Quality content recognised

Smaller farmers are concerned

While many of us have a tendency to lose the plot somewhat as we get older, Prince Charles seems to be heading in the other direction.

Once known for his ‘tree-hugging’ sentiments and for admitting that he talks to his plants, the 72 year-old has since become a campaigner for the environment, and while some diehards will disagree with his views on climate change, his support for ‘traditional’ farming will be welcomed by most.

In an essay for Radio 4 to coincide with the publication of Henry Dimbleby’s National Food Strategy last week he warned that letting small family farms go to the wall would “break the backbone of Britain’s rural communities”.

The heir apparent and Prince of Wales (also now the Duke of Edinburgh; I didn’t know that until today) believes that losing smaller farms will “rip the heart out of the British countryside”.

It is typically forthright language from the man probably most famous for describing a planned extension to the National Gallery as “a monstrous carbuncle on the face of a much-loved and elegant friend”, but it refl ects the concerns of many smaller farmers who are searching for a post-Brexit, post-Basic Payment, pre-ELMS direction.

The industry needs larger effi cient, units, and it is possible that some will see small farms as unfortunate collateral in that drive for effi ciency, but most will agree that, as in most things, we need to strike a balance between providing enough food for the population and protecting the countryside we love.

Where the heir to the throne is clearly at one with most experts on agriculture is in warning about the damage that has been done to soils and watercourses over the years and the impact that emissions are having on global warming. He wants to “put nature back at the heart of the equation” in a way that will resonate with those who are moving towards regenerative agriculture.

They will certainly applaud his suggestion that regenerating degraded soils around the world would allow mankind to capture as much as 70% of the world’s carbon emissions.

It is reassuring to know that Prince Charles, at least, appears to be in tune with modern thinking and can ‘read the room’. Perhaps some of our senior politicians who continually misread public sentiment by, for instance, criticising those who take a stand against racism one minute and criticising racists the next, could take a leaf out of his book. MALCOLM TRIGGS - EDITOR

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ORGANIC TRAINING

Independent awarding body BASIS has collaborated with OF&G (Organic Farmers and Growers) and Abacus Agriculture to develop a new training course for farmers and advisers looking to enhance their knowledge of organic production systems.

The fi rst Foundation Award in Organic Farming training course will take place in September at Stoneleigh Park.

BASIS’ head of business development Greg Hopkinson said the new qualifi cation would “provide a comprehensive introduction to organic farming practice and legislation, primarily focusing on crop and livestock production, soil management and conversion planning, all of which are important elements of organic production now and into the future”.

QUALITY CONTENT RECOGNISED

South East Farmer’s quality content has been recognised by a new body set up to support professional advisers working with sheep farmers.

The new Register of Sheep Advisers (RoSA), set up through a collaboration between the National Sheep Association and skills champion BASIS, was set up on 1 June this year to “support the wider sheep sector as it moves towards a more sustainable future”.

RoSA has now put together a reading list for members that is designed to support their continuous professional development (CPD) and has included South East Farmer due to its ”vast amount of related content”. It means subscribers to the magazine will qualify for two points under the organisation’s CPD points scheme.

Business Development Executive Jade Prince commented: ‘We are keen to ensure that our registered sheep advisers keep abreast of current developments in all areas of sheep care and we recognise the importance of technical magazines as part of their CPD. South East Farmer has a vast amount of quality content that will help our members to keep their knowledge fresh.”

To claim the RoSA CPD points, subscribers simply need to enter the code PD/112927/2122/G in the ‘Submit CPD Points’ area of their RoSA members login area.

Jade added: “The vision of RoSA is to see well-informed professional advisers supporting engaged sheep farmers to become more profi table and sustainable by providing comprehensive advice on all aspects of sheep production.

“We hope to achieve this through the development of an industry recognised CPD programme which ensures all members continue to keep up-to-date and develop their knowledge. This will ensure UK sheep farmers will have access to the best and most appropriate advice to ensure their business will be ready for any upcoming opportunities and challenges.”