltd; Sussex cross steer £1,604 (242p/kg), K & P M Sinden & Sons and Hereford cross steer £1,592 (233p/kg), R C & J L Pickering.

As with the sheep section, the cull cow trade has been exceptional as demand for manufacturing beef continues to soar. Despite increased national slaughterings, prices have hit record highs with overall averages at Ashford Market throughout April levelling at £1,170, up 37% since the turn of the year. These high prices in recent weeks, coupled with a rise in input costs, have undoubtedly motivated producers to sell.

There seems no stopping this trade as supplies are likely to tighten over the coming months.

The best beef cows are now attracting prices between 200p/kg and 250p/kg, good meat of any age 170p/kg to 200p/kg, best black and whites

ELWYN DAVIES

Reporting on the livestock market at Ashford T: 01233 502222 www.hobbsparker.co.uk

150p/kg to 190p/kg and little below 130p/kg. The recent highlights have included Limousin cross cows £1,959 and £1,724, J & S Wareham; South Devon £1,800, Messrs Gardners; Sussex £1,743, Montreal Estate; Beef Shorthorn £1,503, P Court; Holstein Friesian £1,634, Appleton Farm, £1,606, R & J Ledger, £1,578, W F Farms, £1,562, P J Forknall and £1,542, J S & M D Antrum & Son; Guernsey £1,138, W G & T A Manford.

April has proved the busiest month for store cattle, with several large consignments of top quality 12 to 14 months continental cross beef bred stores on offer.

The big entries and quality on offer have attracted buyers from further afield to compete with our regular customers, ensuring competitive prices throughout.

Top runs included Limousin cross steers to £1,535 (Ave. £1,380) from L E Humphreys & Sons, Limousin cross steers to £1,430 (Ave. £1,322) from P N & C Burden, Limousin cross steers and heifers to £1,400 (Ave. £1,295) and £1,270 (Ave. £1,127) from A J Bray and Limousin cross steers and heifers to £1,470 and £1,400 from H J Emery & Son. Aged outwintered cattle have been in short supply and those on offer are a fabulous trade, with highlights including Hereford cross steers £1,560, C W Jones and Hereford cross steers and heifers £1,460 and £1,373 from W & P New. During this past month there have been customers in attendance keen for bulling heifers, with 24 month-old purebred Sussex heifers taking the pick of the trade at £1,680 from L Stevens & Sons and £1,560 from Chandler & Dunn Ltd. At the time of going to print a new record was set at Ashford Market for store cattle, with big-framed Blonde cross steers selling to £1,735 from J Berryman.

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33

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INCREASING BASE OF

PROGRESSIVE AND MOTIVATED CLIENTS

It’s fair to say that South East England isn’t the garden of Eden when it comes to livestock farming. The weather, the rapidly reducing amount of land available for agriculture and increasing population density all create a challenging environment.

The provision of farm services has not always been as plentiful as in other rural areas either.

From agricultural merchants and machinery dealers to relief labour and veterinary services, it has always felt a bit less well served, according to the group behind new arrivals Green Counties vets.

Just over four years ago, they decided to introduce some healthy competition into the commercial

livestock veterinary sector in the South East.

Initially working with a small group of dairy farmers around Edenbridge and Sevenoaks, Green Counties has established a solid reputation for quality service and approachable vets serving dairy, beef and sheep farmers in Kent, Sussex and Surrey.

Since Oli Maxwell moved from a well-established job in Derbyshire to work in what was an unknown area of the country to him, Green Counties has gone from strength to strength. The practice now has three vets working with an increasing base of progressive and motivated clients.

Alongside his 14 years’ experience, Green

Counties Clinical Director Oli is a Royal College Recognised Specialist. This enables him to bring a huge range of added value to any enterprise.

Colleague Ed Hayes is an Advanced Practitioner particularly focused on bovine reproduction with extensive experience in block calving systems.

The practice has recently welcomed Charlie Hockings to complement the team as it grows. As well as a total of 37 years’ experience, the three vets provide a comprehensive and farmer focused service.

Services include adding value to fertility visits, bull and heifer fertility, lameness reduction and management, and calf health. >>

> The delegates on a recent AI course get some hands-on practice TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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35

VETERINARY SERVICES XLVETS

Last year the practice became a member of XLVets, a nationwide collaboration of independently owned vet practices. Its aim is to share knowledge, offer support and advice and tender for large scale projects together to enhance the services available to farmers.

This has also increased the variety of services offered to include such things as AI, foot trimming and mastering medicines courses. It has also been possible to organise campaigns in areas of interest to clients such as checking fluke levels in sheep, monitoring fertility performance in suckler herds and mastitis control in dairy herds.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing; 2019 saw a large number of dairies exit production in Kent, including a couple of estate dairies, while one dairy

processor’s approach at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic caused some sleepless nights. Despite this, progress has been steady and almost all new clients have been generated from word-of-mouth and client referrals.

The practice began working with industry partners in 2019/20 to put on some farmer meetings and training days but this was halted by the lockdowns, and by the time the regulations lifted the practice was so busy that a third vet was needed. Now that Charlie is on board and things are a bit calmer, the team is looking forward to organising more of these meetings and, as a member of XLVets, contributing to the FarmSkills network of training courses.

FARMSKILLS

FarmSkills is a central database of all the farmer training courses that XLVet

36 > A dairy cow is treated in the practice's foot trimming crush

> Oli finished up a successful caesarean on a beef cow behind an excellent calving gate

> Oli performs a radical trim on a cow with a white line infection

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

> The practice enjoys helping train up the next generation of vet

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Local, specialist livestock vets member practices provide. Any farmer can find a course he or she needs, even if it isn’t being provided by their own vet practice. From AI courses to mastering medicines and from foot trimming to calf rearing, there is something for everyone.

Green Counties vets are fortunate to work with a range of clients, including high input dairy farms, a number of block calving dairies and, increasingly, a range of beef and sheep farmers, including finisher units, suckler units and calf rearers.

PROFESSIONAL LINKS

They have also worked hard to form professional links and cooperative relationships with other organisations, from other practices to livestock service providers, pharmaceutical companies and universities. The practice is situated in Felbridge, near East Grinstead in Surrey, but makes use of several independent small animal practices as convenient medicine collection centres for farmers.

The team also collaborates with other independently owned farm practices in the South East to share resources, increase expertise and skills and improve services to clients.

The UK veterinary industry has changed markedly in the past 30 years, moving away from an era when all veterinary businesses were partnerships with the majority fully mixed (companion animals, equine and farm). In the South East this change has been extreme.

There has been a steady closure of traditional mixed vets, leading to the development of farm-only practices and latterly a consolidation of vet groups owned by corporate businesses across most of the region. This has left barely any mixed vets and only a few independently owned practices.

In 25 years, corporate vet practices have consolidated into six groups which own around 75% of all UK vet practices (around 4,000 of the 5,300 in the UK).

Three are owned by private equity businesses.

Independent vets covering east Surrey, Kent and Sussex

Focused on the needs of commercial, progressive livestock farmers with extremely competitive medicine prices

Tel: 01342 311311 Email: info@greencountiesvets.uk

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STRONG FARMER AND VET RELATIONSHIP

In many regions of the UK, farmers have demonstrated a preference for continuing a relationship with their own trusted vet by supporting new veterinary-led start-up businesses. Green Counties believes the relationship between farmer and vet is as strong as ever and points to surveys that suggest the vet remains the most trusted provider of advice.

Based near the meeting point of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex on the same site as Lingfield Equine Vets, Green Counties follows the traditional practice model of its vets having a vested interest in the success of the business and, by extension, the success of their clients’ businesses.

The future for UK agriculture is always uncertain, with different challenges every year, but as long as there are farms to serve, Green Counties vets will be proud to assist them.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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37

NICK ADAMES WEST SUSSEX DIARY

DO YOU CONSIDER

THE ROOK VERMIN?

38

In my old hamlet when I was a child we had three rookeries, two large ones in our huge elm trees and a smaller, more recently established one. The two large ones were home to around 80 to 100 nests each; they were alive with birds from late January until mid May, with a cacophony of gregarious noise as first the birds gathered to select their mate and nest site, then scoured the surrounding farmlands for twigs to build their nest, then mated and laid their eggs and shortly after, in early April, nurtured and reared their young. The noise was a constant background to the work on the land until what we locally always knew as Rook Shooting Night.

This was 12 May. Those who had a shotgun in the settlement turned up and staked their position until a signal was given and all hell let loose. At the first shots the old birds rose high in the sky, cawing as they rose higher. The tasty young were the main target and most vulnerable but, up in those huge elm trees, some 90 to 110 feet high, if they hid in their nests they remained safe while those who flew took their chance. Under the elms, children and village folk searched and gathered up the dead birds as the main ingredient of rook pie, put them in bags and boxes and carried them home. These pies were a delicacy and a great source of good meat in times of shortage.

Those young birds who avoided the guns, and there were many, then spent the next weeks growing in guile, size and strength as they searched the meadows for dung pats and insects and the fields for new-sown seeds of grain, peas or beans, where they again ran the risk of facing the farmer or gamekeeper’s gun.

Once they had reached maturity, the whole lot simply disappeared from the rookery. A mystery as to where, but locally the saying was that they had ‘gone on holiday’. But by the following new year they were back again, flying in big circles high over their roosts preparing for the next season.

I am telling this to people who may not know, but so far nothing I have related seems to make the species into a pest. Yet, by laws made by people who don’t know these birds, they, along with jackdaws, have been designated as vermin. Why? In this part of Sussex they are becoming something of an endangered species. Why? Because

herring gulls which used to live and breed near the sea have now moved inland and have developed a taste for young birds. These big predators sit on rooftops watching, and rearing their own young.

I first suspected this some three or four years back when our local rookery was a thriving 30-plus nest colony. I saw the commotion when the gulls flew overhead, although I didn’t see them attack the nests until last year.

This year there was no spring redecoration, no nest building, and instead of more than 30 nests we had three. There is no further building in the vicinity and the rooks are no longer here. Obviously, last year’s attacks have effectively cleaned out the total hatch from 2021 and the tradition has been broken.

Now those three have been emptied.

In the past few weeks hunger has set in and the gulls have switched their attention to our large pond nearby where mallard have reared their broods. I have seen them diving onto the waters and on two occasions have seen a gull fly over my garden with still struggling ducklings in their huge beaks to their regular perches on a nearby roof.

But what can one do?

Clearly the rooks are more part of our farmlands than protected seagulls? But because

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

some emotionally immature folk, like the BBC’s Chris Packham, see only what they want to see, government so-called ‘experts’ have been persuaded to class rooks and jackdaws as vermin but protect herring gulls. The law on classing these birds as vermin is absurd. The fact that one needs to apply for a permit if wood pigeons, rooks or crows are attacking a crop is absurd. By the time you are given permission, the damage is done or the birds have moved on.

We no longer have the huge rookeries of 50 years ago, so there is no need to thin the birds out – and rook pie is no longer seen as a delicacy! And while they do cause limited damage, it is generally just that. Rooks are not, nor have they ever really been, vermin in the same league as magpies, crows and jays, but the instances of gull attacks on other bird species calls for a very urgent review of our shooting and vermin laws or we won’t have many of our old species left. Doubtless farmers will then be blamed.

As a start I suggest there is a list of conservationists who should be added to the vermin list with great urgency, while country people, who generally well know what needs to be done about pests, are given a freer hand to kill the real culprits.

NICK ADAMES Former dairy farmer

ADVICE FROM THE VET

Dictyocaulus viviparous is the cause of husk in cattle. Disease outbreaks are usually seen in wetter summers after periods of rainfall.

Dictyocaulus filaria (the large lungworm) is the related worm that causes similar disease in small ruminants. All lungworm species produce eggs that hatch in the lungs and larvae are passed in the sputum and faeces.

Dictyocaulus larvae do not survive on the pasture for more than a few weeks. Larvae are ingested and then migrate through the body to the lungs. Symptoms seen include fever, cough, mucky nasal discharge, increased respiratory rate, decreased appetite and weight loss. The disease is usually seen in animals less than two years of age, as animals develop immunity following exposure.

Naïve animals can get disease when they are older.

Both species can cause disease in camelids.

Protostrongylus rufescens (the red lungworm) is another lungworm of small ruminants. This causes less severe disease than D. filaria. Symptoms include diarrhoea, weight loss, mucky nasal discharge and increased respiratory rate. It has an intermediate slug/snail host in which the larvae develop. Sheep/goats are then infected when they ingest infected slugs/snails. Slugs/snails can remain infective for up to two years on the pasture.

Long-term immunity does not develop.

Muellerius capillaris (goat lungworm) does not cause significant disease in sheep but causes serious disease in goats. It also has an intermediate slug/snail host. Goats show signs of coughing, pneumonia, weight loss, lethargy and poor growth.

LUNGWORM DIAGNOSIS

• Larvae detected in faeces (Baermann test) or in broncho-alveolar wash • Antibody detection in blood/milk (cattle only) • Post-mortem.

1-BZ and 3-ML wormers are effective against all lungworm species. 2-LV wormers are only effective against Dictyocaulus species. A prolonged course of daily 1-BZ wormer is required to kill all larval stages of M. capillaris in affected goats.

Prevention of husk is based on vaccination of young cattle before spring turnout, possibly alongside sustained/pulse release/strategic worming. A winter housing dose of 3-ML wormer in young cattle can eliminate overwintering D. viviparous larvae. Quarantine treatment of purchased stock is advised, and improving pasture drainage and control of slugs/snails may help to reduce the risk of P. rufescens and M. capillaris infections.

The following fluke species can affect all UK ruminants and camelids.

Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke) inhabit bile ducts of the liver where they suck blood and cause damage. Eggs are intermittently passed in the

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LUNGWORM

AND FLUKE OF

RUMINANTS IN THE UK In this article Andrew Richmond, Horsham branch, will outline the different species of concern and their life cycle, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

faeces. After hatching they enter the mud snail (Galba truncatula), where they develop further and emerge onto the pasture in the infective form.

The fluke/snail lifecycle stops when temperatures fall below 10°C. Sheep/goats can suffer acutely when they ingest large numbers of larvae over a short period, causing a massive amount of damage as they migrate en masse from the intestine to the liver. Acute fluke often presents as sudden death in late aummer/autumn. Other animals may be lethargic, with decreased appetite and abdominal pain.

Fluke migration through the liver can also trigger Black’s Disease, caused by Clostridium novyi, that leads to sudden death. Chronic fluke symptoms in all ruminants include weight loss, poor performance, bottle jaw, brisket oedema and anaemia. Diarrhoea may also be seen.

FLUKE DIAGNOSIS

• Post-mortem (acute and chronic fluke) • Faecal testing for eggs/copro-antigen (chronic) • Antibody in blood or milk (cattle/sheep only) • High GGT with or without low total protein/ albumin on blood biochemistry is suggestive.

Treatment for acute fluke is triclabendazole drench. All flukicides can be used to treat chronic fluke with an over-winter dose of all stock. There are restrictions on which products can be used on dairy cattle (usually treated at drying off). Triclabendazole is best reserved for acute fluke to reduce risk of resistance.

Prevention is by restricting access to mud snail habitat (watercourses/ponds/wet pasture) and improving pasture drainage, strategic doses of triclabendazole during risk periods (acute fluke) and quarantine treatment of purchased stock.

Lancet fluke (Dicrocoelium dendriticum) causes milder chronic disease but can lead to liver cirrhosis and anaemia. It has two intermediate

hosts, a snail and then an ant. The infected ant has altered behaviour. It climbs up a grass leaf every night, increasing the chance of being eaten.

Diagnosis is by faecal eggs or post-mortem.

Treatment is a high dose albendazole drench.

Control is difficult.

Rumen fluke (Calicophoron daubneyi is the main species) also has the mud snail as an intermediate host. Uncommonly acute disease can be caused by larvae damaging the intestine, seen in late summer/autumn after turnout onto wet pasture. Symptoms include severe watery diarrhoea, rapid weight loss, dehydration, bottle jaw, dullness and ill thrift. Diagnosis is supported by the presence of eggs in faeces, and postmortem. Only oxyclozanide drench is effective, so should be reserved for clinical cases to reduce risk of resistance. Control by restricting access to mud snail habitat.

If you have noted any of the aforementioned clinical signs in your stock, or wish to have your farm assessed for the relative risk of encountering any of these parasites then do not hesitate to call your vet for a proactive health planning visit.

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

ANDY RICHMOND

Westpoint Horsham T: 01306 628086

JACK BALKHAM

Westpoint Ashford T: 01306 628208

EMILY PHIPPS

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

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39

ALAN WEST SHEEP TOPICS ALAN WEST Sheep farmer

GRAZING,

With lambing finally complete, the last Herdy in the boss’s little flock never did lamb. She was showing a bit of an udder, but nothing more; she hasn’t changed at all, so we finally concluded that it was simply a bit of fatty tissue.

There is a chance that she may still lamb as the ram ran with them all winter (for convenience) but I suspect not; I think it was hope rather than expectation.

This serves as a timely reminder that we really ought to get the Herdys scanned next year. The empty one will no doubt come again, just one of those things. The boss is, however, very pleased with her little group; of the five ewes lambing she had four sets of twins and a single, producing just two ram lambs and seven (78%) ewe lambs. I wish the Lleyn would be as accommodating; they only managed 59% ewe lambs.

With plenty of grass in front of their mums, the Lleyn lambs are growing on well. With a high Nematodirus warning and the unseasonably warm April bringing an increased risk of flies, they all came into the yard last week for a dose of wormer and some fly prevention. I really was pleasantly surprised with how well grown the lambs looked close up. I should, while I had the opportunity, have grabbed one or two and put them on the scales, but they will now have to wait for their eight-week weights. It will be interesting to put some objective figures on their performance, particularly as I have been a bit tough on the ewes with regards to hard feed this year; it will be very useful to see what impact it has or has not had on ewe milk production and the lamb growth rates.

With only permanent pasture, some not always the best, and not using any fertiliser, getting the desired outcomes from what are high performing ewes can be a bit demanding without resorting to some input of hard feed, but I have never been inclined simply to accept the status quo. With the ewes in good condition approaching lambing, I have challenged them this season. I just hope that I was not too challenging; that said, in the current production climate we all need to be looking at ways to reduce our costs of

WHERE DO WE GO?

40

> Nell, the pup, exercises considerable restraint when faced with a smart, but cheeky, Lleyn ram lamb

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

production and hard feed is an expensive input.

The eight-week weights will hopefully provide some indication as to how the ewes have coped with the challenge and provide some useful steer as to which ewe lambs should be identified as potential replacements; working on the assumption that the most efficient ewes should (in theory) produce the more efficient lambs.

I am sure that most have enjoyed the nice, warm, sunny days during lambing, particularly in April, but (there is always a but with farmers), we really could do with some decent rainfall fairly soon; without some significant precipitation moving into May, grass growth will begin to suffer quite dramatically. There is a bit of moisture at depth, but not a great deal. With January and February only providing about 50mm of rain this year compared to 160mm (East Malling weather station data) last year we started at a bit of a disadvantage; soil moisture levels simply were not where they needed to be. Fingers crossed that things do pick up once we get into May or this summer may be one of tight grass supplies.

The saying goes that Britain “has lots of weather but no climate”, a maxim that year on year is becoming increasingly true. We certainly have lots of weather, some quite extreme, but really do not have any reliable or predictable climate patterns, which makes grazing management rather more difficult and complex now than I ever recall it being. We’ve always had seasonal variations, but these do seem to be becoming increasingly extreme; the average grass growth curve with its twin peaks that many of us recall from college has frequently ceased to have any relevance.

The decision now is whether to continue with my planned summer

VET DIARY

The bane of any sheep farmer's life must be lame sheep and dirty bums. In this article we will focus on the rear end of the sheep.

Having good strong lambs going backwards and showing signs of scour is something that is frustrating and needs to be addressed fast, before it is too late and too much damage is done. Many lambs that survive a clinical infection won’t recover from the performance setback.

Often the main sign is loose faeces and a ‘dirty back end’ which often leads to a presumptive diagnosis of intestinal worms. Even though a lot of the time this is correct and the lambs respond to treatment, in some cases the scour can be caused by coccidiosis, and by the time no response is seen to treatment/ worming there is often a lot of production losses, poor liveweight gain/ill thrift and deaths.

As the main risk period for coccidiosis in lambs is from four to 12 weeks of age, faecal egg counts are an extremely important tool for the sheep farmer to use for correct diagnosis and treatment. This is not just for diagnosis of coccidiosis but also to establish what the worm burden is and which worm is involved. It will save time (unnecessary drenching of lambs), money (costs of the worming and staff cost) and anthelmintic resistance.

There are around 20 different species of coccidia in sheep and it is important to note that only two of these cause disease in lambs. It is possible to get a faecal sample speciated and find out which species is causing the high count.

The two pathogenic ones, ie. the ones causing disease are: • Eimeria Ovinoidalis • Eimeria Crandalis.

The fact that 18 out of 20 species are

COCCIDIOSIS IN TURNED OUT LAMBS

non-pathogenic can be misleading when assessing faecal egg counts, which need to be interpreted with care and combined with the clinical picture.

Coccidia eggs or oocysts are very resistant and can live in the environment for up to two years. This makes it nigh-on impossible to eliminate at farm level, and it is best to concentrate on managing the disease rather than elimination.

It is mainly the adult animal or the pasture (environment) which is the initial source of infection, leading to problems when naïve lambs are infected. A single oocyst can then turn into millions and be spread onto the pasture. This is where subsequent groups of naïve lambs enter the same environment and are exposed to a higher challenge, therefore causing clinical disease. Note coccidiosis, unlike worms, can be seen in housed lambs (often the orphan lambs) too.

Clinical coccidiosis can be deadly and usually requires prompt treatment. The first sign of coccidiosis is that lambs may not be thriving as well as expected.

Lambs may appear open fleeced. Dirtiness around the tail may be observed, a result of diarrhoea. Severe cases will have bloody scour.

With subclinical coccidiosis, lambs appear outwardly normal but suffer from reduced feed consumption, feed conversion and growth performance. Most cases of coccidiosis are subclinical, and from an economic standpoint,

grazing plan or extend the grazing time in each paddock in an attempt to conserve grass stocks in front of them. The aim was to graze lighter with more frequent shifts, leaving rather more residue to facilitate quicker regrowth and enhance soil organic matter (and moisture retention); to leave a bit for the worms and the soil, so to speak, but with no rain this could all come to naught.

As weather patterns change and more extreme weather events become the norm, soil health becomes increasingly important; a healthy soil is a resilient soil, but unfortunately the widespread use of artificial fertilisers has enabled us to neglect soil health and lose resilience. What previously would have been provided by good soil husbandry has, over the past 60 or 70 years, been largely supplanted by what we are able to source out of a bag.

So, where do we go from here? With fertiliser prices rocketing we cannot simply rely on, nor afford, the idea of simply applying a bit of extra bagged nitrogen. We need to look at rebuilding soil health and let the soil work for us once again; woefully some soils have been depleted to such an extent that they may be very difficult to revive. As sheep producers with the benefit of some very effective manure spreaders, good recyclers of organic fertlisers, we have not reached that point, but still need to be cognisant of potential problems and react accordingly. Just what an appropriate reaction

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

subclinical coccidiosis is probably the more costly.

Prevention of coccidiosis infection is multi factorial: 1. Increased risk occurs around areas of high footfall, i.e. poached ground around lick buckets, water troughs or creep feeders, and so frequent movement of feeders and buckets is imperative to controlling cocci.

2. Minimising stress and making sure there is no other concurrent disease, e.g. trace elements, infectious agents causing immunosuppression, is important.

3. Colostrum management.

4. Clean and hygienic lambing pens.

5. It is best not to mix batches of young animals with batches of older animals or to have young animals follow older animals in a grazing rotation.

6. There are options of putting coccidiostats in the feed, for treatment as well as prevention, something that is best discussed with your vet.

7. Probably the most important is to look at ways to reduce stocking density.

NANJA VERKUIJL MRCVS

Cliffe Veterinary Group E: nanja@cliffevets.co.uk www.cliffefarm.co.uk

might be depends very much on individual situations, but it is an area that does deserve, if not need, to be given some careful consideration.

Just a thought; according to the UN, some 40% of the world’s soils have been degraded and as F D Roosevelt once said: “The nation that destroys its soil, destroys itself.” Where do we go from here?

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

HIGH QUALITY

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

TEACHING AND LEARNING

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

Agricultural students complete the summer term on a high.

Alan Johnson, Curriculum Manager, reports

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I am always delighted to see so many of our students developing in confidence and progressing through the high quality of our teaching and learning. This continues to be one of our greatest strengths, as demonstrated by this month’s diary inputs from Mia and Ben as they prepare for their middle year industrial placement. All first-year students are well on their way with their mid-year planning employment, all of which is supported by their tutor.

Work experience is a key part of the course. As part of our Level 3 programme, students can fully engage with the industry, using the skills and knowledge developed at college.

We have run agricultural courses very successfully for many years, and we continue to invest in modern facilities and technology to mirror the latest industry standards. Apart from hands-on learning on our modern commercial farm, our students benefit from visiting a range of agribusinesses and from visiting speakers that enthuse our students through their experience and knowledge of the career on which they are about to embark.

This month’s diary from our students talks about the preparation and value of their practical year.

most commonly Australia and America, which boast a much larger commercial farming scale than the UK. I am seeking work in the dairy and arable sector to gain experience in both large scale commercial dairy farming and arable production, with particular respect to self-sufficiency when it comes to running a dairy herd.

I wish to learn more about how to keep production costs down, as we learned in a farm talk that fees are a dairy farm’s greatest variable cost, through the production of maize and grass silages and the self-mixing of feeds for both milk yield and animal welfare practice. I am looking forward to using the knowledge and skills I have learned to progress further in the industry.

MIA

Soon approaching is our second year at Plumpton College, where we are given a year to find a work placement of our choice in industry to develop our skills. My desired industry is agronomy, and so far I’ve been lucky enough, through contacts, to shadow an agronomist and get stuck in at the deep end.

Completing a year’s placement will allow me to acquire much knowledge, which is combined with soil science that I learned in depth at Plumpton College.

This includes deficiencies, pests, irrigation and spraying methods. Not only this, but it teaches you about the future of farming and the pros and cons of daily farming practices.

We are given a choice to take on as much experience as we want; this could be six months at one place and six months at another. I am pleased to have the chance of a year out to build my contacts in the industry and gain valuable experience for the future.

BEN

Over the past few weeks, we have been nearing the end of our first year on the course and have spent time completing assignments and preparing for our end of year exams. These exams are for plant and soil science and professional working responsibilities. These subjects have become increasingly important in the farming sector for improving yield, as well as quality and safety, since farming is known to be a dangerous sector.

After these exams, which end in June, we will be moving on to our middle year, which features a whole year dedicated to working on farms full time to experience the agricultural lifestyle at its fullest.

Many first year students have thought about taking this opportunity for international travel and experiencing other types of farming in other countries, Visit www.plumpton.ac.uk to study a range of fantastic land and environment courses

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

WEED MANAGEMENT

FEATURED COMPANY:

INNOVATIVE WEED HARVESTER With spring growth comes the unwelcome sight of blackgrass in fields throughout the region.

One Oxfordshire contractor is pioneering a solution for ridding crops of persistent weeds. > The cutting bar contains overlapping It is always satisfying when you can offer knives with sweeping brushes above people a new solution to an old problem, and that is what Oxfordshire-based farmer and contractor Kevin Smith is hoping to do when he rolls out an innovative weed harvester for customers this summer.

Kevin’s contracting company Pasture Care has acquired a Zürn Top Cut Collect mechanical weed harvester, one of only three in the country at the time of writing.

The machine was developed in Germany and France, where it has been successfully used for controlling blackgrass and other high-growing grass weeds in cereal crops.

It works by cutting the seed heads of weeds that protrude above the crop canopy and collecting the seed heads in a hopper, thereby preventing the weeds from shedding and spreading further.

With the high cost of glyphosate and the widespread resistance of weeds to chemical solutions, mechanical harvesting offers a new alternative. It also provides an option for farmers who are reluctant to disturb soil through ploughing.

“It is proving quite attractive for organic farmers who are used to finding solutions without chemicals,” said Kevin. “And people aren’t just talking to me about blackgrass in wheat, although that’s obviously a big area where we think this machine could help. I’m also talking to customers about tackling weeds in spring oats, kale and even grass. This could bridge the gap between organic and mainstream farming.”

The weight of the machine is 3,500 kg and Kevin has fitted lightweight row-crop tyres with 72-inch centres to his tractor to minimise crop and soil disturbance. Crop dividers can also be fitted. Rear mounted, the Top Cut Collect has a working width of 12 metres. “That does mean we will pass through some of the crop, but we have calculated a yield loss of only around 3%,” Kevin said.

The double-section cutter bar can be set to cut as low as 30 cm and as high as 1.8 metres. The collection hopper has a capacity of seven cubic metres and a 1.90 metre tipping height.

The machine’s French designer figured that using a harvester to remove 90% of the seed heads in a crop would substantially help to control weeds. A trial of Top Cut Collect in the UK was able to clear volunteer rye from barley and leave the crop largely clear. Kevin notes that timing is important: “We will get best results when the majority of the weed has grown to stand proud above the crop so that it can be skimmed off, but before it starts to shed seed,” he explained.

The machine is fitted with brushes to clean the knives of seed heads and sweep the material along a conveyor belt to the hopper.

In future there is even potential for using the harvester to collect a more benevolent harvest – wildflower seeds – but for the moment, Kevin is focusing on helping farmers rid their fields of a more unwelcome guest. While Oxfordshire-based, Pasture Care is offering the service throughout the South East and beyond, wherever there is need.

Kevin has had success before in bringing innovative machines to the market.

“I think this machine has real potential to ease some very large headaches in the farming community,” he concluded.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

PASTURE CARE

T: 07768 020607 E: office@pasturecare.com www.pasturecare.com

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

43

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

01227 763939 furleypage.co.uk

REAL ESTATE LAWYER WITH

SPECIALISM IN AGRICULTURE South East law firm Furley Page has appointed a new Associate Solicitor to its Real Estate team.

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Leading South East law firm Furley Page has appointed a new Associate Solicitor to its Real Estate team.

Daniel Bridgland joined the firm in April after almost 10 years as an associate at another Kent law firm, where he headed up the agriculture and rural affairs team.

Daniel has more than two decades’ experience advising clients in Kent about property law. He specialises in supporting rural business clients with a range of matters including development land acquisitions and disposals, agricultural land transactions, option agreements and leases and commercial lease transactions.

Based at Furley Page’s Canterbury office, Daniel will work alongside Jeremy Licence, managing partner and head of the real estate team, which is

Supporting the rural community for over 230 years

EXIT SCHEME WORK?

Farmers are facing difficult decisions about whether or not to continue in farming. Some may be eligible for a lump sum payment on exiting the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) or delinked payments and leaving or retiring from farming, writes Kate Cairnes at Thomson Snell & Passmore.

To be eligible, a farmer must have either claimed or been eligible for BPS payments in the 2018 scheme year or earlier or have inherited agricultural land in England or succeeded to an Agricultural Holdings Act tenancy after 15 May 2018.

The farmer must also sell, gift or lease all their agricultural land or plant it with trees under a woodland creation scheme, transfer all grazing rights on common land and surrender all BPS entitlements.

The Government website gives information as to how the lump sum payment will be calculated, which is based on the average BPS payments made in 2019, 2020 and 2021 scheme years but is capped at £42,500. This figure is then multiplied by 2.35 to give the lump sum payment amount, although we note that this is capped at just under £100,000.

The government intends to legislate to provide clarity that scheme payments will be subject to capital gains or corporation tax.

Meanwhile DEFRA has announced a 50% BPS advance to help ease cash flow for farm businesses struggling with high input costs due to the effects of the Ukrainian war. For some this may not be enough to survive, and may push farmers seriously to consider the lump sum exit scheme.

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

Contact us today Canterbury 01227 643250 Maidstone 01622 698000 Tenterden 01580 765722 enquiries@whitehead-monckton.co.uk www.whitehead-monckton.co.uk

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

For more information about Furley Page’s real estate, agriculture and rural business services, contact Daniel Bridgland at db@furleypage.co.uk

HOW WILL THE LUMP SUM

We have a real commitment to the rural sector, providing responsive and accessible legal advice to farmers, producers and their suppliers.

Whitehead Monckton Limited (no. 08366029), registered in England & Wales.

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

recognised for its expertise in independent legal guides Chambers UK and The Legal 500.

Jeremy Licence said: “Daniel is a valuable and welcome addition to our real estate team, and his appointment strengthens the expertise and service offer we can provide to our clients. Having practised in Kent for all of his legal career, he brings a wealth of contacts within the county’s rural community."

Furley Page’s real estate team has wide-ranging experience in all aspects of commercial property transactions. With offices in Canterbury, Whitstable and Chatham, the firm has in-depth experience of all areas of the property market across Kent, the South East and wider UK.

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LEGAL

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO CONSIDER?

HIRING TEMPORARY WORKERS The agricultural sector’s reliance on seasonal and temporary workers was given a boost at the end of 2021 when the Government announced an extension to its seasonal agricultural visa scheme to help address the labour shortages.

Agricultural employers will need to keep up to date with visa and right to work checks for those workers who are still working under this scheme.

In this article, we look at some other key considerations for employers when hiring temporary workers.

CHANGES TO PROOF OF RIGHT TO WORK CHECKS

Some notable changes came into effect from 6 April 2022 in relation to the way in which right to work checks should be carried out.

From that date, employers are no longer allowed to undertake manual checks of biometric residence cards and permits. Instead they must use the Home Office online service. These checks must be carried out for holders of biometric residence cards, biometric residence permits and frontier work permits, as well as for holders of settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

The free online service is initially accessed by the worker, who must input their details and share a code with their employer. The employer must verify the right to work by checking the online portal.

Manual checks on original documents (including passports) will only be available for British and Irish nationals. Further detailed information and guidance can be found on the gov.uk website.

Employers in the sector are advised to make sure they are up to date with the changes, as a failure to

perform the checks correctly can include a civil fine of up to £20,000 per worker and, in some cases, criminal liability.

SEASONAL WORKER VISAS

Individuals may apply for a seasonal worker visa to come to the UK to work in horticulture for up to six months in any 12-month period, for example to assist with the harvest. There is no longer the option to apply under this route to do poultry work, ‘pork butchery’ or to drive an HGV to transport food (the scheme was briefly opened to these sectors due to labour shortages in 2021).

This is useful scheme for the sector, although it is subject to a quota and there are strict visa requirements.

Individuals applying under this route will need to have a sponsor and meet certain eligibility criteria.

Those with a seasonal worker visa are permitted to work in the job described in the certificate of sponsorship and may be able to study.

The scheme does not allow seasonal workers to accept a permanent job or to work in a second job, and nor does is allow partners and children to apply as dependants.

WORKERS FROM UKRAINE

According to Home Office statistics, workers from Ukraine made up the largest national group of those applying for seasonal worker visas in 2021.

Ukrainian nationals currently in the UK under a seasonal worker visa will have their length of stay automatically extended to 31 December 2022. They must continue to satisfy the sponsorship and eligibility requirements for the seasonal worker scheme.

ABIGAIL BRIGHTWELL

Associate, Brachers LLP T: 01622 655281 E: abigailbrightwell@brachers.co.uk www.brachers.co.uk

For Ukrainians not in the UK, there are two schemes which allow Ukrainian nationals and their families to live, work and study in the UK and access public funds: the Ukraine Family Scheme and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme. By 7 April 2022, 40,900 visas had been issued under these routes.

The normal immigration routes still remain open and, in some cases, under the Ukraine Extension Scheme it will now be easier to move to different visa routes for Ukrainian nationals.

Employers are advised to keep up to date with the government’s latest guidance in this area.

STUDENTS

International students may be allowed to work in the UK while holding a student visa, which can be a helpful source of temporary labour for the farming sector.

It is worth noting that students may have restrictions on the number of hours that they are permitted to work during term time. Employers should also remember that not all international students will be entitled to work in the UK, so completing right to work checks is a crucial step.

Students are permitted to work full-time before their course starts, during vacations or during the period they hold permission for after they have completed their course. However, they are not permitted to fill a permanent full-time vacancy unless they satisfy strict (and limited) conditions.

Employers who are considering employing a student should obtain documentation in relation to their term and holiday dates and covering the duration of their study, as well as information about any other work which may contribute to their overall working hours. Employers should also familiarise themselves with the specific rules around work placements.

Hiring temporary workers can be a valuable way to support agricultural businesses during busy periods, but our advice for employers would be to ensure they stay up to date on any rules, restrictions or compliance obligations.

Legal services that deliver long-term solutions to support the future of farming Maidstone 01622 690691 Canterbury 01227 949510

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

www.brachers.co.uk hello@brachers.co.uk

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

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LAND MANAGEMENT

TURNING CHALLENGES INTO OPPORTUNITIES Brexit, the war in Ukraine and tackling climate change are just some of the challenges facing farmers and landowners in 2022. But as Batcheller Monkhouse’s Leo Hickish points out, they are also creating opportunities.

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Farmers and landowners are working hard to keep the nation fed and the landscape green and pleasant against a backdrop of change and challenge. While doing more than their bit to mitigate the impacts of climate change and deal with the challenges of Brexit, they are currently faced with the tragic situation in Ukraine and its wide-ranging consequences.

While there is uncertainty over quite how big an impact Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will have on the stability of Europe as a whole, its effect on the production of staples such as wheat, oilseed rape and sunflower oil is already being felt.

And although the war’s impact on our own lives is nothing compared to its effect on the people of Ukraine, we have to acknowledge that it will have significant ramifications on the industry and on society as a whole.

For the first time in 40 years, there is a real threat of inflation going above 10%, reflected particularly in food prices and the cost of labour.

Despite these clear challenges, policy makers have as yet said very little about the importance of food security or suggested they might change the rules around visas for overseas workers.

With change, though, comes opportunity.

I believe UK farming can provide both food security and the environmental and social benefits society wants, although we do need government to play its part.

The price of energy is another concern, although arguably one that could be off set by sensible investment. The UK is far less dependent on Russia for oil and gas than most European countries, not least because almost half our energy is secured via renewables, a trend reflected in soaring demand for new solar and battery storage sites.

What is frustrating is that schemes that would further reduce our demand on fossil fuels are being held back by the inadequacy of our aging power distribution networks. The longer-term answer is investment by the power companies,

but in the meantime we need to play our part in terms of energy efficiency and investing in improved technology.

We are also having to get to grips with concepts such as carbon sequestration, environmental off setting, nitrate neutrality, environmental net gain, delinked payments, water catchment management and rewilding, not just new ideas but in many cases new opportunities to get to grips with and potentially turn into an income stream.

Knowing how these measures might affect your property or business is essential. The first step when looking at opportunities such as carbon sequestration is to benchmark your data - but bear in mind before doing deals with third parties that you might need these valuable assets yourself at some point in the future.

I advise you to start thinking about such things now, though. The markets are starting to warm up and, as with most innovations, the first to respond is likely to be best placed to capitalise on the opportunity.

Change is also bringing opportunities in areas such as environmental net gain, where landowners can be paid to improve their land to off set the assumed ‘harm’ done by housing developments elsewhere, and in the increasingly important areas of nitrate and water neutrality.

Having a developer pay for a water-saving scheme on-farm so that their own development can go-ahead elsewhere is a win-win scenario that demonstrates how the industry can benefit from schemes that also encourage environmental balance.

The property market continues to flourish across all sectors, partly because of a shortage

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

of supply but also reflecting a rural migration inspired by Covid-19. This is likely to continue, not least because of the cost of travel and the fact that many have learned how to work effectively from home or from a business hub.

There is high demand, too, for rental properties, and while achieving the right environmental performance certificate level can mean taking professional advice, the returns on well-maintained and managed properties can be significant.

The opportunities are there. Just look beyond the challenges.

For further information and to discuss your plans

LEO HICKISH

FRICS FBIAC – Partner T: 01892 509280 E: l.hickish@batchellermonkhouse.com www.batchellermonkhouse.com

IT’S HERE! OUTLOOK 2022.

The Batcheller Monkhouse annual publication, Outlook is now available. Development Hurdles, Farming Future, Net Zero and more. Contact us for your FREE COPY.

LAND AND FARMS SPONSORED BY BATCHELLER MONKHOUSE

SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITY SHORNE, GRAVESEND | KENT

Hobbs Parker is offering for sale a significant, predominantly arable, investment portfolio of farmland and buildings in North Kent over numerous blocks of mainly Grade I and II productive land extending to about 512 acres.

The firm is instructed by the Colyer-Fergusson Trust in the sale of Queens Farm and Kings Farm, Shorne. The farms lie between the large towns of Strood and Gravesend, benefit from several road accesses and are within close proximity to major transport infrastructure including the M2 motorway and Ebbsfleet International railway station. The strategic location may offer some long-term potential.

Queens Farm has a useful concreted yard with modern farm buildings constructed in 2003, including a workshop, livestock buildings and a 2,000-tonne grain store with drying facilities.

The cropped land (approximately 402 acres) is capable of growing a wide range of highyielding crops, including vegetables, utilising an existing 5,000,000-gallon reservoir fed from the Thames and Medway Canal, with water available to all land in Lot 1. The land has the benefit of an abstraction licence for 8,000,000 gallons per

GUIDE PRICE: AS A WHOLE OR IN FIVE LOTS. OIEO £5.2 MILLION (WHOLE)

annum. The soils are mostly freely draining, slightly acid loamy soils.

Adjacent to the farm buildings are areas of permanent pasture and traditional orchards extending to approximately 60 acres which are stockproof and currently grazed, together with a further 33 acres of grazing on the Shorne Marshes (SSSI).

Kings Farm Buildings comprises a collection of redundant semi-modern and traditional former farm buildings which may offer potential for re-development.

The property is offered for sale subject to the existing Farm Business Tenancy (FBT) agreements, with fixed terms expiring in Autumn

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APPROX 512 ACRES

2024. The total annual income under the existing agreements is in the region of £110,000.

Matthew Sawdon, Director at Hobbs Parker Property Consultants, commented: “The sale represents a significant and rare opportunity in Kent to purchase numerous blocks of productive, mostly arable land and modern farm buildings subject to existing Farm Business Tenancies and is likely to attract strong interest from investors as well as farmers.”

The farms are offered for sale as a whole or in up to five lots. Offers for the whole are sought in excess of the £5.2 million guide price. Viewings are strictly by prior appointment through the selling agents.

www.hobbsparker.co.uk/property-consultants

P O T

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

K C I P

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High Halstow, Rochester, Kent A rare opportunity to purchase approx. 275 acres with good road frontage & access. Approx. 250 acres of productive Grade I arable ground and 25 acres of woodland & ponds along with a single barn with a residential consent. Available as a whole or in 6 lots

Lot 1 - Agricultural Barn with planning for 4-bed dwelling - 2.01 acres

Lot 5 - The Lipwell ponds and woodland - 5.84 acres Lot 6 - Edge of village woodland incorporating Dalham Farm SSSI - 18.73 acres

Lot 3 - Grade I arable land - 26.02 acres

As a whole - 274.94 acres

Lot 4 - Two parcels of predominantly Grade I with some Grade III arable land - 187.54 acres

Guide Price for the Whole: £2,890,000

Court-At-Street, Kent

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Lot 2 - Grade I arable land - 34.80 acres

Smarden, Kent

Detached 5-bed farmhouse in process of renovation

Pasture farm with 3-bed house subject to an AOC

Gardens, grounds, farm buildings & paddock land

Large garden, pond, pasture fields and woodland

In all approx. 6.46 acres

In all approx. 23.65 acres

Guide Price: £1,450,000

Guide Price: £795,000

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

T 01435 864455 T 01233 740077

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Staple, Kent

Shottenden, Kent

Including winery, 7 acres of planted vines, machinery & stocks in store

In Stodmarsh Catchment Area & planted with arable crops

For sale on a “lock stock & barrel” basis

In all approx. 27.63 acres

Guide Price: £1,500,000

Guide Price: On Application

Sevenoaks, Kent

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Award winning boutique vineyard & winery business

Woodchurch, Kent

Historic & spacious 4-bed timber framed house

Grade II Listed dwelling requiring modernisation

Landscaped mature gardens & a re-wilded paddock

Detached partly converted Kent Barn & outbuildings

In all approx. 6.5 acres

For sale by Contractual Tender

Guide Price: £1,275,000

Guide Price: OIEO £645,000

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

T 01435 864455 T 01233 740077

LE SA R FO Queens Farm and Kings Farm, Shorne, Gravesend, Kent An opportunity to acquire a significant, predominantly arable portfolio, of productive farmland and modern farm buildings in North Kent. Mainly Grade I & II land with irrigation available to part from a 5,000,000 gallon storage reservoir.

The property is sold subject to the existing Farm Business Tenancies, with fixed terms expiring Autumn 2024.

About 512.31 acres (207.34 hectares) Available as a whole or in up to 5 lots Matthew Sawdon Director 01233 506201 matthew.sawdon@hobbsparker.co.uk

Thomas Hamplett Graduate Surveyor 01233 506201 thomas.hamplett@hobbsparker.co.uk

Guide Prices on application

01233 506 201

Hobbs Parker Romney House, Monument Way, Orbital Park, Ashford, Kent TN24 0HB

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Farms and Land

LAND AND FARMS

FIERCE COMPETITION Watsons of Heathfield has recently sold Whippletree Farm, situated in a rural location to the north east of Hailsham and comprising a three-bedroom bungalow, separate farm yard and about 82 acres (33 Ha) of principally pasture land. The property is subject to an Agricultural Occupancy Condition and a nonseverance agreement.

Whippletree Farm Bungalow is a well maintained property with three bedrooms, including the master bedroom with an en-suite shower room, family bathroom, two reception rooms, study, kitchen, utility room and good views over farmland to the rear.

Surrounding the dwelling is a well-kept garden which comprises areas of lawn, established flower beds, a small vegetable garden and an orchard. The separately accessed farmyard, with a newly erected 100ft x 40ft steel framed agricultural building and Dutch Barn, is located to the south of the dwelling.

The land lies to the west and north and is currently arranged as an area of open pasture with

woodland along the western boundary, bordered by a stream and having a number of ponds.

The fact that there has been a shortage of farms available so far this spring was not lost on the those looking to secure a purchase, whether that was to establish a new farming business, expand their existing farming enterprise or use roll-over funds from the ever increasing areas of land sold locally for development.

Furthermore, the fact that the holding offered a well-presented property, allowing immediate occupation, new multi-purpose farm building, existing Dutch Barn and about 82 acres of land, meant there was a tremendous response generated from Watsons’ marketing campaign.

Fierce competition between potential purchasers resulted in a number of good offers being received, despite the fact that the property is subject to an Agricultural Occupancy Condition and Section 52 (non-severance) agreement.

On the Kent/Sussex border at Hurst Green, Watsons also marketed and sold a parcel of slightly

sloping and north facing land totalling about 41 acres, comprising a mixture of grassland and two similarly sized areas of woodland. The land is about 12 miles south of Tunbridge Wells, 14 miles north of Hastings, has frontage to the A21 along part of its western boundary, together with access, frontage to the A229 to the east.

Interest was shown for this reasonably sized parcel of land from a number of serious potential purchasers, including conservation bodies, investors, local (and not so local) farmers/land owners and equestrian enthusiasts. Once again, a successful marketing campaign led to competition between buyers and several good offers were received.

Enquiries to Watsons from those looking for farms, land, equestrian and rural properties is far outstripping supply and this is leading to pleasing values being achieved for all that is marketed, but there are many more fully funded and enthusiastic potential purchasers being left frustrated at not being able to find and secure a purchase.

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D L O

S

> 41 acres

HISTORIC COTTAGE AND LAND ON SALE FOR FIRST TIME IN 80 YEARS BTF Partnership is offering for sale Sotts Hole Cottage, on the market for the first time after more than 80 years of family ownership. The property is situated in rural Crouch, close to

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

BOROUGH GREEN | KENT

i

GUIDE PRICE: £1,275,000

For further details of each property: www.btfpartnership.co.uk

the hamlet of Platt and the larger village of Borough Green, Kent, with a guide price of £1,275,000.

The 17th Century timber frame period four bedroom cottage has many original features and comes with gardens, a field, woodland and grounds of approximately 6.14 acres.

Originally part of Kingshill Farm, the property was formed from two smaller farm cottages in the early 1960s. A large rear extension was added in the 1970s. The cottage is located in an attractive

wooded valley seven miles from Tonbridge and eight miles from Sevenoaks. The nearby station at Borough Green has a 29-mile train journey to London Victoria and there are good road links nearby to the M25, M26 and M20.

Richard Thomas, Director at BTF Partnership, commented: “This is the first time in more than 80 years that the property has been offered for sale, and it is well located for a family looking for a rural but not isolated home with large gardens that they can put their stamp on.”

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

Kent 01892 831 600 | East Kent 01303 814 444 | Sussex 01435 873 999 info@bloomfieldsltd.co.uk | www.bloomfieldsltd.co.uk SPECIALISING IN PLANNING ADVICE THROUGHOUT THE SOUTH EAST

IN ASSOCIATION WITH

LAND AND FARMS

‘LOST IN TIME’ FARMHOUSE WOODCHURCH | KENT

2.66 ACRES

OFFERS IN EXCESS OF £645,000

BTF Partnership has launched to the market a Grade II listed Georgian fronted farmhouse near Woodchurch in the county of Kent which is in need of significant renovation and modernisation to get it back to its former self.

The property has a guide price of offers in excess of £645,000.

Cruttenden (formally known as Dene House) is a detached four-bedroom dwelling in a rural location with two outbuildings, including a detached Kent Barn partly converted to a one-bedroom residential annex and a general purpose store used for garaging. The gardens and land are wooded and overgrown and extend in total to 2.66 acres.

Alex Cornwallis, Director at BTF Partnership commented: “This is a true hidden gem. It is unusual now to find a property of this size and character to be in need of such major repairs here in the South East. The sale by Contractual Tender presents the opportunity for the purchaser to bring back to life what would have once been a comfortable rural family home within easy access of Woodchurch, Tenterden and Ashford.”

The Georgian fronted dwelling is a solid brick construction with a pitched hipped clay tiled roof with a substantial ground floor extension. The house measures 2,009 sq ft excluding the cellar (currently flooded).

The Kent Barn is of solid brick and timber construction with one side used for general

i

For further details of each property: www.btfpartnership.co.uk

purpose agricultural and amenity storage and the remainder converted to a residential annex. The annex could be habitable with modernisation, which would enable someone to live on site while construction work took place on the main dwelling.

The barn in its entirety measures 1,860 sq ft.

The general purpose storage building is a former agricultural building comprising two store rooms on the ground floor and further storage on the first floor. The building measures 1,270 sq ft.

Elsewhere on the land is a caravan which is now redundant having not been lived in for a number of years.

Alex Cornwallis concluded: “This is a house where time has stood still for a number of years and with it sitting slightly back from the road and the overgrowth of the site, many people may have not realised it exists. With careful renovation, however, this could once again be a real Wealden gem.”

ATTRACTIVE BLOCK OF ARABLE LAND SUTTON | KENT

OIEO £510,000

50.9 ACRES

Finn’s is offering for sale an attractive block of arable land on the edge of Sutton village in East Kent. The land is available as a whole (50.9 acres) with offers in excess of £510,000.

The Grade III land is located in a sought-after rural location to the north of Sutton village, with direct road access. It is split into three blocks divided by mature hedgerows both on the internal and outer boundaries.

The gently sloping land to the south east has freely draining, lime-rich loamy soil and has been used in arable production for many years. Basic Payment entitlements will be sold with the land.

It is unusual for parcels of farmland of this size to come into the open market in this location and Finn’s anticipates that it will generate significant interest as it is a good-sized block of productive agricultural land. Though the land is not entered into any environmental schemes, the current owners have managed the land over the years with a particular focus on the environment and habitat creation and there could be an opportunity for the incoming owner to expand on this.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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For more info: 01843 210879 | www.finns.co.uk WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

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Savills Sevenoaks 01732 879 050 sevenoaks@savills.com

FOR SALE

Heathfield, East Sussex Well presented modern detached farmhouse with 4 reception rooms and 5 bedrooms (all en suite).

Two 2 bedroom holiday let cottages. Barn with workshop, biomass boiler and storage above.

Large machinery or livestock barn with WCs. Equestrian use potential. Pasture, woodland and ponds. Between Heathfield and Mayfield with views. EPC = D About 100 acres I Guide £2.25 million

Talk to us today Chris Spofforth Farm Agency 07812 965379 cspofforth@savills.com

Richard Mann Farm Agency 07967 555862 rmann@savills.com

Savills Sevenoaks 01732 879 050 sevenoaks@savills.com

FOR SALE

Rochester, Kent Genuinely unique, overlooking the Medway valley. Victorian defensive fortress built to protect Chatham dockyard. 2 separate residential dwellings and additional opportunities (subject to planning). Extensive network of underground tunnels and rooms. Scope for a wide variety of uses (subject to planning). Around 50 acres of south west facing chalk slopes with viticulture, equestrian or natural capital potential.

About 59 acres I Excess of £1.5 million

Talk to us today Chris Spofforth Farm Agency 07812 965379 cspofforth@savills.com

Richard Mann Farm Agency 07967 555862 rmann@savills.com

Sutton, Dover An attractive block of productive Grade III arable land on the edge of Sutton Village About 50 acres (20.6ha) Available as a whole Offers in excess of: £510,000

FINN’S The Packhouse St-Nicholas-At-Wade Kent CT7 0NEbY t: 01843 210879 e: h.wethered@finns.co.uk www.finns.co.uk

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Chartered Surveyors Valuers Planning Consultants Estate & Letting Agents

FINN’S 82 Castle Street Canterbury Kent FINN’S CT182 2QD Castle Street Canterbury Kent CT1 2QD t: 01227 454111 www.finns.co.uk t: 01227 454111 www.finns.co.uk TH e : n . ro& Coo ke @finns. co. u k e : n . ro o ke @fin ns. co. u k LIMITED

TED HANDLEY & Co

Chartered Surveyors Valuers Planning Consultants Estate & LettingChartered Agents since Surveyors 1865 Valuers Planning Consultants Estate & Letting Agents since 1865

PROPERTY CONSULTANTS AND ADVISORS

COMING SOON

Range of traditional farm buildings with Planning Permission for 8 dwellings and craft workshop.

40 Acre Wealden Farm with AOC dwelling and buildings in need of repair

5 blocks of grassland and woodland. Battle, Bexhill on Sea, Hawkhurst area

Mobile home with Planning Permission for single dwelling and 38 Acres.

Existing buildings

LD

SO

URGENTLY WANTED

80-220 Acre farm in East Sussex 90-300 Acres by committed environmentalist family THE ESTATE OFFICE • HIGH STREET • MAYFIELD • EAST SUSSEX • TN20 6AB TELEPHONE: 01435 692058 MOBILE: 07483 108078 EMAIL: th@tedhandley.co.uk JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

LAND AND FARMS

INCREASED PRESENCE RH & RW Clutton has opened a new, dedicated residential sales and letting estate agency on West Street in the centre of East Grinstead.

George Back, Senior Director of RH & RW Clutton, said: “Through our increased presence in East Grinstead we are excited to be capitalising on our reputation. In recent months we have seen a sharp increase in residential properties on our

books, and the list of applicants continues to rise to unprecedented levels. West Street will serve as a shopfront to our busy residential team and will provide us with a great space in which to build even stronger partnerships with our clients and applicants.”

The West Street opening increases RH & RW Clutton's presence to two estate agencies – in

both Petworth and East Grinstead – as well as the company headquarters in East Grinstead, and an office in Guildford, which house the firm’s expert commercial property and land agency teams.

RH & RW Clutton, West Street will open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5.30pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm. It will be headed up by Sam Benson, senior associate.

LIFESTYLE FARM IN THE

HEART OF THE SUSSEX WEALD HEATHFIELD | EAST SUSSEX

GUIDE PRICE: £2,250,000

A delightful residential farm with land extending to a little over 100 acres within the High Weald AONB has been put up for sale with a guide price of £2,250,000.

Pheasantry Farm, located near the town of Heathfield, comprises farmland of around 55 acres pasture and 40 acres of broadleaf woodland. With views over its own land and towards the church in the neighbouring village of Mayfield, the farm has a modern five-bedroom farmhouse, two holiday cottages, agricultural buildings, a workshop and fishing lakes. A biomass boiler adds to the running efficiency and environmental credentials of the holding.

The farm is accessed through a gated driveway off Newick Lane, with the drive splitting to give access to the farmhouse via an electric gate and separate access to the holiday cottages, both of which are fully furnished, two bedroom properties that are well screened by an established conifer hedgerow and could provide significant additional income to the new owner.

There is a number of farm buildings included within the holding, with the

100 ACRES

main farm building extending to some 5,316 sq ft. It is currently used for farm machinery storage but could house livestock or horses if required. There is also a useful two-storey farm workshop, one end of which houses the biomass boiler.

In all about 100.27 acres, the pasture element of the land equates to just over 55 acres and is currently being farmed under a grazing licence by a local farmer.

It is well fenced and has water laid on to all fields. There are several lakes and ponds across the farm that have previously been let to a local fishing syndicate.

Chris Spofforth, head of Savills South East rural agency team, whose team is handling the sale, said: “This is an excellent opportunity to acquire a delightful residential farm in a location where such opportunities are rare, particularly with no public rights of way running across it. In addition to the wellproportioned accommodation provided by the farmhouse, the two holiday let cottages offer potential for significant rental income whilst the farm buildings lend themselves perfectly to equestrian use.”

Pheasantry Farm is being marketed by Savills.

P O T

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

K C I P

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

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LAND AND FARMS

TRIO OF RURAL RENOVATION PROJECTS > Mason Cottage, Ulcombe

> Church Farm Cottage, Rye

> Church Farm House, Throwley BTF Partnership has launched for sale a trio of residential properties which are renovation projects in rural locations across Kent and East Sussex.

Church Farm House is a detached house in need of significant modernisation or replacement (subject to the necessary planning permission) in the village of Throwley, near Faversham, Kent, with a guide price of £645,000.

The property consists of a three bedroom former farmhouse on an attractive rural plot with far reaching views, a range of outbuildings including an agricultural barn with potential, and paddock land.

The property extends in total to 7.56 acres.

Alex Cornwallis at BTF Partnership said: “Church

58

Farm House would have formed part of the Sondes Estate in the early 1900s and occupies a slightly elevated position overlooking the North Downs.

Due to the current dilapidated state of the property and it being unlisted, it is our opinion that it is suitable for a knock down and replacement build, and there is further potential with the agricultural building to the rear."

Church Farm House is being sold by contractual tender with a closing date of noon, 1 June 2022.

Also for sale is Mason Cottage near Ulcombe, Kent, with a guide price of £795,000. The detached three bedroom bungalow is now in need of modernisation but has gardens and land extending to 8.27 acres.

The third property is Church Farm Cottage, located in East Guldeford on the outskirts of the popular seaside town of Rye, East Sussex. The former farm worker’s cottage is in the centre of Romney Marsh and comprises a detached, two bedroom bungalow with gardens and paddock extending to 4.26 acres. This is also considered to be an opportunity for a knock down and rebuild scheme (subject to the necessary planning permission) and has a guide price of £450,000.

Alex Cornwallis concluded: “These three dwellings all present a significant opportunity and will be attractive to a number of buyers, given their locations and the size of the plots. I anticipate they will all attract significant interest.”

KENT ARABLE LAND WITH

NATURAL CAPITAL POTENTIAL SHOTTENDEN | KENT

GUIDE PRICE: £275,000

27.63 ACRES

BTF Partnership has launched for sale 27.63 acres of Grade II arable land at Shottenden, Kent, with a guide price of £275,000.

The land, known as Got Eye Field, measures 27.63 acres and it is located between Shottenden and Chilam. The land is classified Grade II, is free draining, lime-rich loamy soil and it is well suited to spring and autumn cereals. The land is within the Kent Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty with excellent road

For further details of each property: www.btfpartnership.co.uk JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

i

links via the nearby A28.

Richard Thomas, Director at BTF Partnership, commented: “This is a useful sized parcel of land to come onto the open market. It has been used for arable production in recent years and is now also considered to have natural capital potential. The land borders Pole Wood, an ancient woodland, and enjoys road frontage.”

P O T

K C I P

LAND AND FARMS

ROCHESTER | KENT

OIEO: £1.5 MILLION

50 ACRES

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For more information, contact Chris Spofforth on 07812 965379 or cspofforth@savills.com

LAST PRIVATELY OWNED VICTORIAN FORT The only remaining Victorian fort in private ownership has been brought to the public market in what has been described as an "utterly unique opportunity".

Designed to hold the high ground south west of Rochester, Fort Borstal was the base of an anti-aircraft battery during the Second World War and has an extensive network of underground tunnels and rooms.

Set within around 50 acres in total the Fort – of polygonal design – enjoys panoramic views overlooking the River Medway and even has Napoleonic pathways within the grounds. The Fort itself extends to approximately 8.3 acres and comprises The Guards’ House, a two bedroom home which has the ability for further accommodation to be created, and the Former Officers’ and Sergeants’ Mess, which has undergone a recent refurbishment and provides surprisingly spacious living accommodation.

At the front of The Guards’ House is a small turfed garden and to the side are four former large water tanks, two of which have been converted to workshop space and could provide interesting additional accommodation. Within the heart of the fort lies the Officers’ and Sergeants’ Mess which, partly built into the defences, comprises a wide entrance hall off which there is a spacious kitchen and a drawing room, both with feature arched windows overlooking a courtyard. There are two bedrooms and a shower room that houses a recycled shower that started life on the QE2. On the first floor lies the main bedroom with steps up to the ramparts, which enjoy the best of the views over the Medway valley.

At the centre of the Fort are nine former casemates – once used as billeting for the soldiers based there – which are currently being used as stabling and storage.

There is also a large parking area to the east of the site which has recently been renovated, along with a small secure compound that is currently let.

The owners, who are looking to downsize after a labour of love spanning two decades, have used the unique layout and size of the subterranean network to create a number of spaces that have been used in various film and music video shoots in recent years. To add to the intrigue, the tunnels lead down to the old magazine chambers where the owners have created their own private bar and entertaining area.

Chris Spofforth, who leads Savills rural agency team in the South East and is handling the sale, said: “Without question, this is one of the most unusual sales I have been instructed on in my career. Not only does it have a wealth of history, Fort Borstal also presents an utterly unique opportunity to acquire a one-of-a-kind site that offers an exciting renovation or redevelopment project that brings with it an array of possible future uses. This spectacular and diverse property, the like of which may not be seen again, is complemented by the viticulture, equestrian,

natural capital and leisure potential of the sale, subject to the necessary consents.

“Communications across Kent have improved significantly in recent years and the area is particularly popular, not only in terms of the property market, but with both domestic and international tourists with its proximity to European transport links and to the Heritage Coast. There is such outstanding variety and opportunity within Fort Borstal and we are anticipating a very high level of interest from across a wide spectrum of potential buyers.”

Viewings for Fort Borstal are strictly by appointment through Savills.

Driven in to a planning mess?

We can help steer you out.

www.therpp.co.uk CRANBROOK 01580 201888

CIRENCESTER 01285 323200

R

office@therpp.co.uk TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

Chartered Town Planner

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

59

FOR SALE

LAND AND FARMS

DEALING WITH TECHNICAL CONSTRAINTS TO UNLOCK

HOUSING DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL The technical challenges and constraints on a potential new land parcel, the constant evolution of innovative technology and building methods and ever-changing government regulations and requirements mean it’s a challenge to build the volume of new homes needed every year to help solve the housing crisis.

As one of the biggest names in the land promotion sector, Catesby Estates is well known by housebuilders for its ability to deliver technically sound and well considered residential development sites. Housebuilders and local authorities have confidence that a planning permission obtained by Catesby Estates is deliverable.

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VALUE ENGINEERED SOLUTIONS

Many constraints can be easy to resolve, but some features can have significant development capacity implications if not appropriately or innovatively challenged with value engineered solutions such as sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), with proven ground water infiltration reducing land take. A poorly considered site from a technical point of view can have a significant impact on the value of the land at the point of sale.

Recognising the importance of resolving limitations and gaining support from stakeholders such as local residents and statutory consultees such as the local highway authority is key to unlocking a site.

We believe the key to our success rate is our collaborative approach and commitment to delivering sensitively designed housing developments tailored to the character of the local area and providing real community benefits.

Technical constraints need to be considered at all stages of the land promotion process, from site acquisition and planning through to the final sale process.

The deliverability and constraints of sites drive the evolution of the constraints plan and the final illustrative masterplan. Issues such as topography, ground investigation, access, highways, utilities, flood risk and drainage all need to be considered.

CONFIDENCE IN DELIVERABILITY

A strong focus on technical deliverability ensures local authorities and other stakeholders at planning committees can have confidence in the planning

Could your land have development potential? Find out more about land promotion.

JONATHAN BABB

Technical Director T: 01788 726810 E: JonathanB@catesbyestates.co.uk W: www.catesbyestates.co.uk

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

consent they are granting and the quality of the development coming forward. This is a key part of our promotion strategy and one of the main reasons why we are trusted by our partners and stakeholders.

ADDED VALUE FOR HOUSEBUILDERS A site with comprehensive technical background work completed reduces the overall risk for a housebuilder and, in turn, increases the speed of housing delivery, with housebuilders able to get on site and start construction earlier.

Housebuilders have access to the background technical assessments and are able to meet with the technical team and draw on their expertise and in-depth site knowledge during the final sales process.

Comprehensive technical input at the early stages reduces the possibility of expensive delays later in the final sale and legal process of the land.

Our successful combination of strategic land promotion and detailed technical approach results in us securing well thought-out, high quality planning permissions. This is why housebuilders choose to work with Catesby Estates.

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

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To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

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…

Including: • • • • •

24 Hour Call out service Making site/building/premises safe Structural safety assessment Emergency clear-up operations Emergency procedures to reduce impact on your business or premises • Demolition/site clearance • Asbestos removal/clearance & disposal, using registered waste carrier • Re-instatement works • Insurance Claims ALL WORKS GUARANTEED

POST BANGER 4 way tilt. Quick fencer will take 2x 500m rolls of stock netting and 2x 200m barbed wire. Hire separately or together.

POST BANGER £75 PER DAY QUICK FENCER £70 PER DAY Call Chris on 07930 410722

07864 823 476 07889 481618 Nextgen Cladding Ltd

Quality of work Reliability and honesty Unbeatable on price

Specialist in the Agricultural, Industrial and Equestrian sectors.

Steel frame supply and erect or just supply.

Sheeting, cladding and oversheeting.

Gutter replacement, repairs and lining.

Steel frame, concrete frame alterations and repairs.

Asbestos removal.

Roof light and sheet changes.

Refurbishments and usage changes.

Demolition, groundworks and site clearance.

24 hour call out in the event of fire or break in.

Roller shutters, sliding and personnel doors.

All works are guaranteed

01227 918723

07784 619603

jez@JRJconstruction.co.uk

www.JRJconstruction.co.uk

JUNE 2022 | WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET

www.nextgencladding.co.uk

Penfold’s commercial, agricultural and residential building specialists with over 40 years experience METAL ROOFING

– Standing seam – Snaplock systems – Aluminium – Zinc – Copper

CLADDING

– Composite cladding – Metal cladding – Fibre cement cladding – Timber cladding

ASBESTOS REMOVAL

– Removal – Disposal – Surveys

S W ATTWOOD & PART

LAND DRAINAGE

   

FIELD MAPPING CONSTRUCTION

 FIELD MAPPING CONTRACTORS  DRAINAGE SURVEYING  DESIGN SWA  DRAINAGE S W ATTWOOD & PARTNERS FROM £220 PER ACRE LAND DRAINAGE

DRAINAGE SURVEYING DESIGN DRAINAGE

ALL RISKS LTD FROM £220 PER ACRE ASBESTOS ROOF REMOVALS

LAND DRAINAGE CLASSIFIEDS SW ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

S W ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

Asbestos roof sheeting removals Asbestos encapsulation Asbestos fire damage, clearance & re-instatement works Asbestos clearance & de-contamination Asbestos disposals by licenced registered company New metal roofs installed over old asbestos roofs Roof light & sheet repairs Gutter repairs Gutter replacements & re-lining Strip & refurbishment works Change of use projects Demolition & Groundworks

LAND DRAINAGE

   

FIELD MAPPING DRAINAGE SURVEYING DESIGN DRAINAGE

FROM £220 PER ACRE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Professional Services to the Agricultural, Industrial & Equestrian Sectors PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR CALL TO DISCUSS YOUR PROJECT! WEBSITE:

FREEPHONE: 01233 659129 PHONE: 01795 880441

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION • FIELD MAPPING • DRAINAGE SURVEYING PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR • DESIGN • DRAINAGE EMAIL: james@swattwood.com WEBSITE: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION from BT land-line

charlie.woodger@btinternet.com

www.attwoodfarms.com CONTRACTORS PHONE: 01795 880441

PLEASE CONTACT JAMES OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE TOM: 01795 880441 or 07943 192383

EMAIL: james@swattwood.com EMAIL: james@swattwood.com GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING

 G & S BROWN 65  LANDwww.swjfattwood.com DRAINAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION Drainage Contractors  PLANT HIRE OUR PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT Working with farmers since 1947 INERT TIPPING Bushell WEBSITE:  ● LAND DRAINAGE  I & JGRAIN STORAGE & ● DITCHING  CLAY SALES ● POND WORK PHONE: 01795 880441

www.attwoodfarms.  LAND DRAINAGE  PLANT HIRE Excavations | Concreting | Drainage | Infrastructure Operated Plant Hire 180 &360 Excavators INERT TIPPING www.iandjbushell.co.uk  2136 |CLAY SALES office@iandjbushell.co.uk | 020 8394 07979 911655

● WATER SUPPLIES ● SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS ● GROUNDWORKS ● PLANT HIRE 360° EXCAVATORS

EMAIL: james@swattwood.com Groundworks | Civil Engineering | Environmental

www.attwoodfarms.com

FOR ESTIMATES & ENQUIRIES

(01622) 890884

 GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING  in South LAND To advertise EastDRAINAGE Farmer telephone01303 233883 PLANT HIRE  INERT TIPPING CROP DRYING  CLAY SALES

Email: info@brownsdrainage.co.uk

www.brownsdrainage.co.uk

LAND DRAINAGE, EARTHWORKS, GROUNDWORKS & CONSTRUCTION

®

FULL LAND DRAINAGE SERVICE sportsfields, amenity and irrigation systems using Mastenbroek trenchers PONDS, LAKES & RESERVOIRS construction and maintenance GROUNDWORKS & CONSTRUCTION primary excavations, aggregate sub-base, agricultural construction and concreting

ENVIRONMENTAL HABITATS water course maintenance and improvement works

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

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883 TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

Manufacturers of centrifugal, low volume and portable fans, air tunnels, drive over floors, grain stirrers and gas burners ®

PELLCROFT www.pellcroft.com | sales@pellcroft.com | 01526 342466 WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

CLASSIFIEDS

HAULIERS FOR HIRE

HIRE SPECIALISTS ACROSS THE SOUTH EAST

07860 728204 Hay & Straw Merchant | Machinery Haulage

• Toilets & Showers for hire • Large range of Temporary canteens, stores & welfare units • Effluent Tank Emptying • Events also catered for with chillers & toilets

HAY & STRAW IN STOCK | ROUND & BIG SQUARE BALES

Find us on Facebook

FOUR JAYS GROUP

IRRIGATION

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

Why dig when we can trench it?

Trencher with operator for installing:

66

BIG PROJECT? ON SITE? NEED A TOILET?

• Irrigation and water pipes • Utility cables and ducting • Repairs to water pipes • Impact moling

Enquiries FieldWaterInstallations@gmail.com

Call QiK Group today for a competitive price P U O R G

01233 713555

Est 1993

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

or check out www.qikgroup.co.uk ®

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

REACH FARMERS

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

Stakes and posts Chestnut fencing

CWP fenci f n ng

STORAGE TANKS

Tel: 07985298221 www.cwpfencing.co.uk

Redhill Farm Services: Fencing Division

ALL TYPES OF FENCING & GATES

SMITHS

of the Forest of Dean Ltd.

The Tank and Drum Experts

Supplied and erected & Repairs Tel: 01737 821220 Mob: 07768 931891 Email: redhillfarmservices@gmail.com To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883 JUNE 2022 | 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 Two Biddies 8, four Biddies 5, one Special Reserve and one Special Mead

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8

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ACROSS

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1 5 8

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12 13 14

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Amphibians (5) Humorous (5) Where ships load or unload (4) An area of high level ground (7) Love intensely (5) A type of holiday (7) Hired transport (4) Lovers quarrel (4) Pevensey and Romney for example (9) Closures (4) Not many (3) Dangerous teeth (5) Rented (3) Machines used for lifting (6) Question (3) Moving part of a vehicle (5) Land along the edge of the sea (5)

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Printed daily publication (9) Time piece (5) Native UK bird found mainly on south coast (5,4) Invertebrates with no arms or legs (5) ---- bean; legume (4) Arbitrate (7) A soil conservation system (7,8) Rare, expensive, edible fungus (7) Violin [slang] (6) Winter bird in the UK that feeds on hawthorn and rowan (7) Celestial body (4) Birds not native to UK but established in South East (9) Hormone (10) Long, thin fish (4)

28

Crossword by Rebecca Farmer, Broadstairs, Kent

PRIZE ANAGRAM: Plant disease (8)

To enter, simply

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS:

PRIZE ANAGRAM: Left behind after harvest (5)

unscramble the

anagram (8) using

the green squares.

Email your replies with your name,

1

VINEYARDS

To celebrate Father’s Day we are two Biddies 8, four Biddies 5, one Special Reserve and one Special

sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk

Mead. For more information about the vineyards, please visit

draw which will take place on

www.biddendenvineyards.com or

21 June. The winner will be

call 01580 291726.

announced in the July edition.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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*Subject to availability

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offering readers the chance to win

address and phone number to

Correct entries will be entered into a

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Correct answer: Lincoln Red LAST MONTH’S WINNER: Sally Scheffers from Thursley, Surrey

WWW.SOUTHEASTFARMER.NET | JUNE 2022

2022

For viticulturists in Great Britain In association with

2 2 0 2 N I S U N I JO

23rd November 2022 Kent Event Centre, Detling, Maidstone, Kent ME14 3JF

FOR GENERAL ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF THE TEAM:

Event Director Sarah Calcutt 07827 642396 Booking enquiries Jamie McGrorty 01303 233883

Sponsored by

Vitifruit Equipment Sales and Hire