Behind the scenes in Westminster

Originally from South Africa, I was born in the Eastern Cape province and my dad’s family owns an informal, mixed-enterprise farm which includes livestock and arable.

That said, I actually did not grow up in agriculture or within a farming community; I grew up in the city of Johannesburg with my mum, Demi Putuzo, and my older sister.

My grandad first rented the farm in the 1980s before my grandmother purchased it after he passed in the 1990s. One of the reasons I love agriculture is because I did not grow up with my dad. Going to the farm meant getting to help out, and that was really fun, not only because I was on the farm with my cousins, but because I got to spend time with my dad.

My grandad passed away quite some time back, and his kids really weren’t into agriculture, but they did it as a hobby to keep their dad’s dream alive. So, for me, going into agriculture is really about not only learning about agriculture because I love it, but it’s a way for me to really make something of what my grandad left for his children back home.

A mother’s love I got a scholarship at Hartpury University to play rugby. I considered a sports degree or something, but I just thought about the opportunities I have back home and my love for agriculture. Although I had a scholarship, I didn’t get a full one and it was a really, really hard time getting everything sorted to come to the UK. It was hard to get a visa and I really saw my mum really digging deep into her pockets to be able to give me this opportunity.

In the UK, she’s still paying way more than what she would have paid in South Africa, where I wouldn’t even get a scholarship. My mum really made it clear to me that it’s not a problem. She will do anything for her children, even though her pockets are stretched and we might have to change our lifestyle. She told me, ‘it’s only three years, but your education will last you a lifetime’.

In South Africa, they’ve made the youth feel that if you’ve got an international degree, you are more likely to succeed. Someone who studied agriculture in the UK is more likely to get a job than a person who studied the same thing in South Africa.

Feeling underprepared Due to the visa issues, I came to England later, so I missed freshers’ week and that put me on the back foot.

I was 19 in my first year in England, and I was in a class with 17-year-olds, and the big difference was that they had some sort of skill before university and I didn’t. But it wasn’t only me. I’m in a class with three other South Africans and they were in the same boat. However, the three other South Africans had farming backgrounds in a way I didn’t.

Farming in South Africa is a very whitedominated industry, my white South African classmates have come from quite affluent and farming backgrounds there. For a Black person to really see the worth in agriculture or a career out of agriculture, you generally already need to be coming from a farming background.

Most of the Black farmers in South Africa really farm to feed themselves through subsistence farming, whereas white people make a business out of it. I’m doing something unusual by trying to make a business.

I was the only Black person in my class but I was really prepared for that. Arriving late was the hard part, as everyone already knew each other, and then I knew nothing about agriculture in terms of theory. I remember my first semester I had to learn the lingo, so simple things like tilling, ploughing and slurry, I don’t even know.

My friends were really helpful and my lecturers were checking up on me almost every day. I was I kind of getting irritated, because I’m not incapable, I just didn’t know everything yet. Luckily, they were persistent and really understanding.

“I’d been looking for work placements since last summer. And that was difficult because I had contacted a lot of people, and I mean a lot of people. I just kept on knocking on people’s doors, texting people, using anything from emails to DMs on Instagram and looking through LinkedIn”

Establishing myself The exchange rate from the rand to the pound is really bad, and when trying to look for jobs within the first year and I found it extremely hard because I had so little experience.

I’m comfortable with animals, I can take instruction but we don’t do lambing (what’s born is born, what isn’t, isn’t), record keeping or tractor driving. We do have one or two [tractors], but they’re nothing compared to the huge machinery that’s used here. And that experience I was lacking.

I remember the first day I got here, there was another South African boy who was in the same block so he knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to go and play rugby. And he became one of my first friends, and he introduced me to his friends. So I really became part of that, our friendship group. And I’m very close friends with them still.

True tenacity Due to the Covid pandemic, in my first two years of university I didn’t really get the chance to make as many friends as I would have liked. I got into a relationship early on, I was locked down for the two years, and now I’m in my third year doing work placement. This is almost like a new start for me in England.

I’d been looking for work placements since last summer. And that was difficult because I had contacted a lot of people, and I mean a lot of people. I just kept on knocking on people’s doors, texting people, using anything from emails to DMs on Instagram and looking through LinkedIn. I didn’t know Flavian Obiero, who is now my manager, beforehand; I just opened a farmer’s Instagram account and from there I followed any farmer to see if they could help me. Now he is my manager and mentor on farm in Hampshire. [Note from ed: Find out about Flavian in the April 2021 edition of Student Farmer.]

In January, I caught the train all the way from Gloucester to the farm for the day. I was all dressed up neatly to meet people for the first time, but I got dirty even then. I ended up as going back to Gloucester on the train with dirty clothes. I’m sure people must have thought I was crazy! I now help Flavian manage the pig unit and he has given me responsibility for a certain portion of the sows.

Diversity in agriculture I’m so lucky with the farm I’m on. I don’t know if it’s because they’ve worked with Flavian for so long, but they really know how to accommodate me.

That said, I have encountered some racism in the industry previously, but I’m not sure if I’m ready to share that experience in a public way; it takes some time process these things. It shouldn’t just be on me to speak up against bad behaviour, it’s all of our responsibility.

It’s especially important for us as the younger generation to make sure that we’re educating ourselves so that we don’t spend 80 years thinking that rascism is in any way acceptable.

New entrant barriers in the UK Where do I want to be in agriculture? I’m still contemplating whether I should go into economics after I graduate, or law, to either specialise in agricultural economics or in agricultural law.

As much as I want to stay in the UK, I will only stay in the farming industry in the UK if I am working within the corporate side of agriculture. It’s not going to be on farm in the UK because what are the chances that I’m going to own land here? It’s difficult to get your own land as a new entrant, and I can go back to the farm in South Africa.

That said, social media is a great way to lead to work within agriculture and to communicate with the public and other farmers.

Since connecting with Flavian, for example, he’s really given me opportunities to meet other great farmers within the industry. They’ve really publicised me and have given me the opportunity to show my face to agriculture within their networks, so that’s been really cool. I do really think representation is so important.

Grow your career with a WCUC degree

Warwickshire College and University Centre (WCUC)

was launched as a new university centre by Warwickshire College Group in 2021. WCUC will expand its degree level provision, which is already delivered across six colleges in Warwickshire and Worcestershire.

The new university centre follows on from WCG becoming the first college group in the UK to be granted Bachelor degree awarding powers by the Office for Students, alongside the Foundation degree awarding powers already in place. This includes Royal Leamington Spa College, Evesham College, Rugby College, Moreton Morrell College, Pershore College and Warwick Trident College. Degrees taught at Moreton Morrell continue to be awarded by Coventry University. Degree courses will also be run from Malvern Hills Centre for Digital & Cyber Technology.

• Agri-Tech • Veterinary Nursing • Veterinary Physiotherapy • Equine • Animal • Canine • Business

Visit an in-person Open Events to find out more:

• Pershore College // 29 Jan 2022 • Moreton Morrell College // 18 June 2022

To book your place, visit:

wcuc.ac.uk/degreeopenevents

Lifting the lid on Parliament

NFU Graduate Trainee Neeve McGinty breaks down how we can all infl uence government to make legal changes to help the agricultural industry

Since the EU referendum, I don’t think many of us can recall a slow news day when it comes to politics. The past few years have been a whirlwind thanks to Brexit, two general elections, leadership contests on both sides, and huge legislative change, particularly for the agriculture sector. As we tune into what feels like a political box offi ce hit each day, we’re left uncertain as to what direction the plot will take and who’ll be playing the main characters.

While some of us take to Twitter to make sure we don’t miss the latest memes, courtesy of Westminster, others can be left feeling overwhelmed by the political jargon, and rightly so. If you’re a total newbie looking to drive change for British farming during such a crucial time and want to tell parliamentarians why we should all #BackBritishFarming – then look no further.

The NFU’s External Aff airs team works closely with MPs and Peers to infl uence decisions that aff ect the UK agriculture industry. There are many diff erent tactics we use to lobby representatives on behalf of British farmers. You will often fi nd us writing briefi ngs, meeting with parliamentarians, monitoring parliamentary activity and current aff airs, prepping for debates or select committee sessions, and organising events – which is

COVER STORY

one of the best parts! Our work is varied, but the overall key to success is building and maintaining strong relationships with those in Parliament. It is always a great advantage to have people in both chambers who can advocate for British farmers and rural communities, especially during these uncertain times.

Working with teams across the organisation, we’ve been able to achieve big political wins for our members. Most recently, we persuaded government to crack down on hare coursing and its devastating impact on farms. We secured amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which enables police forces to seize more dogs, courts to ban convicted offenders from keeping dogs and strengthens penalties by lifting the existing limit on fines. The success on hare coursing came after considerable pressure and is a great example of how we use various methods to generate legislative change. So, how exactly did we achieve this?

1Member involvement In order to engage with MPs, we frequently invite them out onto farm which offers a slightly different setting to the Westminster bubble. For many MPs, visiting a farm is a unique and exciting experience, especially if it’s their first time, as it offers an unparalleled insight into the challenges affecting British agriculture. Despite busy schedules, many NFU members hosted MPs on their farms where they demonstrated the dreadful impact of hare coursing. This led to MPs raising issue with ministers, and ultimately secured a commitment from government that new legislation would be introduced to tackle this crime. This in itself was a huge win and highlights how valuable our members are when it comes to political lobbying.

2MP involvement For something to become a law it must pass through various stages in the House of Commons and House of Lords where it starts its life a Bill. During these stages, Bills are scrutinised and there are opportunities to make amendments, which could involve changing certain words or adding and removing clauses.

Therefore, an effective way to influence legislation is to identify whether you can amend a Bill that is already passing through Parliament that shares some common interest with your asks of government. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill was already progressing when influential former farming minister Sir Robert Goodwill MP tabled some amendments to test whether the Bill could be a vehicle for hare coursing measures. However, despite government assurances that they would act on hare coursing, no plans were forthcoming. It can be frustrating when initial amendments are not accepted, but the good news is that there are plenty more opportunities to influence a Bill.

3Peer involvement When we speak about parliament, many people often forget the important role the House of Lords plays. There is often some to-ing and fro-ing with Bills – think of ping-pong – as any amendments made in one chamber must be considered by the other until a final version is agreed.

We worked very closely with the Bishop of St Albans* who is a real champion of rural issues, to continue to take the issue forward. When he spoke about hare coursing in the Lords, he received wide ranging, cross-party support and a number of peers set out how they had themselves been a victim of hare coursing. *If anyone is lost at this point, there are 26 Bishops that sit in the House of Lords who are referred to as the Lords Spiritual.

4Increasing pressure Alongside support from the Lords, we were also helped by North East Bedfordshire MP Richard Fuller who tabled a Private Members’

JARGON BUSTER

MP (Member of Parliament) Member of the House of Commons

Peer Member of the House of Lords

Bishop There are 26 Bishops that sit in the House of Lords who are referred to as the Lords Spiritual and can vote on Bills.

Parliamentarian An all-encompassing term for MPs and Peers

Lobbying Another term for influencing or persuading

Government Formed by the political party who wins a majority at a general election. The government is collectively led by the Prime Minister and cabinet

Opposition The official Opposition is the political party with the second largest number of MPs

Backbench Where MPs sit based on their credentials. Those who do not have a role in government or are a frontbench spokesperson in the opposition will sit further back

Bill A proposed law

Private Members’ Bill A proposed law that is tabled by someone who is not part of the government, this could be a backbench MP or a member of the opposition

Amendments Making changes to Bills

Westminster An area in London where Parliament and government departments are based. The Houses of Parliament is also called the Palace of Westminster

Select committee MPs or Peers who report on certain areas. For example, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee (EFRA) scrutinises government by holding inquiries on food and farming related issues. NFU officeholders regularly give evidence to select committees

Prime Minister Boris Johnson saw first-hand the world-leading standards British farmers adhere to when he visited tenant farmers in Derbyshire

Bill, which focused on strengthening laws to tackle illegal hare coursing. A Private Members’ Bill is a proposed law that is tabled by someone who is not part of the government, in this case, a backbench Conservative MP. While these types of Bills rarely pass, they are a great way to draw attention to an issue and encourage government to adopt certain asks within their own legislation. With rising pressure from MPs and peers, the government had no choice but to act given their previous pledge to clamp down on hare coursing and the compelling arguments put forward by those in both chambers.

5Social media An increasingly important part of the External Affairs team’s work is managing the @NFUPolitical Twitter account. Most MPs and even some peers have social media accounts which they regularly use, so it is always good practice to publicly thank those who have contributed to NFU wins and continue to give British farming a voice in Parliament.

HOW CAN YOU GET INVOLVED?

There are many opportunities to get involved with the political side of the NFU and we really value your voice as the future of farming.

Find out who your local MP is

There is a great tool on the Parliament website which you can use to identify your local MP and what they’re passionate about. If there is a farming issue you care about, write to your MP to draw attention to it. Visit

members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP

Stay on top of current affairs

Most news apps allow you to filter stories meaning you can focus on the topics you care about whether it be net zero, biodiversity or trade.

PMQs

If you prefer television to reading, that’s absolutely fine. Prime Minister’s Questions take place every Wednesday and is a real political highlight of the week. There is also a dedicated Parliament TV channel online covering all activity.

Social media

Follow @NFUPolitical on Twitter to stay up to date with our work.