South East Farmer July 2020

®

Est 1982

July 2020

OUT & ABOUT BURGHAM FARM

Husband and wife team Sam and Becky Newington on the benefits of mob grazing

FEATURE OJ FIELD

Making hay while the sun shines

NEWS FOOD STANDARD PETITION HITS ONE MILLION NAMES COLUMNIST STEPHEN CARR Contemplating disaster

FEATURE BERRY GARDENS

Impressive new headquarters hailed as a “dream project”

Could your land have development potential?

Don’t miss an opportunity, talk to our successful planning team

Kirsty Castle 01892 509280 k.castle@batchellermonkhouse.com Clare Bartlett 01798 877555 c.bartlett@batchellermonkhouse.com

LOCAL AGENTS WITH NATIONAL SUPPORT When it comes to protecting what matters most to you, experience goes a long way. We’ve been insuring farmers for over 100 years and with 36 offices across the South East, we’re here for you.

Call your local Agent or visit nfumutual.co.uk

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The National Farmers Union Mutual Insurance Society Limited (No.111982). Registered in England. Registered Office: Tiddington Road, Stratford upon Avon, Warwickshire CV37 7BJ. Authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. A member of the Association of British Insurers.

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CONTENTS NEWS & REPORTS

Tackling slugs in commercial crops.

Strong market for specialist fleeces.

Industry leading level of biodiversity.

LEAF assessments move online.

Organic farming increases.

REGULARS

MONICA AKEHURST

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference.

46 48

MARKET REPORTS ALAN WEST

49 50 53 58

ADVICE FROM THE VET SARAH CALCUTT STEPHEN CARR LAND AND FARMS

A brief history of sheep keeping.

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VITI-CULTURE LIVE!

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SOUTH EAST FORESTRY

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OJ FIELD

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BERRY GARDENS

OUT AND ABOUT

Nigel Akehurst visits Sam and Becky Newington, who are the latest in a long line of Newingtons to farm at Burgham Farm, Etchingham.

FEATURES

ANITA HEAD

The 2020 line-up boasts an unmissable schedule of top speakers and master classes, all available without leaving home.

Felling trees with an end user in mind means good prices for the woodland owner.

Oliver Field has grown his business while continuing to focus on making hay.

The state-of-the-art new headquarters was finished early and handed over on time and on budget.

NICK ADAMES Nick’s first year without a bovine on the farm and, while he still misses them, he doesn’t miss the endless work involved.

®

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 AD PRODUCTION Studio Manager: Jo Legg jo.legg@kelsey.co.uk Graphic Designer: James Pitchford TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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www.kelsey.co.uk Cover picture: OJ Field © Martin Apps

OP IN IO N

Sign them up for a veg box

4

This is a challenging time for farmers, but also a time of opportunity. While a no-deal Brexit crashout seems increasingly possible as the Covid-19 pandemic, perhaps conveniently, distracts our politicians from what had been a priority just a few months ago, that same health crisis has had an upside.

For a time, at least, everybody loved a farmer; some even decided they would like to help out by picking fruit while furloughed, although the realisation that it was a real, backacheinducing job, not a chance to star in a real-life version of the Darling Buds of May, soon put most of them off.

And while pouring away perfectly good milk must strike at the very heart of dairy farmers left with no other option as the tanker fails to appear at the farm gate, that crisis, too, impacted on the public’s consciousness; it was another reminder that the rows of plastic cartons of milk on supermarket shelves aren’t spirited in overnight by Mr Tesco’s elves but are the product of much love and labour, often for scant reward.

Covid-aware farm shops and hastily stepped-up delivery services have played their part in bringing farming to the attention of Jo Public. From a local veg box delivery to a Watts Farms-style revamping of the business model to serve locked-down shoppers instead of the food service sector, farm businesses have revealed themselves as real people with a real mission to support their communities, the countryside and the planet.

Anyone with any interest in politics will also have been left in no doubt as to the importance of farming after the much-publicised debate over food standards that resulted from MPs’ rejection of an amendment to the Environment Bill that would have ensured imported food met British farmers’ high standards.

And so as lockdown eases – a phrase that has become as all pervasive in recent weeks as ‘these unprecedented times’ was at the start of the crisis – the challenge for forward-thinking farmers must be to capitalise on this new interest in what they do and how

well they do it.

True, we still have to recruit enough labour to pick all that fruit, we have to hope the revised terms of the dairy support package don’t let too many dairy farmers fall through the cracks and we need to keep our fingers crossed over Brexit, but if we can harness that growing public support it must surely help the cause.

How? By doing more of the same, by highlighting the health and environmental benefits of home grown food and by going that extra mile to be part of the community. That may mean being especially tolerant of locked down locals and dog walkers who have discovered farm footpaths during their daily exercise routines but who can, on occasions, be a bit of a nuisance.

On a recent seven-miler around the local Kent countryside my wife and I were slightly miffed by notices telling us that we shouldn’t walk across perfectly valid footpaths that had been there for centuries because (and I paraphrase) we might infect the farmhands. We would have felt warmer towards the farmer had he welcomed stir-crazy walkers to his land while asking them politely to shut the gate and stick to the paths.

Farmers in this part of the world could also do worse than take part in the LEAF Open Sunday event this September (see story on this page). Invite the public in, show them what you do, highlight your contribution to the health of the planet and sign them up to your veg box MALCOLM TRIGGS - EDITOR scheme on the way out.

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

GET INVOLVED

Farmers that have missed out on supporting Leaf Open Farm Sunday in the past because of its June deadline are being encouraged to get involved in this year’s event, moved back to September because of the Coronavirus pandemic.

With the country slowly emerging from lockdown, the September event is currently planned to be a physical farm-based event, and sustainable farming charity LEAF – Linking the Environment And Farming – is keen to see farmers from across the South East taking part.

It follows a successful online event held in June and renamed LEAF Online Farm Sunday.

Thirteen farmers used smartphones to showcase their farming enterprises, on the hour every hour from 8am to 8pm – with 11,000 people watching online and then asking questions via their internet connection.

Annabel Shackleton, LEAF Online Farm Sunday manager, paid tribute to the “brilliant and broad mix of farmers” who hosted virtual tours from farms across the country.

The charity now wants South East farmers to get involved with Open Farm Sunday on 20 September, and is hoping that the later date will allow those who are busy in June – such as fruit growers – to sign up this year.

With Covid-19 restrictions easing, Mrs Shackleton said: “We are keeping a watching brief but we very much hope that farmers will be able to open their gates and share their farm with the public in September, even if on a smaller scale.

“The more farms that do this, the more we can share the crucial role farming plays in our society and economy. We recommend that farmers who organise an event use the LOFS free ticketing service so they can manage numbers and communicate any event changes to visitors.”

There is more information at www.farmsunday.org

PETITION TOPS 1M

A million people have signed the NFU’s petition on food standards, with President Minette Batters stressing that the organisation is “pulling on every lever on behalf of farmers”.

After the campaign won the support of a major national Sunday newspaper, Ms Batters said the petition “will send a very strong signal to the Government about the strength of public feeling about food safety and security”.

The petition, which calls on the Government to put in place legislation that would prevent the UK importing food produced in ways that would be illegal in this country, follows MPs’ rejection of an amendment to the Agriculture Bill that would have done much the same thing.

NFU South East Regional Board chairman David Exwood, speaking in early June as the petition passed 830,000 signatures, said: “We’d strongly encourage people to sign our petition now – let’s make it more than a million signatures. That figure was reached on the day South East Farmer went to press “Public support for farming has grown during the pandemic, along with recognition of the importance of a safe and secure supply of food. This should not be jeopardised in any future international trade deals, so back British farming and sign our petition.”

Phil Acock, Vice Chairman of British Apples & Pears Ltd and managing Director of Fourayes, the Sittingbourne, Kent-based, fruit grower and processor, joined the calls for more people to sign the petition, pointing out: “As the British Government negotiates food trade deals with countries around the world, it’s vital that we remember our food standards already set the standard.

“Farming throughout the UK has high standards of safety and welfare with an ambition to be net zero in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. There are strict controls on the farming methods allowed in the UK and we should all expect any imported food to be just as safe, traceable and produced to the same high welfare and environmental standards. To do so could also help raise the level of food standards around the world.”

NEWS

Micro-chipped slugs have shown that the common pest and farmers’ nemesis doesn’t stray far from its home.

Researchers from Harper Adams University, working with farmers in arable areas including Berkshire and Hampshire, have spent five years studying the behaviour of the grey field slug (Deroceras reticulatum).

They are aiming to help farmers reduce the quantity of pesticides needed to control slugs by finding a way to help them treat only those areas where numbers are highest, with recent findings suggesting they could cut pesticide use by 40% to 50% in some fields.

With grey field slugs causing an enormous amount of damage among field crops, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has been funding the research into a more efficient and sustainable way to tackle slugs in commercial crops.

Professor Keith Walters, who initiated and has led the programme since it started, said that using surface refuge traps to determine threshold levels before applying pesticide was hampered by the fact that a variable proportion of the slug population is below the soil surface.

"In addition,” he said, “pesticides are applied to the whole field, but we know that slugs are unevenly distributed, with patches of higher numbers dispersed within areas of lower numbers.”

The team wanted to discover whether or not it would be beneficial for farmers to apply pesticide in areas they thought were home to a higher population of slugs, but first needed to know whether or not the slugs – including those invisible

TACKLING SLUGS IN COMMERCIAL CROPS

underground – moved around the field.

RFID (chip) technology has been used in the past, but on this occasion the Harper Adams researchers surgically inserted the tag into the slug, allowing them to follow individuals in the field for five weeks or more, even when they were below the soil surface.

Dr Emily Forbes explained: “From this study we can say slugs move relatively short distances. Over a five-week period, on average, the slugs only moved about one and half metres. They will have moved further away to forage, but they always came back to the same area.”

The researchers then looked at whether it would be feasible to treat just the patches or whether switching the pesticide applicator on and off would make it impractical, and after four years of trials across commercial fields in major crop growing regions of the UK, supported by detailed modelling work, the researchers believe patch treatment is the way forward.

With trapping and tracking not a viable approach in practice, the researchers are now looking at more practical ways of finding out where slugs are likely to gather, including looking at the chemical or physical characteristics of the soil.

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SEF 2020

W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T | J U LY 2 0 2 0

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NEWS

> Jenny Cosgrove, Stella Cosgrove, Sandra Brown showing at the Kent Show 2019

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While wool prices have plunged this year, with the result that many sheep farmers are likely to be significantly out of pocket after paying the shearing bill, there is still a strong market for specialist fleeces.

Sandra Brown, who is now, at the age of 78, reducing the Wensleydale flock she keeps at her smallholding just outside Ashford in Kent, is selling wool privately at close to £20 a kilogram, and recently sold two of her flock, with fleeces, for £250 apiece.

In 2017 – well before coronavirus was even heard of – one of Sandra’s black Wensleydale fleeces went on to be named Reserve Champion in the British Wool Golden Fleece competition after winning at the Kent County Show.

The National Sheep Association, meanwhile, has said it is “disappointed” to see the impact of the coronavirus on wool prices. Chief Executive Phil Stocker commented: “It’s not fully clear how the reduced value of the remainder of the 2019/20 clip will affect the overall value of a farmer’s wool delivered last year, but it would be easy to assume total fleece values might be down by 50%.

“Although there are plenty of sheep farmers who do get real value from their wool, most will at least expect it to cover shearing and wool handling costs.

A fall of 50% of total value would, for most, mean

> Sandra Brown’s Golden Fleece

STRONG MARKET FOR

SPECIALIST FLEECES total income not clearing costs.”

He said the NSA was disappointed that it seemed British Wool had not been able to access the Government’s Covid-19 support schemes because of its status as an ‘arm’s length’ government body.

With the global market for cross-bred wool shut since February, British Wool has said around a third of its 2019/20 clip of 27 million kgs remains unsold.

The average price paid to producers for the 2019/20 clip will be 32p/kg, with balances paid as normal when this season’s wool is delivered. It will not be making an advance against 2020/21 clip wool, instead making full payment for 2020/21 clips from May 2021 onwards.

In a plea to farmers to stick with the national marketing agency, it said producers marketing their wool through British Wool “represents the only realistic prospect of improved prices on a national scale in the medium and long term”.

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CONSERVATION PROGRAMME

Meanwhile the Rare Breeds Survival Trust has launched a new five-year conservation programme to reverse the decline of the Longwool sheep breeds native to the UK – including the Wensleydale.

In the latest RBST Watchlist, published in April, six of the nine native UK Longwool sheep breeds were classified as ‘vulnerable’ or ‘at risk’. While Greyface Dartmoors and Border Leicesters have seen positive growth in numbers, breeds such as the Lincoln Longwool and Leicester Longwool have declined, with just 251 Lincoln Longwool breeding females registered in 2019.

The Trust has said it will work with breed societies to increase the diversity within each breed, work to limit inbreeding through bespoke breeding programmes and employ cutting-edge conservation techniques and technology to safeguard the breeds.

NEWS

LAMBS NEED COBALT FOR FAST FINISH A warning that sheep farmers should be wary of Vitamin B “go faster stripes” on supplements for weaned lambs has been reinforced by South East Farmers’ own correspondent Alan West.

It follows a comment from vet Dr Elizabeth Berry of Animax, who suggested: "For ruminants, supplementary B-vitamins are no more than pixie dust. As long as the diet contains sufficient cobalt, ruminants make their own B12, for example.

"Moreover, vitamin B1 and most others in this group are also made by rumen bugs as long as rumen function is good. At best, inclusion in a supplement is a placebo."

Dr Berry said getting finished lambs to target weight as quickly as possible without concentrates made good business sense, with the role of cobalt one of the most critical factors governing the conversion of grass into meat.

"While lambs are suckling, milk provides their cobalt requirement in full. But post-weaning, cobalt levels in grass are deficient in many parts of the

The National Food Strategy being set out under the leadership of Henry Dimbleby should have been published before the Government was asked to consider the Agriculture Bill, an online conference has been told.

David Zeichner MP, Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told delegates at the third RED talk set up by the Rural Policy Group (RPG) that approving the bill before agreeing the strategy was “not an entirely rational way to do things”.

The RPG’s series of RED (Rural Economic Development) talks have proved a runaway success since being set up at around the time the coronavirus crisis saw the country enter lockdown.

The hour-long online seminars have attracted big name speakers and a keen audience, with the third talk – entitled “Is the pandemic an opportunity to review our food system?” – being over-subscribed.

With the technology limiting delegates to 100, that figure was reached well before the session began.

Opening the debate, Daniel Zeichner referred to the “extraordinary response” from farming to the coronavirus crisis, particularly since it had taken place against the backdrop of the climate change emergency and the need to develop a new relationship with the rest of the world following the country’s decision to leave the EU. In answer to the question at the heart of the debate, he agreed that the pandemic was an opportunity for a review but said he was “not optimistic” that it would happen because what he called “the Brexit imperative” meant the Agriculture Bill was being pushed through ahead

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South East," she added, pointing out that this year’s heavy rainfall in February and March will have leached cobalt from top soil.

Alan West agreed: “Quite a lot of pastures in the South East are marginal or deficient in both selenium and cobalt, a situation probably exacerbated this year by soil minerals being depleted by the rather excessive rainfall.”

He also agreed that it was the cobalt that was vital, not vitamin supplements. “Dr Berry is absolutely correct, a sheep’s rumen microorganisms are more than capable of synthesising sufficient B vitamins for any lamb, as long as the rumen is healthy and has adequate supplies of energy and cobalt,” he said.

“The normal treatment for a clinical case of deficiency would be an injection of B12 to solve the immediate problem followed up by supplementation with cobalt so that the rumen microorganisms can do their work.

“I have long been an advocate of ‘look after the

> Lamb carcases, same breed and age, with cobalt supplementation (right) and without (left) rumen and the rumen will look after the sheep’.

Supplementation with selenium and cobalt is a lot cheaper than additional B vitamins – let the rumen do what it is there for.”

STRATEGY SHOULD

HAVE COME FIRST of the Dimbleby review.

He warned that looking wider for cheaper food post-Brexit would cause problems for UK farmers who were set to lose 50% of their Single Payment funding before 2024, well ahead of the replacement compensation scheme being finalised.

Referring to the possibility that the country could end up with fewer farms and more imported food, he asked: “Is this what we want? No, and it’s probably not what the public wants either.” He added that he hoped the amendment to the Agriculture Bill designed to protect food standards that failed to win the approval of the Commons would have more success when it was considered by the Lords.

Also far from convinced that the opportunity for a review would be taken was Teresa Wickham, another speaker with an impressive CV in the food and farming industry and currently a non-executive director of the Covent Garden Market Authority.

She pointed out that retail decisions were driven by consumers but added: “The Pandemic has given us a chance to re-look at our food supply chain and our relationship with food.” She went on: “The lockdown has provided people with time to think about their food and eating habits, in many cases eating together

and cooking together.

“Previously they may not have had the time to do this. Online will continue to be a major player and it will be interesting to see if people retain their loyalty to local food suppliers who have served them well during this period. We also need to look at the link between nutrition and health. A full review should include looking at the supply chain from soil to table to provide what we need to maintain good health.”

Plumpton College Principal Jeremey Kerswell pointed out that the industry needed a clear strategy so farmers could plan for the future and colleges could respond by providing young people with the skill sets needed in a modern agricultural environment.

Phil Acock, Chairman and Managing Director of Fourayes Ltd, stressed: “We import 50% of our total requirement, which does not give us food security as a nation, and our farmers are not getting a fair share of the income.

“British farming needs to be at the top of the government agenda to deliver proper food security for our nation and profitability for our farmers, and as a result we might see the average age of our farmers start to come down from the ridiculous age of 59.”

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NEWS

> River Itchen

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The water flowing out of three Hampshire farms belonging to The Watercress Company has been shown to contain an industry leading level of biodiversity following a sustained drive to reduce the amount of chemicals flowing into the River Itchen.

After concern was expressed about the quality of the water leaving the watercress beds towards the end of the 1990s, the company was challenged by the Environment Agency to reduce the use of phosphates and eliminate nitrates and pesticides.

That work has now proved so successful that a survey by Independent consultant ecologist Robert Aquilina has shown that the water flowing into the Itchen is of high quality and supports abundant wildlife.

The Watercress Company is the UK’s biggest grower of the crop, with 50 acres of watercress beds split between Hampshire and Dorset. The crop’s roots cling to the gravel base of the beds, while the plants sway in nutrient-rich spring water forced up from deep underground aquifers after being filtered through the chalk of the South Downs.

In response to the concerns about the impact it was having on water quality, the grower removed all pesticides from the process by the year 2000.

Nitrogen use ceased in 2016 and between 2015 and 2020 phosphates were reduced by 90%.

Mr Aqualina has been surveying the water leaving Drayton Farm, Manor Farm and Bishop Sutton’s Watercress Farm in May and September for the past three years, and this May noted a clear improvement over the original 2018 sampling.

He said: “The quality of water directly from the watercress farms is good enough to support high biodiversity. Species of macroinvertebrates most sensitive to oxygen and pollution levels are being found in all three discharges including mayflies, stoneflies and a healthy quantity of gammarus, and we have also found caddis flies, which are the epitome of cool springs and chalk streams.

“The effect of the watercress farms on the water leaving the beds and flowing into the river is minimal.”

Managing Director Tom Amery said: “Our watercress business has adapted to changes to our systems and growing processes over the

> Discharge point

INDUSTRY LEADING LEVEL

OF BIODIVERSITY years, including the limiting of phosphate use and keeping fertiliser to the bare minimum. As a result, we have met the Special Area of Conservation standards for the Upper Itchen River for four years

now, and I’m proud that our efforts are clearly benefiting the chalk river supplies that run out from our farms, as evidenced by the range of biodiversity that lives there.”

WATERCRESS SEASON

IN FULL SWING

While the popular Alresford Watercress Festival had to be cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and local labour recruited in place of seasonal workers unable to travel to the UK, the watercress season is now in full swing.

The Watercress Company, which grows the crop on more than 50 acres of watercress beds in Hampshire and neighbouring Dorset, expects to harvest over 600 tonnes between now and late October.

The crop is cut every four to 12 weeks, which means the workforce – this year including local furloughed and self-employed people whose businesses were disrupted by the health crisis – can harvest up to six crops a year.

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FARMERS MAY MISS OUT The National Farmers Union has warned that some dairy farmers may miss out on their share of a coronavirus hardship fund set out to boost eligible farmers’ incomes by up to £10,000.

As reported in June’s South East Farmer, Environment Secretary George Eustice announced that eligible farmers who had lost more than 25% of their income during April and May would be entitled to up to £10,000 to cover 70% of the income lost during those months.

The NFU is now concerned that some farmers may now be out of pocket after the keenly awaited follow-up from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) said it would instead apply to farmers who had seen a 25% fall in their average milk price. A regional spokesperson told South East Farmer “The goalposts moved. However, we haven’t given up on working with DEFRA to improve the scheme and will be monitoring its uptake carefully, seeking views from applicants.”

NFU Dairy Board Chairman Michael Oakes said: “We welcomed the original announcement of the package, and since then the NFU has been talking to DEFRA about how the scheme could be delivered and the eligibility criteria that should govern it.

“Following the announcement, we are seeking to understand the apparent switch from the scheme’s eligibility based upon loss of income to pence per litre milk price and how that might have a bearing on the number of farmers able to apply.

“Covid-19 has caused widespread disturbance in the dairy market and there is a danger that the scheme will fall short of what the NFU, and many in the industry, had anticipated when we saw the announcement last month.”

The NFU is concerned that some farmers on split-price contracts will miss out. Mr Oakes said those on A/B price contracts who reduced supply to avoid low-price B litres may not have seen their average milk price fall by 25% but would still have lost thousands of pounds of potential income from cutting production.

Peter Alvis, Chairman of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) also called for more clarity around eligibility. “It is disappointing that after a month of waiting there is still little detail as well as some confusion,” he said.

By the middle of May, results from the RABDF dairy losses survey showed over 17 million litres of milk had received a reduced value and 1.15 million litres had gone uncollected from farms.

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The National Beef Association (NBA) has appointed Oxfordshire-based independent livestock sustainability consultant Jude Capper PhD ARAgS, to the Board.

Jude completed her BSc (agriculture with animal science) and PhD (ruminant nutrition and behaviour) at Harper Adams University College and followed that with post-doctoral research at Cornell University and a faculty position at Washington State University.

She is currently looking at the impacts of medicines use on UK beef farms and the national and global impacts of livestock health and welfare on system sustainability. Jude was named “Dairy Industry Woman of the Year 2017” and “Farming Hero of the Year 2018” and was made an Associate Member of the Royal Agricultural Society in 2018.

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NEWS

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MAKING HISTORY A Kent farm with a uniquely green pedigree has helped make history again.

Hugh Lowe Farms Ltd, of Baron’s Place, Mereworth, was the first farm to be awarded a LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) Marque back in 2003, when the assessments were first introduced.

This year the farm was part of another LEAF first when it signed up for one of the first online assessments introduced in the wake of the social distancing guidelines brought in following the Covid-19 lockdown.

LEAF rolled out the remote assessments from 1 May in order to allow new businesses to join the scheme – and existing businesses to be re-accredited – without having to invite assessors onto their premises.

Farm co-owner and managing director Marion Regan said she was delighted to have been a LEAF ‘guinea pig’ once again and had found the process efficient and thorough. “If anything it was more thorough than the usual visit,” she said. “Because we uploaded all the documents in advance, we had more time to do the visual checks – using a mobile phone of course.”

LEAF Assurance Manager Jenny Clark said: “The health and wellbeing of our LEAF Marque growers and auditors is really important to us, as

is the continued production of environmentally sustainable food.

“While the Coronavirus pandemic is the most pressing issue the world is facing at the moment, the climate change crisis has not gone away. By developing the remote assessment protocol, in consultation with our farmer members, certification bodies, accreditation bodies and other assurances schemes in the UK and overseas, we can maintain the integrity and robustness of the LEAF Marque system whilst keeping everybody safe.”

Marion added: “I think lots of new ways of working will stick after the coronavirus and online assessments such as this could be one of those.

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“When the going gets tough people find new ways of working, and LEAF have made a very good job of moving this process online. In doing so they haven’t stinted in its effectiveness and in the way it makes us think about our business.”

LEAF, which describes itself as “a leading global environmental assurance system recognising more sustainably farmed products”, had carried out remote audits of five farms in the South East by the beginning of June. There are 936 LEAF Marque certified businesses operating in 27 countries, while 43% of UK fruit and vegetables are currently produced sustainably to the LEAF Marque Standard.

FARM TRIALS WITH

REAL WORLD RESULTS

“Real results in the real world” is the reason Kent farmer Tom Sewell is again joining BASF’s wheat and barley field scale trials, now in their fourth year.

Tom, who grows winter wheat and oil seed rape, beans, spring barley and grass for hay on 400 hectares of land at Warnhams Farm, Maidstone – and is about to take on another 120 hectares – is one of 50 farmers joining the company’s Real Results trials for 2020.

“I’ve been one of the trial farms since the start and found them very interesting. It’s more useful to be able to get real results in the real world rather than looking at industry-sponsored trials that are trying to prove a point and are carried out on three or four handmanicured, grade one land trial sites,” he commented.

“When we take part in a trial we use a normal sprayer in normal conditions to get results that relate to our land – and when we share data with the other 49 farms from places as far apart as Scotland, Cornwall and Lincolnshire we get a proper idea of whether it worked or not. It’s just altogether more usable.”

Tom said BASF were very good at collating the information from the trials and presenting it back in a usable format – “and they get data from 50 trial sites in return for the cost of the chemicals”.

Run in partnership with ADAS, the trials are assessed using ADAS’ Agronomics field trials methodology, which statistically analyses each field and treatment.

Murielle Moille, BASF marketing campaign manager for cereal fungicides, said: “The independent science that ADAS brings to Real Results trials is what has consistently appealed to the farmers involved, because it explains what agronomic decisions work best on their farms and why. It is the statistical verification of the differences between treatments which validates the best options for each farm.

“While the BASF Real Results Circle allows growers to learn about their farm, it also gives them the opportunity to be part of something bigger.”

Tom said the 2019 trial, in which 51 farmers trialled BASF’s new cereal fungicide, Revystar® XE, on winter wheat crops against their chosen farm standard, had

> Tom Sewell produced the most dramatic and, to him, useful results so far.

Susie Roques, ADAS crop physiologist, agreed. She said the 2019 results were “our most striking in any series of Agronomics trials so far – a consistent pattern of significant differences in disease assessments, visible effects in satellite NDVI images, and significant yield benefits from Revystar; in previous years the results were more even between the treatments.”

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©Lucy Brooks

NEWS

FARMERS HELP TACKLE BLAZE Farmers raced to help tackle a blaze that broke out at Thursley Common, a 20-hectare nature reserve close to the Countryside Restoration Trust (CRT)’s Pierrepont Farm in Surrey.

Farmer Peter Goble and his family, along with Tom Francis, James Cooper and Ben Marshall of D Pride & Partners and Mike Clear of Pierrepont Farm, joined firefighters from Surrey, West Sussex and New Forest to work through the night of 30/31 May to help extinguish the flames.

While the wildfire destroyed a large amount of valuable wildlife habitat,

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estimates suggest that the farmers and emergency services saved a further 100 hectares of the common from the blaze. No farmland was affected.

Peter Goble’s daughter Lucy Brooks said: “We only did what I'm sure others would have done if they had had the equipment and knowledge to use it.

There were many people who wanted to help; we just had the opportunity and machinery to do it safely.”

With nearby residents evacuated because of the severity of the blaze, the farmers used their equipment and their knowledge of the landscape to help put out the flames, which were fanned by changeable winds and took advantage of extremely dry conditions. They flailed bushes to create firebreaks in a bid to prevent the spread.

Tractors also proved to be a vital resource in helping fire crews deal with the boggy terrain. As well as rescuing one trapped emergency vehicle, they were able to pull 9,000 litre slurry tankers full of water across difficult ground to where firefighters needed it.

CRT Farmer Mike Clear said he would “do it again at the drop of the hat to save local wildlife habitats on our doorstep”. In a video on social media, Surrey Wildlife Trust Conservation Manager Ben Habgood highlighted distress calls of Dartford warblers as farmers and firefighters fought to save their threatened habitat.

Surrey Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dan Quinn warned that following the dry weather in May, residents needed to “do everything they can to help prevent wildfires in Surrey”.

NEW NON-EXECS Three new Non-Executive Commissioners have been appointed by The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) to serve on the Forestry Commission.

Dr Hilary Allison, Professor Julian Evans OBE and Sandy Storrie will serve for three years.

Professor Evans was formerly Professor of Forestry at Imperial College and has a great deal of experience in forestry and woodland heritage. He has written more than 100 research papers and many books and has owned a 30-acre woodland in Hampshire for more than 30 years.

By contrast, Sandy Storrie spent 35 years in the British Army, led the “Desert Rats” in Iraq, served as an Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff and was deputy head of the NATO mission in Afghanistan. DEFRA expects him to bring “an external perspective, broad experience of strategic and operational planning and a strong track record of leadership and management in the public sector”.

Hilary Allison is currently Head of Ecosystem Assessment and Policy Support at UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre and was Director of Policy at the Woodland Trust for 17 years.

© Telegraph Media Group Limited 2020

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NEWS

COMPREHENSIVE GRAIN ANALYSIS

A new grain analysis service was launched to farmers via an online seminar organised by ADAS’ Yield Enhancement Network (YEN).

YEN Nutrition was outlined by Professor Roger Sylvester Bradley, the Head of Crop Performance at ADAS, while senior research scientist Sarah Kendall followed up the presentation by screening a series of interviews with YEN farmers highlighting the value of grain analysis.

The new service will offer comprehensive grain analysis of all 12 essential crop nutrients and allow participants to benchmark their crops’ nutritional performance against other growers.

Kent’s Richard Budd was one of YEN’s bestperforming members last year, breaking an

oilseed rape world record with a yield of 7.19 tonnes per hectare and picking up another award for best potential after achieving 85% of ADAS’ calculation of his possible total yield.

Scientists who tested more than 900 samples from YEN farmers over the past four years found 74% of cereal crops were deficient in at least one nutrient, suggesting that despite their best efforts, nutrition was commonly inhibiting the full potential of their crops.

ADAS suggests that “used in conjunction with soil and leaf analysis, YEN Nutrition reveals the final status of the crop, giving members oversight of their crop’s ultimate nutritional achievements and empowering them to make the right choices to

enhance their future crop yields, field by field.”

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB)’s Nutrient Management Board has this year brought in a recommendation that farmers should carry out routine analysis of grain and other harvested materials alongside routine analysis of nutrients in soil.

According to ADAS: “This makes the UK the first country to realise that grain analysis not only provides an accurate estimate of nutrient off takes, but that it also provides a full and final post-mortem of the crop’s levels of all 12 essential nutrients.”

Interested farmers can register and enter their field details via the YEN Nutrition website.

ORGANIC FARMING INCREASES The Soil Association has welcomed statistics that show a 2.4% increase in the amount of land being farmed organically between 2018 and 2019.

DEFRA’s organic farming statistics for the UK 2019, released at the end of May, show that the amount of organic land had increased to 485,000 hectares over the previous 12 months The increase has been driven by the rise in fully organic land, which has increased by 3.6% from 2018, more than off setting the decrease in the area of in-conversion land.

The statistics reveal that 63% of the UK’s organic land is permanent grassland, 8% is used to grow cereals and 3.1% of the total UK cattle population is reared organically. There are 6,100 organic operators in the UK. Clare McDermott, Business Development Director for Soil Association Certification, welcomed the increase in certified organic land, accompanied

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by a 14% increase in the number of farmers having land in conversion to organic with Soil Association Certification last year.

“More and more people are looking for organic products when they shop, leading to the eighth consecutive year of sales growth in the UK’s organic market – now worth a record £2.45 billion – in 2019,” she said.

“It’s also great to see a significant increase in the land being used to grow organic cereals, as demand for these on farms for animal feed is growing faster than UK producers can supply.”

She called on the Government “to provide confidence that farming policy will also support [farmers] to grow more healthy, sustainable food”, adding: “The Agriculture Bill and Environmental Land Management Scheme must support farmers to deliver environmental public goods across the whole farm by transitioning to agroecological farming practices, like organic, that look after air, water and soil quality.”

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LETTERS PASSIONATE ACTIVIST

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Sir, It is a sad reflection upon much modern discourse that opinions with which we disagree simply draw rude personal attacks, without addressing valid arguments. Nick Adames fumes that Chris Packham is the “most self-publicised environmentalist” while being “blind, ignorant and biased” for suggesting it is unnecessary to shoot corvids. His intemperate response demonstrates that a lifetime in the countryside does not necessarily impart wisdom, courtesy or understanding.

Packham is not a self-publicist. He is a passionate activist with views that have wide traction that are publicised by others. As someone with Asperger’s Syndrome, he shuns social situations and eschews personal publicity.

As for ignorant, he has a degree in Zoology from Southampton University and an honorary doctorate.

He is as much a countryman as Nick Adames, living in the New Forest and, as a professional wildlife photographer, is far from blind. Like it or not he has a detailed knowledge of the environment and the subtleties of predator/prey dynamics. I would suggest he is no more biased than Nick Adames.

We need reminding that the living world is a continuous food chain and that Homo sapiens are the planet’s top predator, with a well-documented, wanton, destructive capacity that exceeds all others. Corvids are low-level predators with a wide dietary range. Hence their relative success, and while I agree it is unpleasant to watch birds raiding nests, it is part of life. Unlike us, who kill for fun, for birds it is a matter of survival.

Killing corvids, I submit, is a waste of time, energy and lead shot. Corvids are not the cause of the recent declines in farmland birds. Their numbers are steady, while all the scientific evidence attributes the declines of small farmland specialists to lack of sufficient habitat and food stemming from human activity; not predation.

I do not deny that there are special circumstances where predator control is necessary to allow recovering species some headroom, or ridding human introductions such as rats on islands. But not to protect gamebirds so that we can shoot them for sport or to protect some sown cereals!

When it comes to his ditches clogging with sewage, it is not bottoming rivers that is needed but a radical modernisation of our Victorian sewage systems designed for some 20 million and not 67 million souls. No raw sewage should ever discharge into our rivers or seas. Nor should there be sufficient soil erosion to clog our rivers.

MIKE KETTLEWELL, CHIPPING NORTON

ferrets. We have all seen it, so where has he been? Or is this a question of money and self-promotion?

By the way, if anyone saw him recently on a wildlife TV programme trying to be the next Attenborough – there is no chance!

STEVE SKINNER, RETIRED FARMER, NEAR DOVER, KENT

MULLEIN COVERED WITH CATERPILLARS

RURAL ECONOMY HAS HUGE AMOUNT TO OFFER

Sir, I was very interested to read the article on page 7 of June’s South East Farmer regarding butterfly conservation, and thought you would be interested to know that I have in my garden at Graffham (West Sussex) two Dark Mullein plants, both covered with caterpillars (until recently!).

JENNIFER A WARD

Sir, I read with sadness the news that Kent’s tourism economy could lose more than £3bn due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It is a sector vital to the county’s prosperity. As the Garden of England, Kent is at the forefront of any changes to the travel and tourism markets. Nearly 65 million tourists visited in 2017, employing 77,000 people or 11% of the total employment across Kent.

It is right that, for the moment, people stay away and follow government guidelines. But when the restrictions are lifted, we are encouraging people to book breaks and holidays in the beauty and safety of the British countryside.

We hope that people are looking forward to enjoying the tranquillity and space that rural and coastal areas have to offer. Certain rural businesses, such as camping sites, are particularly geared up for social distancing.

To help the sector, we need support from the Government. The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents farmers, landowners and rural businesses across Kent and beyond, is calling for the Treasury to cut VAT on tourism businesses to 5% to help boost the economy after Covid-19.

In the UK, VAT on tourism businesses stands at 20%, far higher than in many other countries, including France (10%), Spain (10%) and Greece (13%). A reduction in VAT to levels seen in other countries will ensure that domestic tourism is competitive and affordable, offering a significant boost to the economy while helping to keep our carbon footprint down.

Although the current situation is very difficult for rural businesses, there has also been an opportunity to reflect, review and prepare to build a better economy on a sounder competitive basis. We now need to be empowered to do so.

The rural economy has a huge amount to offer the country – economically, socially and environmentally.

Government can show some real ambition in unleashing its potential.

For more information about the CLA and its work, visit www.cla.org.uk/your-area/south-east/regionalnews and follow @CLASouthEast on Twitter.

MICHAEL VALENZIA, CLA SOUTH EAST DIRECTOR

WE ALL KNOW WHAT NICK IS TALKING ABOUT Sir, Can I please congratulate Nick Adames on the beginning of his article in May’s South East Farmer.

As country folk, we all know exactly what Nick is talking about. How can the likes of Chris Packham and his cronies be brought to heel over their outrageous claims, bearing in mind also that Carrie Simmonds will be bending the ear of the Prime Minister? She quite obviously bent Boris’ ear regarding the badger cull, which has now been stopped.

Personally I agree with the sparing of the jackdaw, which is not such a villain. The magpie, jay and carrion crow, as Nick stated, cause absolute carnage with small birds, their nests and their offspring. According to Mr Packam & Co, these should all be spared. Like Nick, I am totally at a loss to understand how they cannot see the damage these birds are doing to our wild bird population.

Packham has obviously never watched a carrion crow on a telegraph pole or high tree advantage watching for skylarks to return to their nests; the magpies creeping through the hedgerows like

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FORWARD FARMERS OF ENGLAND

Sir Good range of views in your June 2020 edition.

Nick Adames seemed pleased to be “free” of EU regulations and asked where we would we get our food from if the UK rewilded, while David Harding of Court Lodge wisely wondered if there would be a similar continuation of trade after Brexit. David’s comments reminded me of the lines of Benjamin, the wise donkey in George Orwell’s Animal Farm: “Life will go on as it has always gone on – that is, badly.”

But how far can we take that analogy in the current circumstances?

So Nigel Farage was obviously Old Major, the prize winning boar. He spoke of the power embedded in the corrupt and sclerotic EU and the utopia that awaited us if only we could free ourselves from the EU and take back control to make our own rules, run our own lives. The rebellion duly came, it was easy, and all of us to some extent wanted change. But the intelligent Snowball “May” didn’t last, was driven out, and we all know who takes over in George Orwell’s Book. In a democracy, where you can vote out a government, I don’t think we can attribute the same characteristics of Napoleon to our Prime Minister, but I do think there are some traces of the effects of political power that are disquieting.

If you’ve tried contacting your MP about farming matters, I think you may find most of them pretty supine and unable to change things. With an 80-plus majority in Parliament, the attack dogs of the Whips’ Office are no doubt ruthless, and any Tory MP deviating from the party line may be publically executed, just as the protesting hens were in Animal Farm. The book’s propaganda chief, Squealer, retains social and political control with a mixture of rhetoric and language - no prizes for guessing who that might be just now.

But the real danger is that Farmers of England will end up like the hard-working horse Boxer, finally betrayed and sent off in the knacker’s lorry to be made into glue. How is the betrayal to come about then, if it happens? My concern is that we will agree a North America trade deal which, we are told, is a good thing, increasing trade and allowing cheap food that consumers can choose to buy or not.

I suggest the following points are relevant.

Firstly, do you really know what incremental benefits the UK achieves by signing the US trade deal, in principle and in amount? Will there be increased trade? Are the figures verified? Do you believe the promises? Has the government done the ‘what-ifs’?

What benefit will you gain which you don’t have now?

And how much will it cost to get out, if we don’t like it any more? Benjamin is right: “Life will go on as it has always gone on – that is, badly.” I don’t know the answers.

Secondly, I learned recently (see “Brexit Briefing:

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> Peter Mason with one of his llamas Hormone Treated Beef – should Britain accept it after Brexit?” by Professors E Millstone and T Lang, September 2018), that the World Trade Organisation upheld the EU ban on hormone-injected beef not only because one of the hormones used has carcinogenic properties but also because the science on the effect of all the hormones on pre-puberty children was of particular concern; they are a vulnerable class and obviously are dependent on their parents, with no effective “consumer choice”.

It’s ironic, celebrating becoming ‘free’ of the EU rules and regulations, if we end up becoming farming vassal slaves of big farming corporations, with the added insult of removing informed choice from those without choice. Will we replace the “sclerotic” EU with “sclerotic” arteries caused by a low-cost feedlot farming system that encourage higher meat consumption?

Thirdly, you will be told you can now export by competing on world markets. But does this mean competing with the US, Brazil etc.? If so, Michael Gove lied to us; we will have to race to the bottom on standards.

But it’s not just about standards. Maybe it goes further, to the very existence of life as we know it on earth. Nick Adames and others in your columns have suggested our predator-free farming is the best, and Mr Bolsonaro in Brazil agrees. He wants to be like us; haven’t we “taken back control”? We “will not be told what to do” – and nor will he.

Under Nick Adames’ philosophy of “farm, farm, farm”, I say Mr Bolsonaro can cut down the rest of the Amazon forest; he likes our system, we’re not going to change and he says he can aspire to our “farm, farm, farm” model as well. But if humanity takes its last breaths in future generations, let it not be said

that there were no farmers rejecting these absolute views and supporting some rewilding here or there.

We surely reject or ignore the words of the Lord in Genesis 6.19 at our peril; the creatures of the earth, whether they be smaller insects, or bigger predators, were placed here “in order to live with man”, not to be completely wiped out by our farming systems.

But don’t worry, Farmers of England, if you end up, like Boxer, on the way to the knacker’s yard, if/when cheap food imports end your business. Remember what Squealer says Boxer’s last words were in the lorry: “Forward, Comrades! … Forward in the name of the Rebellion. Long live Animal Farm! Long live Comrade Napoleon.”

As loyal small farmers waiting to be purged, we should perhaps learn similar words to recite as the lorries take us away, because we deserve the same fate. The standard of our debates remains too simplistic, too partisan, and not sufficiently informed.

“Forward Farmers of England, Forward in the name of Brexit. Long live the UK! Long Live Prime Minister Johnson”.

PETER MASON, HEATHFIELD Editor’s note – We welcome letters to the editor, although generally we prefer four or five snappy paragraphs. In this case, though, we felt Peter’s well-expressed views deserved the space.

THANKS TO RICHARD

Thanks to those who got in touch regarding the lack of a Richard Wood column last month. I’m glad to report that he is safe and well but, after ten years, wants to take a break as a columnist. I’m hoping to persuade him to contribute again in the not too distant. Editor

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LEGAL DIARY Working with potentially dangerous machinery, vehicles, chemicals, livestock, at height or near pits and silos, together with the high pressures involved in running a successful farming business, makes farming a hazardous industry. As well as creating a plan for the succession of the farm business on death, it is important for farm owners to put a contingency plan in place should the owner become unable to take an active role in its day-to-day activities, through old age, accident or mental/physical illness. At the very centre of this plan should be a Lasting Power of Attorney for Property and Financial Affairs (‘LPA’).

WHAT IS AN LPA?

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An LPA is a powerful legal document that allows a person to appoint trusted individuals (known as attorneys) to help them make decisions, or make decisions on their behalf if necessary. Attorneys can be family members, friends or professionals. It is important that the chosen attorneys have the right qualities, skills and experience.

There are two types of LPA – one to deal with property and finances and one to deal with health and welfare. Both are recommended, but it is the LPA for property and finances that is most important in the context of a contingency plan for farming businesses.

PLAN AN LPA Why farmers should have Lasting Powers of Attorney for property and financial affairs.

If a person is no longer able to deal with their property and finances and does not have an LPA in place, someone will need to apply to the Court of Protection to be appointed as a deputy. This process usually takes at least six months and the costs involved are much higher than those for setting up an LPA. If financial assets such as bank accounts cannot be accessed during this time, suppliers’ invoices cannot be met, employees will not receive their wages and loan/mortgage payments will fall into arrears, all of which can have a profound emotional impact on the farmer, their loved ones and others involved in the farm.

There is lots of choice as to when and how your attorneys act, and it is therefore best to seek specialist legal advice to create a bespoke LPA created specifically to suit your circumstances.

Considering how the LPA interacts with other legal documents may also be important, depending on how your farming business is set up.

FARMS RUN AS COMPANIES

It is important to review the Company’s Articles of Association and any Shareholders’ Agreements as these may contain some provision for dealing with directors who become incapacitated. As a shareholder, the LPA could give guidance to the attorney on how they can exercise the farmer’s voting rights.

FARMS RUN IN PARTNERSHIP

It is important to review any Partnership Agreement in place for provisions handling the mental or physical incapacity of the owner. If there is no Partnership Agreement in place, then the Partnership Act 1890 comes into force and an attorney can ensure the farmer’s rights and interest in the partnership are upheld in the event of the partnership being dissolved due to mental or physical incapacity.

FARMS RUN BY A SOLE TRADER

Sole traders do not usually have any formal documents in place for the business. For that reason it is extremely important that the farmer has an LPA in place to ensure that staff wages, loans and mortgages are paid on time and other issues, such as taxes due, are dealt with promptly.

CONCLUSION

All farms should have robust contingency plans in place should the owner become mentally or physically incapacitated. Having an LPA in place to sit alongside relevant insurance policies should be considered essential in order to ensure uninterrupted running of a farm should the owner become unable to take an active role in its day-to-day activities.

BEKKA FUSZARD

Solicitor, Tax and Estate Planning, Whitehead Monckton T: 01622 698000 E: bekkafuszard@whitehead-monckton.co.uk www.whitehead-monckton.co.uk

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EST 1900

MONICA AKEHURST AT THE KITCHEN TABLE

> The team getting today’s briefing

> The lookering team selfie

> Brie showing a little more enthusiasm than planned

ATTITUDE IS A LITTLE THING THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE

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“Stuck... stuck...” announced George with a concerned expression on his face. I stopped Shrek (ATV) as we looked at the grotesque sight in front of us. Being a hot day, the ewe, a mother of twins, had blown up like a balloon.

An empty feeder with the bars set on the widest setting stood in the middle of the field where the sheep were grazing.

The birds had long since cleared up any stray grains left in it. So why had this previously healthy but clearly greedy mule managed to wedge her head in the feeder and twist her body like a contortionist? “Ba ba sleeping?” suggested George. A permanent sleep, I thought grimly. I wondered about the best explanation to give a nearly two year-old. I decided to go with the truth but tried not to make a big deal about it.

In London my legal beagle daughter and children spent time in parks; now locked down on the farm, they often accompany me on lookering duties. Angus beams smiles and then generally falls asleep, but George is getting to grips with farming life. He has no fear of sheep or cattle; amusingly, he mimics calling them and then counting. In George’s eyes, though, livestock pale

into insignificance when compared to tractors and machinery.

The Londonites are soon to become Eastbournians as finally they have completed the selling and buying process, so they will soon be moving on.

Brie and I were both relieved when we successfully penned the flock for the first time post lambing. Admittedly we did have a little help. What better way to spend a bank holiday?

Strategically planned so that office working family wouldn’t miss the fun.

Immunising lambs with Ovivac P, dagging out a few ewes, worming ewes and lambs, applying Clik Extra to lambs and Ectofly to ewes; there’s no denying it’s hard work, chaotic and noisy, but immensely satisfying when the final sheep are released back into the field. As a bonus we managed to get an accurate count on numbers to keep the statisticians happy. At five weeks after lambing we had 1.8 live lambs per ewe. A good family bonding day I thought, so I can’t understand why the suggestion of cutting sheep numbers has re-emerged.

Attitude is a little thing that makes a big

> Guiding the heifer towards the pen

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difference. Since Covid-19 emerged, it’s been wonderful to witness a change in attitude towards the NHS. A long overdue appreciation for the service provided is good to see.

In the 30-plus years that I spent nursing in the emergency unit, I can recall several occasions when people were less than appreciative. One time when an elderly female farmer attended the department, the wait to see a doctor was longer than usual as they were all busy in the resuscitation room. In the minors’ area, investigations and observations had been done and I was inputting data into the computer when this spirited farmer suddenly blurted out: “You lot are a waste of space! I’ve been watching you and I wouldn’t employ not one of you on my farm.”

My colleagues were astounded, and they looked to me as a farmer to deal with this outburst. Unfortunately this lady (I use the term lightly) was in no mood to listen to explanations or reason and continued with a tirade of abuse.

She upset a colleague by telling her she was ugly. To make matters worse, when a doctor did arrive, to my dismay she refused to be seen by a ‘foreigner’. It was a truly shocking display

> What is this? Did I really produce this?

> Electric fence protection

> A rainbow for the NHS

of appalling behaviour, showing a total lack of social skills and respect. It possibly derived from spending too much time in her own company on the farm. My colleagues warned me to be careful in my old age not to turn out like this farmer and I promised faithfully to avoid doing so.

While working nights in A&E, I got to know several members of the police force and generally they were a good bunch, but as in all walks of life, there were exceptions. On the odd occasion I saw over exuberant practice. Luckily, as a nurse you can ask the police to leave your patient and wait outside. Deploying this tactic was in these instances extremely satisfying.

Witnessing the callous attitude of those policeman when they killed George Floyd was incredibly sad; surely no one could fail

L AN

> The lambs are growing

to be moved by the injustice of the situation.

It’s understandable that this incident has sparked deep emotions. I feel concern for the demonstrators’ health; they are at risk of catching Covid-19 by not social distancing. Anti-racism protesters wave banners stating “Black Lives Matter”; this should be indisputable. I hope that the authorities worldwide take action to rectify racial inequality.

I’ve given up on watching the news; too much negativity. This gains me some time, which is always in short supply. Legal Beagle daughter has given me a ‘things to do today book’ with priority, dealt with and follow-up sections.

I thought about this list when attempting to guide a young heifer into a pen that we’d quickly erected. Other half had commented two

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SUPPLY: All vines sourced through one partner nursery, • • GRAPEVINE GRAPEVINE SUPPLY • GRAPEVINE SUPPLY: All vines sourced through one partner nursery, Proven vine establishment over many years.

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months ago that three of our young heifers were ‘nurturing up’. Last year he said the same and we got the vet in to do pregnancy testing. The results were negative, but the bill wasn’t!

Not wanting a repeat performance, I dismissed his concerns. I contemplated this as I observed a calf’s nose and one leg gliding in and out with each contraction. The heifer needed assistance but wasn’t co-operating. Once penned we were able to help deliver a healthy calf. Managing time on the farm doesn’t always fit into convenient slots.

Update on the fox; we often glimpse him, just out of gunshot range, but my chickens are now protected by electric poultry netting. Good news, it’s rained; now perhaps the grass will grow and bulk up our silage and hay crops.

DUNCAN@MVM.UK.COM

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VITI-CULTURE LIVE!

TOP SPEAKERS AND SEMINARS The Viti-Culture LIVE! 2020 line-up boasts an unmissable schedule of top speakers and master classes, all available from the comfort of your home.

In 2019, the show was held for the first time at Plumpton College, but in response to the current

Seminar marquee Time

Subject

9.45

Key to managing nitrogen and iron applications in sparkling wine viticulture and the importance of foliar applied calcium in viticulture

Fabrice Cabot, agronomic advisor at Yara France

10.30

Romeo: A new innovative solution to control key foliar diseases

Damien Verger, global technical manager biocontrol at Agrauxine Ant Surrage, technical development specialist at Fargro

11.30

Yield forecasting: Getting it right

Greg Dunn, head of Plumpton Wine Division

12.00 13.30

Viticulture: Learning from experience

Richard Bampfield MW Stephen Skelton MW Matt Strugnell, vineyard and estate manager at Ridgeview Wine Estate

14.45

Choosing the right rootstock: intersection of sustainability, organoleptic potential and yield

Dr Askhay Baboo, programme manager for BSc, FdSc, Viticulture & Oenology at Plumpton College

An overview of the South American viticulture industry

Alexandre Macedo, technical and portfolio director for Yara UK

Social wine tasting event

Supported by: WineGB and Plumpton College.

20

15.00

19.00

Presenter

Giz Gaskin, fruit expert at Yara UK

situation the Viti-Culture team has created a first of its kind, online version of the event.

Viti-Culture LIVE! will now take place on 9 July, hosted from the viti-culture.com website. The event will showcase the same level of fantastic seminars and give attendees the opportunity to talk to exhibitors, using live chat to connect them on the day.

These virtual booths will remain live on the website until 31 December, something no other virtual show is offering currently.

The headline seminar will be presented by Master of Wine (MW) Richard Bampfield, joined by Stephen Skelton MW and vineyard manager at Ridgeview Matt Strugnell. The seminar, titled Viticulture: Tackling the Thorniest Issues, will see the trio discuss the biggest issues facing the UK wine industry.

There will be five other seminars throughout the day, with some outstanding speakers covering topics from protecting against diseases and getting your yield forecasting right to a look into the viticulture industry in South America.

The day will conclude with a social wine tasting hosted by Grape Vine Events, assisted by Plumpton College and Wine GB and some very special guests.

A host of show updates and announcements will also be made via Grape Vine Events’ newly launched forum for the industry at www.soil2cellar.com. The

Headline seminar

show is also offering vineyards free space on the website to create their own virtual cellar door, which will be especially useful for those who don’t have an online presence already.

Event organisers Grape Vine Events said: “What could be better than viewing the vast array of supplies and services available to viticulturists, attending high-level seminars and being able to view and shop at an array of UK vineyards’ virtual cellar doors all in one place?”

Whether you’re an established grower or interested in starting up, Viti-Culture provides the perfect opportunity to speak to experts about any aspect of wine production, from establishing a vineyard to packaging and marketing.

To access the seminars and exhibitors, keep checking the viti-culture.com website.

Pre-registration is now open.

TACKLING THE THORNIEST ISSUES

Richard Bampfield MW, Stephen Skelton MW and Ridgeview Wine Estate vineyard manager Matthew Strugnell will be tackling the topics of yield, frost prevention and weed, pest and disease control. This promises to be a session that should not to be missed by anyone in the industry looking to hear from those with very exceptional experience.

Richard Bampfield

Richard Bampfield passed his Master of Wine exam in 1990, having graduated in French from Cambridge in 1981, and decided the wine trade was where he could put the language to best use. Richard has worked around the world in vineyards and wine cellars, as well as managing retail wine shops in the North West of England for JW Lees Brewers.

After passing his MW, he joined the Australian producer Brown Brothers and managed their European operations until 1999. He left to set up his own company, specialising in public relations and offering wine talks, tours and courses. His clients include Lidl, Albert Bichot (Burgundy), Leith’s School of Food and Wine, Santa Rita (Chile) and Chateau Brown. Bampfield is a past Chairman of the Association of Wine Educators and was the European Champagne Ambassador 2009.

Giz Gaskin, Yara UK In this session, experts from chemical and fertiliser specialists Yara will present two sessions with a focus on understanding how certain chemicals can improve crops.

The first, called ‘Key to managing nitrogen and iron applications in sparkling wine viticulture’, will be presented by Fabrice Cabot from Yara France.

The second, called ‘The importance of foliure applied calcium in viticulture’, will be with Yara UK fruit expert Giz Gaskin, who has eight years of experience in the fruit industry both in the UK and abroad.

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Alexandre Macedo, Yara UK Yara UK technical and portfolio director Alexandre Macedo will also be presenting a seminar called ‘An overview of the South American viticulture industry’, giving an interesting and insightful look into how the industry works and lessons that can be learned.

PREVIEW

Stephen Skelton Stephen Skelton has been involved with growing vines and making wine since 1975.

He spent two years in Germany, working at Schloss Schönborn in the Rheingau and studying at Geisenheim, the world-renowned winegrowing and winemaking college, with the late Professor Helmut Becker. In 1977 he returned to the UK to establish the vineyards at Tenterden in Kent (now the home of the UK’s largest wine producer, Chapel Down Wines), and made wine there for 22 consecutive vintages. From 1988 to 1991 he was also winemaker and general manager at Lamberhurst Vineyards, at that time the largest winery in the UK. He now works as a consultant to vineyards and wineries in the UK and is currently setting up vineyards to produce sparkling wine.

Greg Dunn, Plumpton Wine Division In this first seminar from Plumpton College, head of its wine division Dr Greg Dunn will look at yield forecasting and how to get it right.

Having studied for a Doctorate in botany, Dr Dunn has spent the past two decades developing extensive international research experience and setting up education and industry networks through many collaborative and viticulturebased projects. He has worked for DPI Victoria, the University of Melbourne and the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre at Wagga Wagga, where he was deputy director. He also took on the role of associate editor and then deputy editor of the Australian Journal of Grape and Wine Research.

Dr Akshay Baboo, Plumpton College The second seminar of the day from Plumpton will be presented by Dr Akshay Baboo, programme manager for BSc, FdSc, viticulture and oenology, and is called ‘Choosing the right rootstock: Intersection of sustainability, organoleptic potential, and yield’.

Dr Baboo is an expert when it comes to rootstock, having completed his doctoral thesis based on work with 26 different commercial and three experimental rootstocks crosses, grown across three experimental sites in La Clape and Montpellier, France, in Milazzo, Italy and in Geisenheim, Germany.

This seminar, titled ‘Romeo: A new innovative solution to control key foliar diseases’, takes a look at a new and innovative way to control foliar fungal diseases such as botrytis, powdery mildew and downy mildew. As the session’s name suggests, this new product is called Romeo, a biofungicide based on cerevisane, and is developed by Fargo in partnership with Agrauxine. The seminar will be presented by global technical manager biocontrol at Agrauxine, Damien Verger, and technical development specialist at Fargo, Ant Surrage.

Ant Surrage, Fargro Ant Surrage has been with Fargo for two years and is currently at the forefront of integrating new technologies to optimise IPM programming and is working on several projects to further advance this field. These technologies range from biopesticides to the integration of data-driven solutions in crop protection and integrated pest management programming.

Damien Verger, Agrauxine Damien Verger is in charge of trials implementation and finding new targets for Agrauxine’s biocontrol range of products. After a year working for Bayer as a field experimental technician, he joined Agrauxine in late 2018 as technical support for the French commercial team.

He was then promoted to work internationally as technical manager.

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Matthew Strugnell, Ridgeview Wine Estate Ridgeview Wine Estate says that Matt is responsible for making sure they have the best grapes they need to produce fantastic wine.

He started working for Ridgeview in 2002 and is now responsible for all their vineyards, where he works tirelessly to ensure the highest quality fruit. He also provides valued advice and support to all Ridgeview’s partnership vineyards.

9th July 2020

190mm x 76mm

THEOnline OnlineEvent Eventfor forthe the THE WineIndustry!

Industry!

Wine

Media Sponsor:

www.viti-culture.com Main Sponsors:

Supported By:

Managed By:

VINEYARD for viticulturists in Great Britain ™

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T | J U LY 2 0 2 0

OUT AND ABOUT WITH NIGEL AKEHURST

MARRIED TO

THE MOB

Husband and wife team Sam and Becky Newington are the latest in a long line of Newingtons to farm at Burgham Farm, Etchingham. Sam’s ancestral forebear James took on the tenancy just over two centuries ago.

22

>> > Sam

Newington

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LIMDEN BROOK ORGANIC, EAST SUSSEX Sam and Becky Newington, who are equal partners in their regenerative farming business Limden Brook Organic, rear and finish store bullocks. Between them they manage over 160 hectares of permanent pasture, by mob grazing large groups of cattle.

WORK EXPERIENCE AND RETURNING TO THE HOME FARM

Growing up on the family farm, Sam enjoyed helping his parents with their dairy enterprise and from an early age knew he wanted to be a farmer.

After school he went to Plumpton College, where he received his agricultural diploma and commenced his

farming career working on local dairy farms. During his twenties he spent a couple of years working on farms abroad in New Zealand and Australia.

In 2012, he and his wife Becky moved to the family farm, by which time it was no longer a dairy farm since his parents had decided to get out of dairy in 2006, selling their organic dairy quota for a good price.

They initially worked alongside Sam’s father, rearing and finishing store cattle, but struggled to make the numbers stack up. His father decided to retire from farming, with Sam and Becky becoming tenants six years ago. >> With some uncertainly around farm

FARM FACTS • Husband and wife farming partnership • Home Farm – Burgham Farm in Etchingham – has 80 hectares of permanent grassland (40 of which are used for mob grazing and the other 40 for silage) owned by the family • Another 80 hectares of land are rented from Bellhurst Trust and adjacent landowner • A breeding flock of 120 ewes, with the majority of fat lambs going to Ashford Market, around 20 sold in boxes.

The flock was recently sold due to recurring foot issues.

• Finish 150 to 200 organic store animals at 24 to 26 months, mainly on grass with supplementary feeding of rolled wheat during the winter.

Majority sold to ABP. • Regenerative mob grazing, using one-hectare paddocks with electric fences and mobile water drag troughs, moving stock every 48 to 72 hours.

• Recently started selling 10kg beef boxes direct to the public under Limden Brook Organic brand • Sells 25 to 30 animals direct to butchers and other more established box scheme farmers • Contributes to grass check (www.grasscheckgb.co.uk) software to assist farmers with grazing management decisions • Trialing out-wintering small groups of cattle on thick covers on more freedraining blocks of land • Small to no capital investment in machinery, with all machinery work carried out by Southover contractors with the exception of a ’94 JCB for winter work costing approximately £10 per hour to run (including fuel and maintenance costs).

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T | J U LY 2 0 2 0

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OUT AND ABOUT WITH NIGEL AKEHURST << succession, they focused on building up their own stock, starting out with a small flock of around 120 old mule ewes. Over the years they have gradually built up their store bullock enterprise, buying in organic dairy bull calves to rear, as well as other older store bullocks to finish.

Last year they decided to get out of sheep, due to recurring foot issues, though Sam says they would like to start a new lower maintenance flock. “Ideally a self shedding breed with the aim of selling all the meat direct in boxes or individual cuts from the farm,” he added.

For now the focus is on improving their store bullock enterprise; a challenging business model to get right. “Six years ago we had a lot of problems and no solutions,” he admitted. In contrast, today he says they still have a lot of problems but a lot of solutions too, mainly down to the introduction of regenerative farming practices.

REGENERATIVE FARMING

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The catalyst for changing their grazing management was meeting up with mob graziers Fergus Henderson and David Cornforth on their farms in Sandhurst, Kent.

“It was fascinating just seeing what was possible with some infrastructure. Then everything I learned about regen ag (regenerative agriculture) and soil seemed to make a lot of sense,” he said.

For those unfamiliar with the term regenerative agriculture, the Rodale Institute, an American non-profit that supports research into organic farming, describes it succinctly as “a method of farming that improves the resources it uses, rather than destroying or depleting them”.

There is a growing movement of farmers and food producers globally who are beginning to recognise the importance of soil health, with more attention being paid to water management, fertiliser use and similar.

Their practices have also been hailed as potentially game changing in the climate crisis, helping pull carbon from the atmosphere and sequestering it in the ground.

Sam keeps his own carbon footprint low by not buying machinery that would stand idle for much of the time. Apart from a 1994 JCB he uses for winter work, he owns nothing, instead relying on Southover Contractors, a company that has looked after the family business since 1972.

In Sam and Becky’s case, the family farming journey outlined in Gabe Brown’s seminal book Dirt to Soil really resonated, prompting them to learn more about the microbiology of their soil and how changing their grazing practices could improve their farm.

MOB GRAZING

In practical terms, Sam and Becky keep the majority of their cattle in two large mobs of

between 70 and 90 animals in relatively small paddocks, moving them on every 48 to 72 hours.

On the home farm they have a grazing platform of about 40 hectares and the average paddock size is one hectare, with most of the paddocks adjustable in size depending on cattle demand and feed availability.

They are currently going into a paddock at 3000kg dry matter and out at 2000kg dry matter, and Sam admits that due to the dry conditions there is less cover than he would ideally like.

The key to getting this grazing system right is in the planning and setup. Sam measures his grass using a plate meter to determine how much dry matter he has available and records the data into his Agrinet app (grassland management software) on his phone.

He is also part of the Grass Check program, a group of around 50 pioneering farms across the UK that are measuring grass growth rates and analysing their soil. Live data from these farms can be seen on the grass check website (www.grasscheckgb.co.uk) which includes soil temperature and local weather conditions.

Sam explained that in theory the cattle should eat a third, trample a third and leave a third before moving to a fresh paddock.

He believes it’s important to move the cattle on before they have a chance to eat the grass down below the ankle. “Leaving a healthy residual results in a quicker regrowth,” he commented It was fascinating to witness Sam moving his group of 71 cattle on the home farm. It was a quick and effortless process, with all the animals remaining very calm and moving from one paddock to the next in less than five minutes.

As with most things, infrastructure plays an

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important role. Sam sources all his electric fencing and water kit from Kiwitech, one of the leading manufacturers of equipment for grass ‘pastoral’ farmers.

The better the infrastructure the less time it takes him to set up the paddocks. “It takes me 20 minutes to check fences, move the water trough and set up temporary fences if I need to. I can plan a week ahead but normally do five days to make better use of time,” he said.

Asked about the benefits of mob grazing over set stocking, he explained: “You don’t have cattle grazing regrowth, which happens at anything over three days, so you are getting better grass utilisation and maximising dry matter yield.”

Sam and Becky have also found they are able to turn out earlier and not house them until later in the autumn/winter (depending on weather conditions).

Another advantage of a longer rotation is making the land more drought resilient and helping extend grazing into winter. They are also beginning to see small improvements in the soil year on year.

This year they turned out in February by protecting their minimum grass cover to give them maximum growth in early spring when the grass is at its most nutritious. Interestingly Sam said it takes cattle up to six weeks to adapt from the winter sheds to grass, so the sooner they can be turned out the better the daily live weight gains are.

This winter he experimented with out-wintering a small group of cattle. He pointed to a few of the out-wintered ones amongst the larger group. They certainly looked to have more condition than similar cattle that were housed.

Following Sam around the pasture, he stopped to inspect several cowpats, kicking off the dry crust to reveal dung beetles busy at work. He said that it can

LIMDEN BROOK ORGANIC, EAST SUSSEX > Sam

Newington

> Fiberglass

electric fence posts from Kiwitech

> Muck

from the cattle sheds, which Sam turns regularly with his JCB

> Sam

demonstrating how flexible his sprung electric wire is

take as little as three days for them to completely obliterate the dung and take it down into the soil, all part of a healthy soil web. It’s interesting to note that a teaspoon of healthy soil contains more bacteria than there are people on the planet.

Earlier in the year a PhD student recorded dung beetle numbers and activity on the farm, while a visit from a group of dragonfly enthusiasts resulted in a mention in the nationwide Dragonfly Newsletter.

Sam was also invited to the Sussex Wildlife Trust conference as one of its farmer experts talking about mob grazing to ecologists. Sam was pleased to report that most of them were not anti-food production and were in favour of regenerative farming practices.

BUILDING A BRAND AND SELLING DIRECT To help build up their direct meat box sales, Sam and Becky recently had a professional logo designed to reflect their name and farming practices. The logo depicts the Limden river that

runs through the farm and the mob of cattle with a flock of swallows following them. The next step is to launch a website, which they are working on themselves. Readers can also follow their journey on instagram via @samnewington.

It’s early days, but so far they have sold a couple of their animals in 10kg beef boxes, as well as selling between 25 and 30 animals direct to local butchers and other farmers selling to the public. This is something they are keen to expand on.

FARMER TO FARMER LEARNING

For other farmers looking to learn more about box sales and grazing management, Sam recommends joining the Pasture for Life Association (PFLA) discussion group. Farmers don’t have to be 100% grass fed to join the group and Sam said he had found many of the topics discussed in the forum very helpful.

Sam and Becky are not PFLA certified because they have to buy in rolled organic wheat to feed

during the winter months, alongside hay and silage. Without this they wouldn’t be able to maintain the energy level requirements needed, especially for some of the larger framed dairy crosses, effectively preventing animals going backwards.

ON BREXIT AND COVID-19

Sam said he had no idea how Brexit or Covid-19 would work out for farming, but he’s ready to evolve the farm as it unfolds.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

In the short to medium term, Sam and Becky are passionate about refining and implementing regenerative farming practices on their farm with the ultimate goal of increasing their stocking density as they continue to improve grass yields. Sam said they would also like to start a suckler beef herd one day, too. I look forward to following their progress and catching up with them in the future.

Southover Contractors For quality work at competitive prices • Grass silage, hay making • Combining, maize silage • Full range of baling • Winter cultivations • All muck spreading

Share Farming and Contract Farming also available

Andrew Moderski 01435 882284 / 07860 395351 Alex Moderski 07850 469261 TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T | J U LY 2 0 2 0

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TIMBER

FEATURED COMPANY:

BUY LARGE QUAN STANDINGARE TIM A

S

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UTH Unmanaged AST woodl BUY Overstood coppice starting OF Timber growth stopped due to m

FORESTRY

TREES CAN BE FELLED South East Forestry can help with your woodland management needs and provide economic returns.

WITH THE END USER IN MIND We are looking to purchase large volumes of woodland grown standing timber from unmanaged and managed woodlands.

South East Forestry: We

• • • • •

All ha Oak, Sycam Thinn All so Fellin wood

buy – W

woodla Call John Davies Unmanaged on 01580 81917 Overstood coppice starting www.southeastforest

Timber growth stopped due to mu

26

It takes years of practice to be able to walk through woodland and spot potential uses for the timber it contains – and a particularly experienced eye for business to know exactly who is likely to buy it.

That combination of knowledge, experience and careful research allows Staplehurst-based South East Forestry to pay the best possible price for standing timber and guarantee woodland owners a good return as well as professional results.

The secret to the company’s success lies not just in the experience and expertise built up over the years

by Jonathan Davies, his wife Cassandra and business partner Dave Holmes, but in the meticulous planning that goes on long before the first tree is felled – and their practical knowledge means the plan will be realistic and achievable.

“We look at the operation from a practical point of view based on years of experience,” explained Jonathan, who met Dave at Plumpton College and

worked alongside him for a local timber contractor before they left to set up South East Forestry 11 years ago.

“Knowing what is logistically and economically viable is vital if the end result is to be successful, so we make sure that even before we start we know who will be buying many of the trees we fell and what they will be used for.”

That means the trees can be felled with the end user in mind, often cut to particular lengths or dimensions and left stacked ready to be collected from the site. Meanwhile anything not immediately saleable can be brought back to the woodyard and dealt with in slower time, with the poorest wood ending up as wood chip or firewood.

“Nothing is wasted, which means we can pay good prices for standing timber, and where we have an end-user lined up for furniture or construction, we are extending its useful life and keeping the carbon locked up for much longer,” Jonathan commented.

> Andy Thorpe, Andrew Turner, Jonathan Davies, Cassandra Davies and Dave Holmes

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“Having our own large, well-equipped yard means • All ha South East Forestry can help with • Oak, your woodland management that we can store the remainder here until weneeds can Horn and provide economic returns.

• Thinn find an end user for it, leavingWethe cleared area are looking to purchase largetidy. volumes • All so of woodland grown standing timber from • Fellin unmanaged back and managed woodlands.

“We can bring trees with defects to the yard, your store them and then take our time to salvage and We buy – W South East Forestry: John on 01580 819179 sell the quality wood from theCall trunk asDavies a whole, www.southeastforestr adding the rest to our firewood stock,” he explained.

“Again, it means we can use as much of the timber as possible.”

Not only does the South East Forestry team have good contacts with timber buyers, it has also built up a good relationship with the Forestry Commission and local authorities over many years, too. It means the company can arrange felling licences efficiently and understands and respects constraints such as SSSI regulations and Tree Preservation Orders.

“We will walk the site with the woodland owner, discuss what he wants to achieve, work out a practical plan and obtain the necessary felling licences,” said Jonathan. “We will meanwhile talk to our buyers and

S

make sure we have an end use in mind for every tree we fell.”

Dave added: “Our customer base and our experience means we can make woodland that landowners have previously been told is unworkable, economically viable. We have the right kit, the right market and the right approach.”

It is a highly professional and skilled operation and one which allows the company to maximise the return from standing timber and pay the landowner accordingly. The focus on finding buyers for the quality timber not only increases its value but benefits the environment by extending the carbon life of the timber.

“It’s good for the landowner, good for the woodland and good for the environment,” said Jonathan, who explained that working areas of unmanaged or previously neglected woodland helped biodiversity, encouraged new growth, let in more light and provided new areas in which insects and butterflies could flourish.

South East Forestry has several purpose-built timber harvesting and extracting machines and looks after every contract from start to finish, with no outside labour involved.

“We do all the work ourselves and we are always around if the farmer or landowner has any queries at the time or later,” said Jonathan. “We don’t sub-contract any part of the process, so we are in

complete control of the operation from the initial walk through the woodland to the final tidy-up – and we are proud of the way we leave our sites.”

Alongside its investment in knowledge over the years, the business has invested heavily in forestry and timber equipment, including the impressive saw used in the yard by sawyer Andrew Turner to convert unsaleable timber brought back to the yard into a saleable product.

Because South East Forestry knows the end use of timber before it begins cutting, the price is fair and fixed. “We’ve already factored in any unusable or rotten trees and so we know the value and agree the price with the woodland owner in advance,” said Jonathan.

The team also has the equipment, experience and safety procedures in place to fell woods affected by ash dieback. “We are used to working with dangerous trees; anyone who isn’t is running a real risk trying to fell timber that is likely to break or drop a limb at any minute,” said Dave.

South East Forestry works across Kent, Surrey and Sussex and is interested in standing woodlands of a hectare or more containing oak, sweet chestnut, ash, sycamore, silver birch and all other hard and soft woods. The business offers a free site appraisal and is currently looking for farmers who would like to earn money from previously unmanaged or overstood woodland areas.

UTH

EAST

FORESTRY ARE LOOKING TO PURCHASE LARGE QUANTITIES OF STANDING TIMBER

27

Unmanaged woodland ?

Overstood coppice falling over ?

Timber growth stopped due to too much competition?

South East Forestry can provide financial returns from unmanaged, neglected and managed woodland We are looking to purchase large volumes of woodland grown standing timber.

• All hardwood species sought • Species of particular interest: Oak – Ash – Sweet Chestnut Walnut – Hornbeam –Sycamore...

• All softwood species sought • Felling licences arranged by ourselves • Grant assisted work carried out

South East Forestry: We buy – We fell – We sell timber

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

Call John Davies on 01580 819179 or 07759 567801 www.southeastforestry.co.uk

CONTRACTOR

BIG FAN OF HAY

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While farming has seen many changes over the decades, one thing hasn’t altered in many centuries, particularly not in this part of the world.

“We’ve reared animals, grown new crops, tried lots of different farming methods and abandoned plenty, too, but hay-making has been going on for hundreds of years,” explained Oliver Field, who expects to cut 3,000 acres of the crop this year.

“It’s a naturally occurring crop, it supports wildlife, it’s increasingly in demand and when you compare it to cereals it offers a decent return for a much lower level of input. It’s almost as if nature is telling us something,” he added.

Oliver is clearly a big fan of hay, though that should come as no surprise, given his single-minded focus on proving himself the most reliable hay-making contractor in the business – and while diversification offers new opportunities for many farmers and landowners, it’s not something he has ever considered.

“I’ve always made hay, either as a contractor or for myself, and I’ve never been tempted to do anything else,” he said. “There’s an increasing demand for it, I have years of experience and I have a reputation for doing a good job. As the saying goes: ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’.”

Oliver, who trades as O J Field and works out of Hill Farm, Pulborough and Wattlehurst Farm in Dorking, studied at Cirencester Agricultural College from the age of 19 to 21 and left with a BSc Honours Degree in agriculture and land and farm management.

He had an ambition to become a farming contractor and began by working at some of the local farms at which he had helped out in his teens. He bought a second-hand tractor at the age of 22 and did some small-scale contracting work, mainly mowing and making hay, along with livestock work in the winter.

It was then that his future revealed itself. “I realised when I made hay it always sold well, it was relatively simple to make – providing you keep an eye on the weather – and there was a big market for it. That became my business model and I have followed it ever since,” he said.

Although the business model in its broadest sense may not have changed, it has

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certainly been fine-tuned over the years, with support from the Laurence Gould Partnership playing a major part in a recent revamp of his approach.

While Oliver still makes hay – and on a bigger scale than ever before – he no longer owns all his machinery and uses sub-contractors to avoid the depreciation associated with buying new kit. Much of the work is now done by business partner Brian Bletchley, who also runs a groundworks contracting business and has worked alongside Oliver for several years.

“I really wish I had met up with Robin Hobson and Matt Dibble at the Laurence Gould Partnership ten years ago,” he revealed. “They have really helped me to transform my business.”

In about 2005 Oliver, then 25, rented a farm near Horsham in West Sussex and for the next eight years he made hay across the whole site, selling that crop for himself while also making hay for others.

“I found myself getting busier and busier,” he recalled. “I put an ad in the local paper and that was enough to drive lots of sales. I stuck to big bales rather than smaller ones as they were easier to manage and needed less manpower.

“I used to deliver to horse yards in Sussex and Surrey, but after a while I got bored rolling 350kg bales off a trailer and into the back of someone’s shed and so I decided to go for a larger scale operation.”

It was at that point that Oliver began selling hay by the lorry load, and still found that he couldn’t keep up with demand. He began baling with a partner, and when that ended he teamed up with Brian, whose successful groundworks business gave him an opportunity to invest in baling and wrapping machinery and move into agriculture.

“We have never looked back,” Oliver said. “The partnership works really well, and we are cutting 3,000 acres of hay this year. It’s just taken off.”

While he makes it sound easy, Oliver confirmed that he faces “enormous competition” from other contractors and succeeds by a combination of reliability and experience. “And I don’t make false promises,” he added. “If I know I can’t cut your hay until next week I won’t spin you a yarn about turning up this week and then ring up to apologise on the day.”

His reliability is anchored in using new, quality machinery, with R W Crawford in Billingshurst supplying and maintaining his “bombproof” Valtra N174 tractor,

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which benefits from an impressive 200hp, and Olivers of Petworth supplying his Claas hay-making machinery.

“You really can’t hang around in a field waiting for someone to mend broken kit when you are trying to make the most of a weather window to make hay,” Farm XS Standard 1/8 Page Advert.indd 1 said Oliver, who also sells some hay in bulk through hay, straw and agricultural merchants Abbott & Co (Wessex). “You need kit that doesn’t break down and you need reliable back-up for the odd occasions when something does go wrong.”

Oliver is particularly impressed with Claas, which supplies most parts the same day. “I have only ever had to wait once for something to be flown in from Hamburg, and even that arrived by 8am the next day,” he recalled. “It’s just amazing how they can do that.”

New & Used Sales Having cut down on buying new machinery on the advice of Robin Hobson >>

17/03/2016 16:41

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CONTRACTOR

FEATURED COMPANY: OJ FIELD > A New Holland T7 225 pulling a McHale 998 Square Bale Wrapper, and a Fendt 724 Vario pulling a New Holland Big Baler

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> Oliver

mows a client’s field in his Valtra, fitted with a Claas 3200FC Disco

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<< at the Laurence Gould Partnership, Oliver now only owns the tractor, a loader, two mowers and two 12-metre hay turners, or tedders. “You can’t mess around with a small turner. Grass needs turning at least once every 24 hours and the bigger the turner, the more ground you can cover,” he pointed out.

Oliver certainly needed large-scale equipment when he began making hay at Dunsfold Aerodrome, near Waverley in Surrey, a site which itself supports between 2,000 and 3,000 bales a year, but while the aerodrome contract saw the business take off, it was a call in 2017 that really made a difference.

“I had a call from the Laurence Gould Partnership in Burgess Hill asking me if I would make 1,000 acres of organic hay for them at the Vachery Estate in Cranleigh, which they were managing,” Oliver recalled.

“Naturally I said yes, I did the job and I made a profit for them,” he said. “I was told later it was unusual to make that level of profit on that land, which may have surprised them, but it didn’t surprise me. Compared with the cost of cereal production and the low profit margins, it’s becoming increasingly attractive for farmers in Sussex and Surrey to return fields to grass and cut it for hay.”

The partnership was so impressed that Oliver was soon offered more estate work, and in January this year Robin Hobson invited him to Burgess Hill, where the company offered to act on behalf of O J Field and look after some of Oliver’s business decisions so that he could spend his time doing what he does best –

making hay. It also gives him more time at home with wife Emma and their four children.

“Laurence Gould now has a reliable contractor for the estates they manage and for their other clients and in return they keep my costs, overheads and business decisions under review. They have taken away a lot of the risk by sharing the experience they have in making those kinds of decisions,” said Oliver.

“They effectively risk-assess what I do as well as negotiating with landowners for me. It was Robin and Matt who pointed out that owning machines was not cost-effective because of the depreciation involved and suggested I use Brian as my main sub-contractor.”

Since Brian also uses modern, well-maintained equipment, the business is able to offer a reliable service, without the stress of unexpected breakdowns. “Crawfords are very responsive if I do have a problem, and any machinery issues are fixed within the hour,” he said. “The Claas machinery is renowned for being good quality and Olivers is as reliable as the kit it sells.”

While clearly delighted with the input from his new colleagues in Burgess Hill, Oliver also paid tribute to the support he has received over the years from Kevin Church of Hill Farm, Pulborough, saying simply: “Without his help and advice I’m not sure I’d be where I am now.”

Oliver’s successful business has supplied hay to buyers as far away as Malta, with west Wales, Cornwall and Scotland also good markets. “It’s a

relatively cheap feed source compared with grain and offers good feed value,” he said. “There is a big demand for it, particularly from areas that don’t have the climate to grow it as successfully as we do here.”

While Oliver also supplies haylage and can wrap bales if conditions are wet, he believes farmers are becoming less keen on using it because of the high plastic use, high cost and because they can’t see the quality of what has been made before buying it. He prefers to make the most of modern technology to keep a close eye on the weather and literally make hay while the sun shines.

Despite already making 3,000 acres this year, Oliver is confident that he can continue growing the business and is keen to hear from farmers needing his services or landowners with sites for rent. “I’m always looking for more opportunities – more farmers wanting hay to be made, more customers to buy it and more land to make it on,” he commented.

He believes the move away from plastic-wrapped bales and the increasing demand for hay from organic grassland to support grass-fed beef cattle all reflect a shift towards a greener approach to the countryside from environmentally aware farmers and landowners.

It’s a view that ties in with his observation that while new crops are sometimes challenging, hay-making has continued down through the centuries. “Perhaps nature is starting to reclaim the land,” he concluded.

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FARMING DOWN THE RIVER 32

As farmers we seem to be forever moaning about the weather. When we have rain it needs to be sunny and when we have sun it needs to be raining. Fortunately this year has been an excellent year for the silaging process (so far!).

The yields have been down on last year but thankfully we live in the South East and not up north, where I believe their yields are vastly reduced and their crops are in desperate need of a drink. Having looked at our arable crops this week, straw will be in short supply going forward. Second quality straw has been selling for around £55/ton and first quality is even more. I would think the crops are around seven to 10 days further on than usual.

Is life returning to some sort of normality? We are back to the politicians speaking utter rubbish most of the time and the infighting is back with a vengeance. I try to avoid the news if at all possible.

Government plans have taken a U-turn on opening all schools in July; they hope they will restart in September, but only time will tell. I, for one, will be sending my children back to school when the politicians go back to Parliament. Travel companies have had an upsurge in bookings for holidays to the Mediterranean. Clearly the general public are not reading the same articles that I am regarding travel.

Lockdown continues, albeit in a different format.

Shops are allowed to reopen with the relevant ‘social distancing’ guidelines and we are all acclimatising to the ‘new norm’. Back to the good old tradition of queuing in a line. I find it easier to pop to the shops approximately 10 minutes before closing as we never seem to queue. The children are still home-schooling and farm life continues. The

sheep have been shorn and seem to be very grateful to have their jackets off.

While not perfect, I think the Government has managed Covid-19 with amazing strength and resilience, but unfortunately as Covid-19 was in full swing the government managed to slip in the huge issue of selling British farming down the river. Ministers refused to accept the principle of a key amendment to the Agriculture Bill. Neil Parrish MP had asked that the UK should insist on the same welfare and food standards/safety rules for imports as it imposes for its own farmers and factories. It would have put into law what former DEFRA secretary Michael Gove had promised, that Britain would lead the world in animal welfare and food safety. Instead we are now going into trade negotiations having told the rest of the world that we won’t insist on proper agricultural standards or environmental rules.

This means that British farmers may well be expected to produce food to a higher standard than other countries at the same price. We could be about to open the floodgates to a whole raft of food that would be illegal to produce in the UK. What a way to repay farmers; by importing lower-standard goods that potentially steal market share.

Despite their claims, in the USA the farming sector is heavily subsidised, not in the form of payments like us, but often in the form of rescue packages. Importing heavily subsidised food at a time when our government is abolishing subsidies here would mean sending food to Britain at an artificially low price to undercut our farmers and food manufacturers. The USA also has much lower welfare standards than we have to adhere to.

The good news announced this week is that the

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Government will impose a tax on substandard food being imported into the country.

I watched the news with disgust regarding the rioting in various cities around the country, protesting about the treatment of George Floyd.

While I am very supportive of peaceful protest, I cannot condone the violence, looting and destruction of people’s possessions and public property. We have all strived so hard throughout these weeks in an attempt to eradicate coronavirus, and two or three days could have destroyed everybody’s hard work.

Ted would appear to be rather partial to a few videos on YouTube of “cattle loading”. We’ve all sat down to watch them with him and we’ve all found them fascinating. I know they have the country and the open road and the difference in the way they transport their animals is interesting; a journey of 10 to 17 hours doesn’t seem to faze them much.

Who knew that Saturday night television could be revamped in such a way in our household? It was lovely to social distance with family in the garden recently. Three months seemed like an age not to see our family, especially when you are only three.

Sadly, at the end of June we said farewell to a valued member of staff who retires from the team after 49 years’ service. Quite an achievement, and in today’s work environment this situation must be rare.

ANITA HEAD Farmer

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NEW HEADQUARTERS

IMPRESSIVE

NEW HEADQUARTERS

There are few landlords who would allow the incoming tenant to drill more than 30,000 holes in the roof of a brand new building immediately after it’s been finished, but that was just one of many examples of close co-operation during the construction of Berry Gardens’ impressive new headquarters in Redwall Lane, Linton.

On paper, the scheme to provide a new 200,000 sq ft chilled store, packhouse and office accommodation for the growers’ co-operative looked far from straightforward. Main contractor Civils Contracting Ltd was asked to design and build both the shell for the landlord and the extensive fit-out for the client at the same time, while project manager Page Surveyors was engaged by both landlord and client.

Planning permission was never going to be easy either, given that, in the words of project manager Duncan Pierce, “it’s a building you can almost see from space sat in a green field just below the Greensand Ridge”.

But despite the challenges – including the

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holes to allow BeBa Energy UK to provide a groundbreaking, one Megawatt solar PV system on the brand new roof – the state-of-the-art building was finished early and handed over on time and on budget.

As Duncan Pierce explained: “The co-operation and the give-and-take was extraordinary. From that point of view this was a dream project from start to finish, and in my view is an example of how things should be done.”

Paul Medhurst, Managing Director and joint owner of Civils Contracting, which came in for particular praise from Duncan, agreed with the verdict. “We smiled at the start of the project and we were still smiling when we finished,” he said. “The contract stayed in the drawer – I don’t think anyone even looked at it, as nobody raised any issues throughout the progress of the job.”

The planners were smiling, too, thanks to some win-win value engineering by Civils at the start of the process. “This was a big building on greenbelt land on a hill,” Paul explained. “We realised that by

dropping the building another five or six metres into the ground, we could lower its profile significantly to considerably reduce its impact on the landscape.

“At the same time, we used specialist techniques to engineer the spoil we took out and turn it into suitable foundation material that we could re-use for the building, essentially equalising the cut and the fill,” he explained.

“In essence we use a big cake mixer and add the right ingredients to the spoil to mix it up before compacting it, spreading it and testing it. It’s a highly specialised approach that involves lots of laboratory testing but has a number of advantages.

“It meant we didn’t saturate Redwall Lane with lorries taking spoil away or with other lorries bringing in the new material we would otherwise have needed. It also meant we didn’t send anything to landfill or quarry anything out of the ground, which is environmentally a much better approach.”

As well as encouraging Maidstone Borough Council planners to back the scheme, roughly halving vehicle movements and protecting the >>

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NEW HEADQUARTERS

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<< environment, dropping the building into the ground in this way knocked around 10% off the cost of the shell, saving Alan Firmin something like £1 million, Paul said.

It wasn’t only the foundations of the building that involved ‘chemistry’, in Paul’s view. The success of the complex project itself relied on “a real chemistry between all those involved – the landowners, planners, architects, contractors, specialist sub-contractors, client and everyone else who played a part”.

That chemistry produced a new building that has more than impressed Berry Gardens CEO Nick Allen, who first put the idea forward in 2015, when he was Financial Director of the company, then based across the road from the new building at Ware’s Farm.

“Business was booming as part of an upturn in soft fruit, with 10% to 15% growth year on year, and so I knew we would be at capacity within two or three years. We were in an old building that had been developed and expanded in piecemeal fashion and was a bit of a rabbit warren.

“It was inefficient, the technology was outdated,

particularly in terms of the cold storage, and so we knew we needed to up our game and create a purpose-built new facility that would allow us to streamline our processes,” Nick said.

The other issue was that the head office team, including the marketing, accounts and other support staff, were all based in a different office in Tatlingbury Oast, Five Oak Green, which the company knew was far from ideal in terms of building team spirit.

A few short years later, and having recently been appointed CEO, Nick looked back on a successful project that had delivered a high-tech, energy efficient building, streamlined production and brought the entire team under one, solar PV-covered route.

“It’s amazing that we held a leaving do for Nicholas (former CEO Nicholas Marston) on this very spot in 2017 and now we are sitting here in a brand new, purpose-built facility that has exceeded all our expectations,” he said.

Bringing the team together has been hugely successful. “It’s boosted communications across the team, got everybody engaged and resulted in the

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non-operational staff becoming far more passionate about fruit, something that was, to them, previously just a product,” said Nick. “If you can generate an emotional attachment to what you are selling, it can transform the business, and that’s what has been happening since the team came together at the end of 2019.”

After looking at a number of sites and exploring many options, the company found themselves back where they started, looking at a green field site owned by Alan Firmin Ltd opposite their existing base.

“It had a number of advantages,” Nick explained.

“We already had good transport links and we were close to our growers, which allows us to rapidly cool fruit soon after it has been picked. Our import supply chain routes are good and as a farming co-operative we wanted to stay in a rural area rather than on an industrial estate, which simply wouldn’t have worked for us.

“Naturally it took a while to get planning permission, but once the building was redesigned to give it a lower profile, Maidstone Council proved supportive. It is highly rated from an environmental

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point of view, we have one MW of solar PV on the roof, a biodiversity site behind the building and two ‘green walls’.”

Berry Gardens Supply Chain Director Duncan Mills added: “We organise litter sweeps with Linton Parish Council, we’ve invited local people to visit and there is more landscaping to come. Alan Firmin Ltd, our landlord, is committed to planting thousands

of trees on the site and we will soon be even less visible.”

Duncan recalled that when parish council chairman Bernard Cresswell first visited the company to talk about the plans, he told them: “We want you to disappear”. “He wasn’t being rude,” Duncan explained. “He just wanted the building to have as little visual impact as possible. He has since

written a very supportive article about the finished scheme.”

The impressive building, which measures 150 metres by 100 metres and has an additional 4,000 square metres of mezzanine floor space for the office staff alongside new canteen and welfare facilities, is also designed to be ‘zero waste to landfill’. >>

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NEW HEADQUARTERS v

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CROWNING GLORY While the technology inside the groundbreaking new Berry Gardens building at Redwall Lane is impressive, the technology on the outside is equally state-of-the-art.

The building’s crowning glory – literally as well as figuratively – may well be the solar PV system, the largest in Kent to take advantage of innovative technology that is set to increase its performance by a significant margin.

The 993.85 kW array designed and installed

by BeBa Energy UK to serve the head office, packhouse and cold storage facility benefits from the latest developments in solar, making it the largest optimised system in the county and one of the largest of its kind in the UK. While most solar PV installations group rooftop panels into ‘strings’ of up to 24, a combination of smart hardware and software used at Berry Gardens allows the panels, manufactured by JA Solar, to operate independently of each other.

The optimisation technology, developed by SolarEdge, ensures that one dirty or below-par panel does not affect the performance of the rest

of the string.

BeBa Energy UK director Shaun Beattie, one of the UK’s leading commercial rooftop solar developers, has calculated that the SolarEdge technology will give the 3,614-panel, one MW system a 6.6% increase in performance.

The installation, which generates enough solar energy, to run 237 four-bedroomed homes for a year, has already proved its worth, delivering more power than the building uses even under commercial load, with the excess being sold to the National Grid.

“We decided to install an optimised system at Berry Gardens because the building has a stateof-the-art monitoring system that will allow the company to make full use of the additional data it generates,” said Shaun.

“It has also helped to future-proof the system, because as energy storage comes on line in the next few years, the business will have the right level of historical data at its fingertips to allow it to make an informed choice on the use of new battery technology.”

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Shaun paid tribute to the team that delivered the building, again praising the co-operation that was the hallmark of the project. “It was also very clear that the team at Berry Gardens was fully behind solar PV and totally invested in what we were doing,” he said. “This was no tick-box exercise to boost Berry Gardens’ green credentials but something they believed in passionately. It was a pleasure to work with them on the project.”

The solar project follows a smaller, 80 kW solar PV system developed for Berry Gardens by Shaun in 2014, and has made a huge difference to the growers’ co-operative’s carbon footprint, taking an estimated 292,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere in a year.

“The fruit industry knows how important it is to be environmentally aware, cut carbon emissions, reduce costs and achieve energy security,” said Shaun.

“Solar PV is ideally suited to fruit growers as their peak energy demand is in the summer, when the system produces the greatest amount of

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‘free’ electricity. Solar PV installations also make commercial sense, with the payback period on this scheme being less than six-and-a-half years.”

With the planning process always important, and having played a critical part in the Redwall Lane scheme in particular, Shaun pointed out that planners were increasingly keen to promote sustainable development. “The solar PV element was a real consideration in the decision to approve this new building,” he added.

“It’s also interesting that Berry Gardens is a long-term tenant on the Redwall Lane site, which is owned by Alan Firmin Ltd, which challenges the perception that it can be difficult for tenants to go down the solar route.

“In this case, working with Firmin was very straightforward. The collaboration between the landlord, project managers Page Surveyors, main contractor Civils Contracting Ltd and Berry Gardens was first class and made our job remarkably straightforward.”

Duncan Pierce, from project managers Page Surveyors, added: ”We did a lot of work with BeBa Energy UK, Civils and Berry Gardens to forecast the energy usage of the completed building so that the size of the array would maximise the return on investment.

“Cold storage and office applications such as this, with a heavy summer load but also with consistent year-round demand, are ideal for solar

PV and give an effective return on investment even without the now-defunct Feed in Tariff. As project managers we were also keen to procure a high quality, safe, timely and error-free installation, and that’s what BeBa delivered.”

The system will now be part of BeBa Energy UK’s 400-system management portfolio, which will ensure it performs at an optimum level for the next 25 years. The Hemel-Hempstead-based company is a well-respected name in solar PV. “BeBa Energy UK prides itself on delivering carefully researched, tailored advice to companies looking to install solar power, giving businesses the information they need to make a sensible and informed decision,” Shaun concluded.

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WE BUILD IDEAS Bauvill successfully completed the fit-out of the new office space for Berry Gardens at their new site at Wares Farm.

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NEW HEADQUARTERS

WORKFLOW AT ITS HEART Project manager Duncan Pierce explained that as well as more space, greater efficiency and newer systems, Berry Gardens had wanted a building “built from scratch that could be designed with workflow at its heart” – which is exactly what design and build contractors Civils Contracting have created.

“The fruit is delivered at one end, moves straight to the chilled storage area, from there into the packhouse and directly on to the despatch area,” Duncan explained. Because the despatch area only needed to be of limited height, the mezzanine floor sits over the top of it.

Page Surveyors had worked with Civils previously and brought the Tonbridge, Kent, design and build specialists in because it was confident the contractor would be flexible enough to contribute to developing the brief whie keeping control of the specification and consequently the costs.

Civils Contracting went on to provide the complete ‘turnkey’ package – after first cutting the costs, helping to solve the planning issue, improving the building’s ‘green’ credentials and halving the number of lorry movements affecting neighbours in Redwall Lane and beyond.

“We pride ourselves as a hands-on design and build contractor that can solve problems,” Paul Medhurst explained. “Some companies think ‘value engineering’ just means getting a couple more quotes for a lower specification, but we have the skills and background to generate clever solutions to all manner of construction problems.

“What is important is that we are a design AND

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build company. We don’t just ask a consultant to give us a design to build from. We ‘own’ the design and work collaboratively with design specialists to solve problems and develop cost-effective solutions. Above all we have a passion to deliver solutions in partnership with the client.”

The contractual arrangements could have been complicated, with Civils providing the shell of the building and the drainage, external work and landscaping for landlords Alan Firmin while also carrying out the internal fit out for Berry Gardens, but with collaboration very much the name of the game it all ran smoothly. The building was delivered early – “despite horrendous weather”, as Paul Medhurst recalled – and fitted out on time.

“It’s always easy working with Page Surveyors and this project was no different,” he said. “There were no showstoppers and if anything needed sorting it was just ‘all hands on deck’ to get it done.

We’re very proud of it, it looks better even than we expected and I understand that the council is also very impressed.”

Another potential complication was the impressive, state-of-the-art solar PV system installed on the roof by BeBa Energy UK Ltd. The 993.85 kW array is the largest optimised system in the county, using technology developed

by SolarEdge to ensure that if the performance of any one of the panels, manufactured by JA Solar, falls below par, it does not affect the performance of the rest of that particular string.

“The solar PV plans meant that even before the building was officially handed over to Firmins, the

tenants were asking for permission to drill just over 30,000 holes in the roof so that BeBa Energy UK could fix the 3,614 panels,” said Duncan Pierce.

“It could have been a legal and logistical headache, but Michael and Paul Firmin were great to work with and BeBa Director Shaun Beattie did a great job of reassuring the landlord that the mounting system would not affect the building’s warranty. “It was just one example of the way the project ran smoothly from start to finish – I wish more projects would run this way.”

The solar installation has meanwhile already proved its worth, meeting 60% of the building’s power needs in May, according to Nick Allen, and, during the day, delivering more power than the facility can use even while under commercial load.

JD Cooling Group won the tender to supply the new natural cooling system that has futureproofed the business’ refrigeration needs by providing an efficient, state-of-the-art system for the nine-metre high, rackable cold storage facility and chilled intake and storage areas.

The £3m installation, designed to be both expandable and flexible, saw JD Cooling supply two ammonia/glycol chillers delivering 1.6 Megawatt of cooling via a secondary, food-safe glycol system.

This serves a series of ceiling mounted coolers and roof void air handling units to supply conditioned, filtered air to the automated packhouse via insulated ductwork and fabric air socks.

The primary refrigerant, ammonia, delivers around 20% greater efficiency than man-made refrigerant alternatives and has zero GWP >>

W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T | J U LY 2 0 2 0

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NEW HEADQUARTERS << (Global Warming Potential), which makes it future proof in environmental terms.

Further environmental benefits come from the low-energy, highly efficient and compact-sized adiabatic air cooler units that reject the heat from the cooling plant. JD Cooling also provided the cooling for the offices, canteen, and IT requirements of the new facility.

Commenting on the “very efficient and highly controllable” refrigeration system and the impressive solar PV installation, Duncan Pierce

said the Berry Gardens project had not just been a good example of collaboration but had been “a road map for how buildings of this type could be done in terms of energy efficiency, control systems and design”.

Nick Allen, who praised the “amazing job” done by Page Surveyors and by Civils, said the new building had “felt like home very quickly” and had provided a spacious, well-designed and efficient working environment with three times the amount of refrigerated space. The business is now

planning to install rapid chill cells to halve cooling time – something that couldn’t have been done in the old building.

Welfare facilities for the 100 strong operational team – rising to 150 at peak times – have also been improved by a project that has transformed the Berry Gardens operation.

“We are looking to the future – well beyond what we can foresee now – and this building is designed to allow us to take advantage of that future,” Duncan Mills concluded.

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TRIBUTE PAID TO FIRM’S FOUNDER There was some sadness attached to the Berry Gardens project when Derek Page, who founded what is now Page Surveyors in 1992, died just after the building was handed over.

Derek, Duncan Pierce’s father-in-law, had worked closely with Berry Gardens for more than 15 years and represented the company’s interests during the Redwall Lane construction, alongside Duncan, who was looking after the project on behalf of site owner Alan Firmin Ltd. “It was slightly unusual for one firm of project managers to represent both parties in such a situation, but the collaborative nature of the project and the fact that it was procured as a design and build contract meant that it actually ran incredibly smoothly,” said Duncan, who joined the firm in 2000.

“There were times when we had to balance the interests of both parties within the practice, and some lively internal conversations inevitably ensued, but both clients were very happy with the way the contract proceeded and with the end result,” he said.

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“Derek had built up a great working relationship with Berry Gardens and played a key part in advising the company on its move to the new building. He had been unwell previously but had recovered and was well when work started in January of 2018.

“In the summer of 2019, though, he fell ill as the project was drawing to a close. He finally retired at the impressive age of 80 and he had his leaving do on 27 September in the new building, just 11 days after it opened. He died on 18 October, but was at least able to see his clients enjoying the new facility he had played such a large part in delivering.”

Berry Gardens CEO Nick Allen paid his own tribute. “This project really was led

by Derek. We had worked with Derek for 15 years or so and he did as fine a job on this occasion as he had in the past.”

After moving in on 16 September, the company spent a few weeks setting up and was fully operational in the new premises by the end of October. “We’re really firing on all four cylinders now,” Nick added.

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We are pleased to be associated with Berry Gardens and wish them every success with their new facility.

THANK YO for feeding the nation

GPL Construction (UK) Limited 18 Hodgson Way, Hardwick Narrows, Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lynn, Norfolk, PE30 4WR Tel: 01553 773344 Email: info@gplconstruction.co.uk Web: www.gplconstruction.co.uk

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EAGLE STRUCTURAL LTD STRUCTURAL

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Eagle Structural Ltd is a family owned fabrication, erection and cladding company who work in all areas of the UK. Eagle Structural Ltd would like to thank all involved for entrusting us with the erection of the structural steelwork, external cladding and first floor pre-cast concrete slabs on the Berry Gardens project and would like to wish them every success in the future.

T: 01507 450 081 E: info@eagle-structural.co.uk FOR ALL SOUTHERN ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT OUR SOUTH EAST DISTRIBUTOR AND PARTNER WEALDEN AM T: 01323 833086 E: office@wealdenam.com BG12

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J U LY 2 0 2 0 | W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T

WEST SUSSEX DIARY NICK ADAMES

Rarely has the Home Farm looked so tidy.

The last muck has been spread, the buildings stand eerily quiet. My long serving stockman Wally Elvin, still missing his cattle, now has to content himself battling ivy on trees and walls, strimming verges and field surrounds, spraying nettles and thistles, generally doing the sort of work we seldom had time for when spring and summer were filled with routine worming of young cattle, checking their condition, their feet and eyes at least daily, moving them around the meadows, carting silage and hay bales into early summer then straw bales for winter feed and bedding. There was never much peace on a stock farm.

It’s a revelation, too, for me. My first year without a bovine on the farm and, while we still miss them, we don’t miss the endless work involved for not a lot of return. The best miss of the lot, though, is not to have those routine and interminable TB tests. Events which, apart from the inconvenience, became a huge strain on everyone involved.

With the unreliability of the archaic neck/skin tests, there is absolutely no confidence among anyone involved on the farms, including the local vets and probably the Government vets as well, that test failures won’t continue to appear in even the healthiest herds. These destroy the confidence of all involved. Unfortunately ‘Deathra’ seems quite unconcerned about these wholesale failings, and appears happy to continue with the system.

Thousands of store cattle continue moving up from the western regions to be finished in the South East having had inadequate testing, to spread the disease amongst previously clean herds. There is a far better but more expensive system, Gamma blood testing, which would certainly cut down not only the hardship and disruption to farms but also substantially reduce the huge cost of the overall compensation bill for government.

Some 30,000-plus mainly healthy adult cattle a year are killed as TB ‘reactors or inconclusives’ off

IT’S A REVELATION farms. From our own experiences, most had no sign of TB when, and if, samples were even tested. A total waste of lives. It’s the main reason I refer to the department as Deathra. Their stance on TB testing continues to be appalling.

The farming industry loses tens of thousands of cattle annually to TB; animals killed because Deathra won’t update to this more accurate system of testing. Few of the slaughtered stock show any signs of TB. They are all being taken away and killed, disrupting the viability of herds, disrupting generations-long breeding programmes in which so many farmers have taken such a pride and, just as importantly, disrupting, often breaking the spirits of, so many good people who have made dairy and beef farming their lives. I know, because this happened to our herd. I know why, and who is responsible, as do Deathra, because they could do much more to help.

Back in May I wrote of the pollution neighbouring farms and the local golf course had suffered, and of a visit from an inspector, driving a Southern Water van, to take samples. The fellow said categorically: “It is sewage”, and that they would get back to us.

Well they didn’t. So Emma contacted them and received a very interesting response.

Firstly the lady said the “tester had reached the wrong conclusion”, secondly, that he “wasn’t directly employed by them” and thirdly that there was “no sign of sewage in the samples” he had taken. It was clearly a case of the left hand not knowing what the right was saying, or perhaps not wanting to?

Since we local farmers have been getting considerable pressure recently from local authority ‘enforcement’ officers demanding we clear our main ditches so that they can drain away to sea, we have become particularly interested in the matter. One neighbour discovered that his outflow pipes were

almost silted over by the adjacent rife which, having itself not had any serious maintenance from the Environment Agency for 30-plus years, is seriously silted.

And there lies the problem. The drainage system relies on water being able to flow downstream to the sea to the south. Yet since the main rife is full of silt, all that happens in such extreme conditions is that instead of flowing downstream, big flood surges cause it to flow upstream because it cannot get away. Then the sewage, released from a nearby treatment plant (permissible in exceptional conditions) into the rife is also pushed back up the nearby floodplain into our ditches, over farmland, and in this case the golf course, spreading pollution across the whole area.

We don’t know what drugs, viruses or sewage residue is involved, but whatever it is, it has been spread over hundreds of acres of good land. I cannot help wondering what the authorities’ reaction would have been had this been caused by a stock farm and its discharge from slurry pits or silage effluent. Perhaps the same authorities would have ignored this problem in the same forgiving manner? Of course in the meantime the Environment Agency will do what it always does; obfuscate.

We had a bit of excitement in late May when the vine planters arrived on the hill farm to start planting the first vine grafts. A handy bit of kit; German staffed, they had arrived from Norfolk having previously been planting vines across England and Wales. Drilling one row with two men feeding in, all GPS controlled at the rate of 20,000plus a day. Next the anti-pest tubes were put on.

As I write the vines are already budding. Watch this space.

NICK ADAMES Former dairy farmer

> The three man, GPS-guided, team planting vines at 20,000 a day TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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AT ASHFORD MARKET

WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU!

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Ashford Market has enjoyed a tremendous spring and early summer, with plenty of livestock forward in all sections, plenty of trade from a strong attendance of buyers and plenty of confidence in the short, medium and long term despite the obvious difficulties that lie ahead for the country’s economy. There is, however, something missing and we are all aware of it. We cannot wait for the return of you… the people!

Markets, of course, come in all shapes and sizes but really what they are all about is the strength of relationships between the people who support them individually or collectively. They are about understanding their importance as the backbone of marketing; as a centre of communication, dialogue and wellbeing. A place for all age groups and also a place for a cup of tea or a roast beef lunch with friends. We cannot wait to welcome the regulars and irregulars back once restrictions are lifted, and in addition many of our staff, either with underlying health concerns or with a good number of years under their belt, are chomping at the bit to get back working.

Of course we cannot thank enough those who have been able to attend the market as staff, hauliers and buyers and those vendors who entrust their stock to us week in and week out, reassured by our commitment to do the right thing and ensure the right price. We have many people who support Ashford with livestock and rarely visit the premises, if at all. We thank them and value them just as if they were regulars just down the road. That is one of the

great assets of the market system, where it is the collective strength of vendor support that gives the assurance to the individual seller, whether they be selling one or 1,000 animals and whether they are from near or far.

June has started very well. Increasing numbers of milk lambs each week are displacing the old season hoggets but both remain a strong seasonal trade despite the obvious concerns surrounding a lack of catering and restaurant trade. Lambs currently are a good £5 to £7 a head dearer on 2019, with best lambs up over £100 and selling to top at over £120 from P & E Andreozzi, Petworth.

Hoggets are, of course, variable in quality at this stage of the year but still able to make £100 for the right goods.

Cattle numbers seasonally fall away at this time but we are in strange times and trade demands are different. Beef returns are picking up at long last, with a tightening supply helping producers extract more money from a tight-fisted retail sector. Trade of the moment is undoubtedly for the older cows going into the processing market. Mince is more of a staple than ever on all household shopping lists.

Together with the re-opening of takeaways and the public’s joy at the return of the drive-through McDonalds and Burger King outlets, demand for processing beef has reached new heights. Beef cows are regularly making 150p to 165p per kg and up over £1,200. This was beaten this week (9 June) by an immense black and white dairy cow from Oncoland Ltd, Dartford, grossing £1,397. Quite a few burgers out of that one.

DISAPPOINTMENT

AT CAMPAIGN The Tenant Farmers Association has objected to a campaign aimed at persuading public sector caterers to slash the amount of meat on their menus by 20% across schools, hospitals, universities and care homes.

The pledge campaign was launched in the trade magazine Public Sector Catering and was described by editor-in-chief David Foad as “a bold move”. He said reaching the campaign’s 20% target would remove nine million kg of meat from plates every year – equivalent to 45,000 cows or 16 million chickens.

The TFA has written to the organisers to express its disappointment and highlight the benefits of eating domestically produced meat to health, the environment and the climate.

It suggests that instead of trying to reduce meat consumption, caterers should be encouraged to choose British meat and other products where possible as a better way to achieve balanced diets, higher standards and more climate-friendly consumption.

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Store cattle numbers will be short for a month or two now but 200 were penned this week, together with 50 cows and calves. With many buyers attending and keen to purchase there was a strong trade, encouraged further by a weather forecast that at long last contained some rain.

Forward British Blue cross stores from Birt Bros, Canterbury, sold to £1,120, while amongst the cows and calves the best from A J Britton, Cranbrook, sold to £1,440 (twice), and plenty of outfits were making £900 to £1,200.

Confidence in the future is shown by the demand for calves, which is outstanding. British Blue cross bull calves sold to £400 from W S Furnival Ltd, Romney Marsh, with the overall average for continental bulls over £300, while heifers sold to £365 and averaged over £270.

We are sorry to be missing so many people at our deadstock sales in the market and particularly at our May sale at Headcorn, where social distancing might have been a little difficult. It will return to a new normal and, whether at market or outside, we are waiting to welcome you all back.

The market is every bit as much yours as ours – we are in it together!

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

www.hobbsparker.co.uk

EVIDENCE OF SKILLS SHORTAGE SUBMITTED

The Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers (RABDF) has submitted evidence to the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on the issue of skills shortages in the UK. As reported in last month’s South East Farmer, there are fears that leaving foreign dairy workers off the MAC’s Shortage Occupation List will leave the sector struggling with a labour shortage when a new points-based immigration system is implemented next year.

RABDF Managing Director Matt Knight said: “Dairy workers are not classed as highly skilled and they are currently not listed on the MAC Shortage Occupation List.

“This failure to recognise dairy workers will leave the UK dairy industry with a severe labour shortage with some of the largest dairy producers in the UK relying on skilled foreign labour. There are real concerns that post-2021 some of our largest, most technically advanced dairy farms could be lost due to their reliance on foreign labour.”

AT COLCHESTER MARKET GRAHAM ELLIS

Stanfords T: 01206 842156 E: info@stanfords-colchester.co.uk www.stanfords-colchester.co.uk Another month has passed with the social distancing rules still in place at all livestock markets. The trade still maintained well throughout the period with strong demand throughout all sections from butchers and local wholesalers for quality English produced beef and lamb. In the prime cattle ring, more numbers are still required as buyers compete strongly for quality beef and with processing and manufacturing beef also dearer to meet the high demand in the period.

Unfortunately, prices are still being held back by low-priced imports but it is felt within the trade that there is still strong demand to buy local English beef.

With the opening of several burger chains, there has been a definite move back to processing meat, with the manufacturing trade producing mince for the burger outlets. This was pleasing to see and put a strong bottom to the trade for all qualities.

In Colchester, again local retail butchers are strongly competing every week for stock, with demand still strong through the butchery outlets.

Reflecting also the increased demand for processing beef, the over-30 month trade and cull cow trades became stronger throughout the period, with many

Sitting at my desk at home looking out over our mere two acres, something I have been doing a lot more of due to Covid-19, I realise we will run out of grass fairly soon, and we only have two ewes and five lambs on there! Yes, rain is definitely what we need and of course some lifting of some coronavirus restrictions would be nice too!

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STRONG DEMAND TO BUY

LOCAL ENGLISH BEEF

more required to meet demand, which was good to see for the time of year. Despite the extreme shortage of grass in the area, store cattle have still been keenly sought, with many yards now empty. More store cattle could certainly be sold to advantage with buyers supporting the future of the British beef industry.

The sheep trade took its usual seasonal reduction for new season lambs but is still above 12 months ago and looking well sold every week. Numbers were slow to take off, with the cold weather and lack of grass being reflected in numbers forward, but by the end of May/early June when this report was being written, numbers were increasing throughout the country, with a firm trade resulting in all outlets.

It was pleasing to see that lambs usually purchased by the catering trade were being actively taken up by buyers, despite the obvious reduction in the catering outlets due to the Covid-19 regulations. Let us hope

VET DIARY I attended a virtual meeting with AHDB and SCOPS at which we were discussing sustainable worm control. I can hear a lot of you thinking: “Not again, I have heard it all before”, but there is always new things we can learn on this subject and updated SCOPS guidelines will be coming out soon.

As weather and worm control are so related, rain again was a big topic. A couple of things stood out discussing the weather.

First of all, do not get fooled by this dry period, it does not necessarily mean low worm egg counts. In fact, we have done many worm egg counts recently and seen very strongly varying counts, ranging from zero to 800-900. In addition, coccidiosis is certainly rearing its ugly head in big numbers. Naturally, pasture infectivity will jump when rain eventually does come and it remains very important to perform regular worm egg counts, while considering both the recent weather, and assessing lamb condition.

Seeing the high percentages of triple resistance in the south of England presented by SCOPS, prompts me to remind you of the importance of checking the efficacy of the different wormers used. As a minimum

that changes in the near future will help maintain the lamb trade throughout the summer period.

With the cull ewe trade very much reflecting the quality forward, any over-fat ewes were heavily discounted but there was a strong demand for feeding ewes, although this trade may well come under pressure with the lack of grass and the definite shortage of rainfall.

Old season lamb trade was more difficult, as would be expected, with only the best-meated old season lambs meeting competition.

The pig trade continued at similar levels, with a slight increase seen in the first week in June. The cull sow trade is still under pressure, both from the lack of demand on the continent and the strength of the pound.

The extreme dry conditions throughout the period are causing arable farmers serious concerns, with many crops looking thin and with low yield potential.

Particularly under pressure are late drilled winter crops and spring crops.

Grass growth has been very slow, causing serious concern to graziers, with extremely low hay and silage returns from first cut leys causing concern for winter food supplies.

by doing a post drench check test, but ideally by a faecal egg count reduction test. Details of these tests are best discussed with your vet.

Secondly, more than ever early weaning will be key to getting the ewes back in shape for tupping. Ideally you are looking at weaning around 12 weeks if ewes are in poor condition. At that point grass should be prioritised for your ewes. Remember they are the ones producing your next year’s lamb crop.

I admit it is not rocket science but it a recurring theme each year and every summer we experience flocks with worm control issues. Every tupping there are flocks with ewes not reaching target condition causing low scanning percentages, with knock on effects at lambing if they are in lamb.

Now back to home-schooling as that needs to be juggled alongside worm egg counts!

NANJA VERKUIJL

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

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ALAN WEST SHEEP TOPICS

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SHEEP KEEPING

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Since pre-history, sheep have been a significant part of the economic DNA of Britain. More than 2,000 years ago we traded tin, wheat and wool with the Phoenicians and later the Romans. That was even before the Romans decided to make a hostile takeover of Britain plc. The further north the Romans pushed into central Europe the greater the demand for good quality British wool to furnish the red cloaks of the Roman legionnaires; cloaks that served to keep them both warm and dry.

At least they appreciated the value of wool. Apart from a bit of a hiatus during the “Dark Ages”, the cross-Channel trade in British wool persisted and grew, forming a mainstay of the British economy throughout the middle ages. Only relatively lately has meat become the main focus of sheep production and a significant contributor to the UK economy worth, in 2019, £339.4 million, with an additional contribution of £24.9m from skins and £8.7m from offal, around £373m in total. Something of which we should all be proud.

As with any journey through time there will be key events that have had an influence, and for the sheep industry these have been many and varied. I think that it is fair to single out a few. Although this is by no means an exhaustive list of events that have made a significantly great contribution, some have a particular resonance to our current situation.

In the year 1290 the last wolf was killed in England (they were around a bit longer in Scotland). Flocks were able to grow and roam freely without fear of being predated on by wolves, thus making flock management and the life of shepherds somewhat easier. Now we have come full circle with an increasing level of pressure, from some groups, to reintroduce top predators including the lynx and wolves into the UK ecosystem. The fact that there have now been confirmed wolf sightings in Normandy (near Neufchatel en Bray, 8 April), just 25 to 30km from the Channel coast at Dieppe will only serve to encourage those advocating rewilding.

By the 14th century, the British sheep industry was thriving and sheep were valued for their wool, but there was still scope for considerable expansion. This scope was somewhat constrained by farming systems at the time, in particular the three-field system (for those who remember their agricultural history), which dominated in large parts of the country and which effectively confined sheep to common grazing around settlements, valued as mobile fertiliser spreaders as much as for their wool.

With flocks grazed communally there was very little control by individual flock owners over breeding and management. The opportunity for larger landowners to take greater control over their flocks arose with the arrival on British shores (at Weymouth) of the plague

> The sort of situation one might expect at the end of August but not at the begining of June, what as happened to the rain? Less than 10mm recorded since the begining of May in 1348. The mortality rate was such that somewhere between 30% and 40% of the population succumbed to successive waves of the disease, many of whom would have been agricultural workers of various sorts. The subsequent shortage of labour resulted in a huge (and convenient) increase in areas of land being enclosed; this was land which previously was held in common and used for growing crops, the newly enclosed lands being laid down to grass for sheep.

Wool was more profitable than arable crops and sheep keeping required a significantly smaller labour force. Unfortunately many of the smaller tenants and occupiers were dispossessed of their land to make way for the advancing tide of sheep.

To put this into a modern context, we do not as yet have any real understanding of the impact that the current disease issues will have on sheep production, impacts that will arise from changes within both the domestic and international markets for our outputs.

Sadly I suspect that it will not lead to a similar growth in the sector as that which followed the 14th century plague.

Another major step forward for the sheep sector arose as a result of the first farmers to apply scientific principles to livestock breeding in the 18th century; people such as Robert Bakewell with his Leicester sheep and John Ellman with his Southdowns. Their work would, incidentally, have been meaningless without the enclosure of sheep grazing and the opportunities for the control over breeding that this enabled. These breeders laid the foundations for modern sheep breeding, foundations that I am sure will be essential, enhanced by the addition of new breeding technology such as genomics, in the future development of the sheep sector.

To come rather more up to date, the implementation of the European Communities Act 1972 resulted in the UK becoming a member of what was then the European Community on 1 January 1973.

This single act opened up a huge new market for British lamb; for 15 to 20 years prior to that the UK sheep industry had been in the doldrums. The prospects arising from the new market opportunities,

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however, stimulated a renewed interest in sheep production. Over a very few years the national flock increased in size and the newfound profitability within the sector attracted renewed interest, not only from farmers, but also from researchers and commercial companies. The new focus on sheep production gave rise to significant innovations within the sector; innovations in breeds, breeding, health, feeding, production systems, etc. As the EU markets grew, the industry developed and prospered. Now almost 40% of our domestic lamb production is exported, with around 95% of exports being purchased by other EU countries, French buyers alone accounting for approximately 50% of the trade – just as we are about to leave the EU. At the beginning of 2021 we will, in all probability, leave the EU, and unless we are able to negotiate appropriate trade deals in the eight months between now and January, much of the lamb trade could disappear. Without trade deals being in place (eg a hard Brexit) the default position will be World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms, a situation which potentially would give rise to trade tariffs being applied to UK exports to the EU; for lamb this would add approximately 48% to the cost of exports. This is a cost that would simply be unacceptable to EU markets; they would stop buying our lamb. A 35% drop in demand for UK lamb would result in a collapse in domestic market prices, a collapse to the point where the majority of sheep producers would struggle to make any sort of profit; many could be forced out of business. It would decimate the industry.

Within the sector we all hope that this situation never arises, but it is still a possibility and the attitude of the current administration towards farmers in general does not offer any encouragement. The refusal of government to support amendments to the Agriculture Bill, protecting UK welfare and environmental standards, their refusal to even contemplate any extension to the withdrawal period in spite of the current situation with Covid-19, and a lack of effective engagement and willingness to compromise (by both sides) in withdrawal negotiations does seem significantly to increase the risk of us stumbling to a point, at 11pm on 31 January 2021, where we simply drop off the edge and leave the EU with the default position of no deal. Not good for anyone on either side of the Channel.

Isn’t it interesting how cyclical historic events tend to be?

ALAN WEST Sheep farmer

ADVICE FROM THE VET

FLY CONTROL

With blowflies being one of the most common ectoparasites to affect sheep in the UK, flystrike is likely to affect 80% of UK sheep flocks every single year. Even with preventative measures in place across many farms, an average of 1.5% of ewes and 3% of lambs may be affected each year in the UK. With mild weather this year, the season is likely to be longer and fly numbers are likely to increase. This makes being on top of your fly control even more important to prevent production losses caused by blowfly strike.

In the UK, fly strike is caused by the maggots of greenbottle, blackbottle and bluebottle flies. They are attracted to long, damp, soiled fleece, wounds, or animal carcases. Female flies can each lay around 250 eggs on the surface of the skin, and within 12 hours these hatch to begin feeding on the animal’s flesh.

These larvae attach with hook like mouthparts and begin secreting enzymes to liquify and digest the tissue. These struck areas often attract more flies and this leads to further waves of infestation. This fast-moving progression from eggs to maggots means regular monitoring of the flock is essential to catch any cases early before serious damage or death occurs.

– DON’T GET STRUCK

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

• Signs of irritation, scratching or teeth grinding, leading to loss of appetite, dullness and depression. Affected sheep may separate themselves from the rest of the flock as well.

• Darker areas of fleece – these darker areas of foul-smelling moist wool are commonly seen around the backend, chest and feet but can occur anywhere on the body. When the fleece is parted these will reveal the presence of maggots feeding on the flesh below.

• Kicking of hind limbs at body and tail shaking.

• Skin lesions – underneath the fleece these lesions can be anything from inflamed reddened skin to deep penetrating wounds that enter body cavities. The severity of these is entirely dependent on how long the maggots have been left untreated. The longer the infestation is left to establish itself on the sheep, the poorer the prognosis becomes for survival.

• Tissue decay, toxaemia, and death – left untreated the affected regions of tissue die and start to decay, leading to blood toxaemia. At this point death is highly probable without swift intervention, and treatment is often not successful at this stage.

HOW TO TREAT IT

• Remove dirty, contaminated fleece from around the whole area of the strike – in bad cases this may involve shearing the entire sheep. Make sure to follow any dark stained patches of fleece as these may lead to more pockets of maggots.

• Wash the skin clean of as many maggots as possible and clean with Hibiscrub or other skin disinfectant.

• For areas of broken skin, use a topical antibiotic spray.

• Use a fly strike treatment product around the areas affected. These should have deltamethrin or cypermethrin as an active ingredient e.g. Crovect, Spotinor, Ectofly or Deltanil. It is important to note that CLiK does not treat established strike.

• If there is broken skin and open wounds, and the animal is uncomfortable, you should consider the use of systemic antibiotics and anti-inflammatories; if in any doubt over treatment plans, contact your vet, who will be able to advise you.

• The animal should be closely monitored for the next few days and the rest of the flock checked thoroughly for signs.

> Flystrike

> Blow fly

HOW TO PREVENT IT

Prevention of strike should be an integral part of a flock health plan and there are various strategies that can be employed to reduce the risk: • Examine animals regularly during the risk period – twice a day if possible.

• Shear and dag ewes prior to the high-risk period to reduce faecal soiling of the fleece.

• Control internal parasites and minimise changes in diet that may lead to digestive upsets and cause diarrhoea, which in turn will increase soiling of fleeces.

• Preventative treatments such as dipping or use of pour-on to prevent strike or inhibit the growth of the fly larvae before the anticipated challenge from flies: • Cypermethrin pour-ons e.g. Crovect etc – protection lasts six to eight weeks.

• Plunge dipping – can provide protection for three to eight weeks but requires precision and good technique to ensure efficacy.

• Insect growth regulators – e.g. CLiK – give 16 weeks protection by preventing larvae from hatching.

• It is important to note withdrawal periods for each of these products and that none of these has been licensed for use in animals producing milk for human consumption.

• Dispose of carcases promptly to minimise attraction to flies.

• Ensure wounds and foot rot lesions are treated promptly.

FUTURE RISK?

Sheep susceptibility and fly abundance are both heavily influenced by prevailing weather patterns. As such, global warming may well lead to a prolonged risk period for flocks, with the disease being seen earlier in the year. As ever, remaining vigilant to the risk it poses to the flock will help to reduce its incidence and impact.

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

ANDY RICHMOND KATHY HUME

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

JOHN MCALOON

Westpoint Sevenoaks T: 01959 564383

www.westpointfarmvets.co.uk

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SARAH CALCUTT FOCUS ON FRUIT

THE MENTAL HEALTH CONTINUUM THE MENTAL HEALTH CONTINUUM

Difficulty concentrating Difficulty concentrating Alcohol or substance abuse Alcohol or substance abuse Poor stress response Poor stress response Eating disorders Eating disorders Phobia WELLBEING Panic attacks Phobia WELLBEING Panic attacks Feeling of lack of self-worth Feeling of lack of self-worth

Anxiety Anxiety

Depression Depression

Schizophrenia Schizophrenia

Bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder

SEVERE PATHOLOGICAL ILLNESS SEVERE PATHOLOGICAL ILLNESS

Alzheimer’s disease Alzheimer’s disease Autism spectrum disorder Autism spectrum disorder

©Dr Robert Verkerk, Alliance of Natural Health

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MENTAL HEALTH SHOULD BE PART OF THE CULTURE Health and Work Spotlight on Mental Health

now; not required currently, and will their role There is no easy way to start this conversation: survive the inevitable crash we are facing? someone you are close to is struggling with SARAH CALCUTT On the 11 June I chaired a webinar about mental mental health issues. It might even be you; one Chair, health, the fourth of the RED (Rural Economic in six working age people have a diagnosable National Fruit Show Development) talks set up by the new Rural Policy mental health condition.

Group. It made me stop and think about the As summed up by Sir Norman Lamb: “The truth is Mental health conditions are a leading cause Almost of sickness absence in the UK behaviour of those around me, what we might all that it is in their self-interest for companies to focus be facing and how we might best care for ourselves, on the health and wellbeing of their workforce. If and others, as it becomes more apparent what level of fallout we are going to we improve workplace practices, we can have a positive impact on employees’ people of working age lost to long-term OVERthe problemwere experience post-pandemic. well-being, but we have can also reduce sickness absence and reduce of a diagnosable stress, depression sickness One of the best statements to come out of the webinar was from Duncan presenteeism, thereby increasing mental health productivity.

Health and Work condition and anxiety’ in Cochrane-Dyet of MHA MacIntyre Hudson. It applies toabsence every organisation, “It’s a win-win for everyone. So, my message is act now. Don’t delay.”

Spotlight on Mental Health in England attributed itself as corporate: “Mental Health awareness Now think about how difficult the past three months have been for everyone; 2014not–just to one thatMentalperceives to mental ill health health conditions are a leading cause Almost 24% since 2009 of sickness in the UK corporate initiative, it should be part of the and of concern should not beabsence another how many jobs have changed, how the pressures of work have increased an increase days in culture of the organisation.were ‘Know your colleague’ is as important to success as exponentially or disappeared entirely. people of working age lost to long-term OVER have a diagnosable InIf2015, some % of sickness ‘know your customer’.” stress, depression you are working, how often have you felt jealous of the person who was mental health condition absence and anxiety’ in % in England attributed Just think how life on fruit farms all those furloughed?

How overwhelming work can seem with the additional pressures 2014 – has changed suddenly. Almost Employment and Support to mental ill health Mental health conditions are a leading cause an increase of 24% since 2009 days Almost teams that have come back year on year, who know how the job needs to be we all now face. For the furloughed person, how insecure life must feel right

1in 6

Health and Work 19% 15 m Spotlight on 1Mental Health 6

48

15m

48absence in the UK of sickness Health and Work Health and Work Spotlight on Mental Health Spotlight on Mental Health were lost to OVER £ 1indepression 3 stress,

Allowance recipients

1in 6

had a ‘Mental or Behavioural disorder’ as their primary condition

people of working age Each year have a diagnosable mental ill-health Almost mental health costs the economyAlmost an estimated condition

19

£

11inin 66 £70bn

% of Employment Support Workand can be a Allowance recipients In 2015, some

cause of stress and common mental health problems: Of people with physical long Each year Of people with term conditions, mental ill-healthin 2014/15 costs the economy physical long an estimated 9.9m days Mental health conditions are a leading cause term conditions, also have were toUK cause Mental of health conditions areinalost leading sickness absence the had a ‘Mental or Behavioural disorder’ as their primary condition

15m 1in 3

£70bn

Work can be a cause of stress and common mental health problems: in 2014/15 9.9m days were lost to

work-related stress, depression or anxiety

2016, InIn2016,

42.7%

42.7%

employment rate

for those who report mental illness as their main health problem (Mental illness, phobia, panics, nervous disorders (including depression, bad nerves or anxiety. Compared to 74% of all population

19%

employment rate

work-related for those who report mental illness and anxiety’ in as their main health problem (Mental stress, also have illness, phobia, panics, nervous people of working age were lost to long-term 2014 – people of working age mentalOVER illness, disorders including depression, bad have a diagnosable were lost to long-term depression OVER stress, depression sickness have asocial diagnosable through lost productivity, benefits most often depression nerves or anxiety.) Compared to mental health an increase of 24% since 2009 days stress, depression sickness mental health and health care. condition or anxiety anxiety in 74% of all population absence andoranxiety’ % condition absence and anxiety’ in in England attributed % 2014 – inSurvey, England attributed to mental ill health Sources: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity in England, 2007; Health and wellbeing at work: a survey of employees, 2014; Cimpean & Drake 2011; Naylor et al 2012; OECD, 2014; Labour Force various years 2014 – of 24% since 2009 an increase days some % of to mental ill health an increase of 24% since 2009 days J U LY 2 0 2 0 | W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T In 2015, some 48 % of loyment and Support

48

through lost productivity, social benefits of sickness absence in the UK and health care.

15 15m m

mental illness, most often depression or anxiety

Sources: Adult Psychiatric Morbidity in England, 2007; Health and wellbeing at work: a survey of employees, 2014; Cimpean & Drake 2011; Naylor et al 2012; OECD, 2014; Labour Force Survey, various years

19 19

FRUIT

EXCITING AND CHALLENGING made the new role particularly challenging, with traders, particularly those who usually supply the hospitality sector, having been forced to switch their focus impressively quickly, Sarah said.

“The traders responded brilliantly to the rapidly changing situation,” she said. “They have delivered thousands of veg boxes to people’s homes and responded quickly to the new challenges. The CGMA, meanwhile, has worked hard to help tenants get through these difficult times.”

Even without the Covid-19 pandemic, life at New Covent Garden is currently evolving as it undergoes a transformation that will see the iconic market rebuilt on the existing site as what its website calls “a flourishing, modern wholesale market for London alongside a new cluster of food-related businesses”.

Sarah commented: “I am naturally very excited by the prospect of supporting the authority and working with the businesses at New Covent Garden at such an exciting point in its history.

“The authority is working hard to see traders through the current crisis and then working with them towards the long-term vision of a new food quarter for London. There are lots of great

done, where everything is and how it works, haven’t been able to travel; instead there is an avalanche of new people who have absolutely no idea what they are doing or how hard the job is going to be and are very (very) expensive to have as part of the business.

Cracks must be appearing, health must be suffering – and when that is multiplied throughout our supply chains at every level as every business is impacted by rapid, unexpected change, there are bound to be issues.

The big challenge is that we need a seismic shift. Most people think that healthcare is an opportunity to deal with a specific problem, something we just do (we talk to a doctor, we take a pill and we expect the issue to be dealt with).

The mental health continuum image on this page addresses the identification of issues and how we might help. In all sectors at the moment we are starting to see the impacts of stress and trauma setting us into an autonomic ‘fight or flight’ response – racially, politically or socially motivated rioting included.

We need to build an acceptance societally that we all need time to rest and reflect, that we cannot work flat out all of the time just hoping that nothing breaks. It’s one thing saying that you think your family is pre-disposed to issues because of a family history; it’s completely another to suggest that your environment and adulthood are the only factors that influence your resilience to mental health issues.

Dr Rob Verkerk, of the Alliance for Natural Health, argues that our biological potential in everything starts from pre-conception (our biologically given potential, or BGP). In other words, even the food our parents eat and other aspects of their environment affect our lives before we are even born.

We as farmers have a role to play in ensuring that our high quality, safe and sustainable locally produced food is helping to increase someone’s potential to cope with stress and their response to it, and that a healthy diet throughout life (and it’s never too late to start) is not just about a long and physically healthy life, but also about good mental health too.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

> Sarah Calcutt

opportunities, I am joining a great team and I am looking forward to contributing. It is exciting and challenging in equal measure.”

New Covent Garden is home to nearly 200 businesses with around 2,500 employees.

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National Fruit Show chair and South East Farmer correspondent Sarah Calcutt has described her most recent appointment as “exciting and challenging in equal measure”.

Sarah, a sixth-generation farmer from the Weald of Kent who has spent the past 20 years working in food and farming, has been appointed as a non-executive director of the Covent Garden Market Authority (CGMA).

She is one of three new directors to have been appointed by the GCMA, joining alongside Fiona Fell and Hampshire’s David Fison, who is chairman of Humphrey Farms Ltd, a family-owned business, a governor at the University of the Arts, London and a non-executive director at London City Airport, amidst other high-profile roles.

CGMA is the statutory corporation established under Acts of Parliament in 1961 to run the worldrenowned wholesale market at New Covent Garden, which has been based in Nine Elms, south London, since 1974. Members of the Board are appointed by the Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Joining during the coronavirus outbreak has

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SEED

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ELVED PHILLIPS ARABLE NOTES

52

As I write this in early June, the Northern Hemisphere harvest is about to begin, with winter barley being combined on the Atlantic coast of France and Spain. By the time you read this, we will know if Spain was being too optimistic in predicting a record barley crop of 11.5/12 million tonnes, four million tonnes up on last year.

We finally had some rain in most parts of the UK during the first week of June, which has now improved crops on the chalk lands. The following week of low temperature and cloud cover was almost perfect for spring malting barley. On other soils it has stabilised or even saved some crops.

If you can ignore the ‘balancing effect’ of the worldwide cut in demand caused by the pandemic versus record global stocks of maize and wheat, then weather becomes the main game from now on. I think the only area which could yet prove to be a game changer is southern Russia and eastern Ukraine. They are still short of rain, with high temperatures forecast for the rest of June; the recently planted Russian spring wheat crop, which is much increased on last year, is likely to suffer.

Again, when you read this, the UK Government should have clarified its position on the 31 December Brexit deadline. Unless the most important parts of the deal are agreed by 30 June, it’s difficult to see how it could be implemented in time for an orderly exit by the end of the year. So for the third year running we face exiting the EU without a trade agreement and would then be subject to the penal World Trade Organisation default tariffs on any grain exports to the EU. Getting its defence in first, the UK has announced that if there is no deal,

WEATHER THE MAIN GAME from 1 January we will impose a £79 per tonne import levy upon common wheat (mostly milling or soft wheat), which we currently import from Germany, Denmark and France.

You can view this in two ways; as the UK will be in deficit on new crop wheat, needing to carry over and import up to 4.5 million tonnes, it may be that in the new year this tax will provide a nice high ceiling price for UK milling if we have no formal deal with the EU. On the other hand, it may drive the domestic milling wheat consumers to pile in and import a lot more than usual from harvest to December to avoid the import levy.

Of course, we have seen this before, where importers overdo it, resulting in less UK wheat being used pre-Christmas, with domestic wheat being shunted into the new year, usually with a drop in value. So we could import our entire deficit by the end of December.

As I said last month, the new crop wheat prices are still around their peak, with milling premiums that could take the values up to £190 on the farm, so it’s hard to turn that down. The crop is not made yet, but when it is, the lack of demand because of the pandemic will still be with us, as will the uncertainty about Brexit. Like last year I expect it will go to the wire.

That makes no difference to wheat, as we won’t be exporting any, but it could still create a big problem for barley ELVED PHILLIPS exports. Whatever the size of the UK barley crop, we will have too Openfield much to be absorbed into the domestic market between harvest

IMPROVE THE HEALTH OF YOUR SOIL

and December. We rely a lot on the coaster trade for feed barley into Europe and malting barley depends entirely on that trade, as unlike feed barley, we don’t sell malting barley to third countries outside the EU. Even with a smaller UK barley crop last year, we found that all the pre-Christmas export malting homes were filled up early. When it came to execution of shipments, the ports in the south were chock-a-block, with berthing space being difficult to find. If we are to exit on 31 December with no deal, the same will happen again. If your barley needs moving pre-Christmas, it needs selling and programming in now for export.

The pandemic seems to have highlighted weakness in the EU. The Schengen Agreement was forgotten as EU countries rushed to close their borders to keep out member states perceived to have a larger virus problem. Around the world, nationalism and sovereignty have taken priority.

Suddenly some of the elongated global supply chains don’t seem so attractive. I’m not surprised the Government is having second thoughts about integrating China into our new 5G communication system. I understand some of their medical protection equipment failed to meet our standards.

I hope that our government is now more aware of the need for the UK to produce more of its own food and import less ‘lower grade’ food products.

Globalisation is taking a hit, and so too is liberalism.

Recent events show that the government was right to enforce a lockdown because some of our population are either too stupid or selfish to realise the harm they are doing to themselves and others, by flouting the law.

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STEPHEN CARR

A FARMING DISASTER

As I look at my wizened, drought-ravaged spring barley crop I’m reminded how cruel farming can be. Why is it that, in our profession, when things start to go wrong they invariably go from bad to worse?

As I reported in the May edition of South East Farmer, the land on which I am growing spring barley this year I first sowed to winter wheat last October. Everything looked so promising at the time, but no sooner had I sowed the seeds than the heavens opened and drowned them. Faced with more blackgrass on the land than surviving wheat, this spring I sprayed off the field with glyphosate and, in April, reseeded it to barley.

Since then the crop has been subjected to an April drought followed by the hottest, driest May ever recorded. This unhelpful sequence of weather has so stunted the barley plants’ root growth it has caused them to shed most of their tillers. It is unquestionably the worst crop I’ve managed to grow in 40 years. So appallingly thin is the crop now that my locked-down youngest daughter has felt moved to write about it for her online school magazine. She has even photographed the crop to support her article. Oh, the shame of it.

So, June rushes past, and the crop looks more sorry

by the day. We are getting the occasional light rain, but I want a deluge. I want rain and then more rain because the barley roots are still not deep enough to find much moisture deeper in the soil profile.

But of course, this being a farming disaster, the agony does not end here. I’m not the only farmer who suffered flooded fields last October so the sown area of this year’s UK barley crop has hugely increased as many winter crops were either never sown or, like mine, were flooded out and had to be re-drilled.

The latest estimates by the AHDB suggest that the area sown to spring barley this year will be up 47% from 2019, with “increases particularly prevalent in those areas most impacted by the wet weather”. While the South East barley area may only be up 11%, the East Midlands is up a massive 149%, and Yorkshire and the Humber 139%. The barley crop is therefore likely to be a big one and the forecast increased tonnage is weighing heavily on futures barley prices.

Even that is not the end of the difficulties for UK barley in 2020. In any year, a large proportion of the crop is sold for brewing or distilling (either here or abroad) and both these industries have been badly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Pubs in the UK and many bars in Europe have been shut since March, and many whisky distillers have

STEPHEN CARR Arable farmer

ceased production due to social distancing concerns at distilling premises. Despite increased beer sales by supermarkets to customers in lockdown, UK maltsters and distillers used 28% less barley in April 2020 than in the same month a year ago, and this ongoing reduced demand for old crop barley is likely to weaken 2020 new crop barley prices.

So, however light the yield from my barley crop, it doesn’t look like I will enjoy a decent price for it. August futures for feed barley are a disappointing £120 per tonne and that is with sterling plumbing to near record lows against the euro in recent weeks as Brexit draws ever nearer.

I comfort myself with the thought that there is not much I could have done to alter this sequence of events. The weather is the weather. Indeed, to be able to ride out such prolonged agony and remain in comparative good cheer is a vital attribute of being a farmer.

NEW ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM BASIS has launched a new digital learning platform called the BASIS Classroom to help members advance their professional development from home.

Stephen Jacob, BASIS CEO, explained that the BASIS Classroom was a free ‘members only’ platform containing digital training sessions on an array of subjects around crop production, turf management and environmental protection.

“Members can log in to the platform and will be presented with a choice of topics applicable to their qualification,” he said. “Once they select a topic,

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members will be taken through to an online exercise that may include presentations, videos or even a quiz. The software is designed so that exercises cannot be skipped, which ensures the appropriate amount and quality of training is delivered and CPD points are rewarded accordingly at the end of the session.”

The courses will be available online for a year, allowing members to participate at a convenient time. They will be put together by companies that want to share knowledge with members but can no longer use events as a platform, with Origin Fertilisers and Certis the first two companies to submit a session.

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AGRONOMY

THE BIG OSR QUESTION

To drill or not to drill?

54

Following challenging autumn drilling conditions and pillaging by pigeons, slug and cabbage stem flea beetle (CSFB) over the past couple of years, many growers will be questioning the value of including winter oilseed rape in their rotation. So, how can growers make the right decisions about growing the crop this autumn? Agronomist James Boswell believes that this is a decision that can be made at the time of drilling depending on soil conditions.

Lack of moisture in the seedbed has been a dominant factor in the past two seasons, and this must be a key driver in the decision to drill or not to drill.

While no-one can question the havoc that CSFB has brought to crop emergence over the past two seasons, this has been vastly exacerbated by the very dry conditions the crop has been drilled into, hampering its ability to get up and away. We know that increasingly the need for rapid and consistent emergence across the field is being seen as key to

avoiding adult beetle grazing.

So my advice is: if seedbeds are dry and dusty, don’t waste time and resources sowing OSR, but if conditions are favourable then it is definitely worth a shot. If soils are moist, the oilseed rape seed can absorb this and emerge evenly, thereby diluting the beetle pressure and the crop will have a much better chance of getting up and away.

Once the seed has started germinating it cannot be allowed to dry out in the following seven days; if the seed dries out four days later it will not establish – the soil needs to be able to provide that moisture.

Cultivations play a key role in maintaining moisture. A minimally tilled, fine seedbed with good seed to soil contact is needed for the optimum soil moisture retention. This means not turning over the soils more than two to three centimetres on the surface.

I also suggest rolling a couple of times; the first time to maximise this seed soil contact and the second time to firm the ground so that CSFB cannot get into it easily.

JAMES BOSWELL

Hutchinsons T: 07721 888382 E: james.boswell@hlhltd.co.uk Canterbury: 01227 830064 www.hlhltd.co.uk

J U LY 2 0 2 0 | W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T

OPTIMISING REDUCTIONS IN CSFB DAMAGE IN THE 2020 CROP

• Consider late N application to current wheat and barley crops earmarked for OSR drillings this autumn; 50kg straight granular N shortly after ear emergence to pre-load soil with available N provided N max is not exceeded for current crop.

• Ensure adequate moisture in seed bed during drilling for rapid germination and growth.

• Place P or N+P with the drill.

• Maintain residue cover or compost and cut stubble higher to allow spiders’ webs to be suspended above ground.

• Choose varieties with good autumn vigour.

• Dress seed with Integral Pro or Acceleron seed treatments and/or Radiate.

• Seed rate should not exceed 100ssds/m.

• Focus on seed placement depth, aim for optimum evenness of emergence.

NEWS Let us raise a glass and toast Clive Edmed, writes Sarah Calcutt.

Clive would have been astonished at the outpouring of affection following the news of his death earlier this month. The life and soul of any party, Clive was also a man who quietly supported a large number of organisations and played a part in many important decisions across the three sectors in which he farmed.

The move to Hayle Farm, Horsmonden, in 1978 was all about Clive’s plan to grow soft fruit. The farm is still one of the few that provides a high quality, hand-picked crop of British blackcurrants and gooseberries. There wasn’t a plan to grow hops at all, but they have always been his greatest passion – that and the drive to help make the greatest beer, of course! Orchards of beautiful top fruit always gave him great pleasure, too; many have fond memories of Clive on the Ferrari tractor (the only way he was going to get to drive one, he always said), encouraging and praising his picking team and keeping everything moving, and of the pride he felt despatching fruit back to the yard for son Richard to tuck safely into a cold store.

Hayle was only 90 acres when purchased. Clive and Richard have grown it to more than 400, with new hop gardens, trial plots for new top fruit evaluations, plums as well as the hops, orchards and currants and investment in modern storage facilities. Richard has often said they were lucky in their father/son relationship; so very similar they rowed a lot, but the next morning everything was back to normal with a plan agreed for the best course of action.

A director of Wealden Hops (for over 15 years), Wye Hops, The Hops Board and the Society of Growers of Topfruit, and Vice-Chair of the British Independent Fruit Growers Association (BIFGA) for more than 18 years, Clive clearly believed in getting involved when he felt strongly about something.

John Breach, BIFGA Chair, has described Clive as the best kind of vice-chair you could ever want, an excellent member of BIFGA, someone he and other members of the committee could turn to, absolutely great in a meeting and skilled at bringing

OBITUARY: CLIVE EDMED

conversations to a conclusion. Clive’s nature was kind, and this shone through in everything that he did.

A graduate of Hadlow College, he features in many tales of escapades, including one involving fruit students helping with the milking (let’s just say that the milk in the canteen was avoided that day…) and another featuring pigs (there is a certain swine disease that Andy Burr will never get).

Another tale involves Roger Worraker as a fruit lecturer and a trip to Long Ashton Research Station, where quart bottles of perry were on sale for very little money. Clive and the other students found that the perry went down easily, despite admonishments from Roger, who was driving, that on no account were they to drink it before arriving at their destination. Needless to say, they fell out of the van at the other end.

No obituary about Clive would be complete without mentioning his love of sport. He kept wicket for the East Sutton team, whose home ground was at The Shant; they were exceptional in their heyday, taking their village team to national finals.

That game on a perfect crease, knowing in which direction the ball was going to head, set a very high standard after all the lumpy village green pitches they were used to. No one has mentioned whether the team won or lost; the joy was the match and the

discovery of another decent drinking hole in which to relive the experience.

Another sporting success was that of anchor man for the Bull of Brenchley’s tug-of-war team.

Thirty years ago, Clive as anchor was joined by Graham White, Ross Browning, Mark Eastwood and others in a team that reached the South East championships and won. That must have been quite some party.

Everyone who has written to the family and shared their reminiscences has said how kind and generous Clive was, from the loan of a barn for an annual barn dance for the scouts to the management of annual brewery trips, the trips abroad to learn new techniques, his love of quiz nights and the funds they raised, the game pies he made for friends and the expert knowledge he shared with everyone from Michel Roux onwards across the kitchen table.

Clive will be greatly missed, not only by his family and friends, but also by so many people who have memories of great stories, belly laughs and a good tip on where to eat and drink.

Cheers Clive – hope the beer is good up there.

Sarah has been a family friend of the Edmeds for many years and worked alongside both Clive and Richard in several organisations both for hops and fruit.

GREEN SHOOTS OF RECOVERY

The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) has launched free Covid-19 guidance visits to help landowners prepare shoots for the coming season.

The visits will help shoots create their own individual risk assessment depending on their situation and will demonstrate how risks can be reduced in line with government guidance.

Topics covered will include managing Covid-19 transmission risks associated with gatherings, transport, equipment, and the handling of shot game.

The visits will be undertaken by BASC regional staff and will be available to

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

BASC-affiliated clubs and syndicates and BASC gamekeeper members.

Dan Reynolds, BASC’s director for England, said: “With the prospects for the game shooting season improving, BASC is working hard to help shoots operate as normally and safely as possible.

“The shoot visits will focus on areas of transmission risk for Covid-19 during shoot days and as a result allow shoots to prepare their own individual risk assessments. Identifying and acting to reduce risk will enhance safety and boost confidence for gamekeepers, guns, beaters and others involved on the shoot. It also ensures that the sector is playing its part in tackling the global pandemic.”

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

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Those looking to pass on farming or business assets should act now to preserve full tax reliefs, which might be cut to help pay for the furloughing scheme, expert lawyers have said.

The furloughing scheme introduced to support workers during the coronavirus crisis will now continue into October, and with employees receiving 80% of their wages up to a maximum of £2,500, the payments are said to be costing the Government around £14bn each month.

With the Treasury looking to balance the book, specialist lawyers at law firm Irwin Mitchell have pointed out that while focusing on increasing taxes on income would be unpopular, cutting tax reliefs around the inheritance of rural and business assets would be an easier target.

Business Property Relief (BPR) and Agricultural Property Relief (APR) are both ways of passing on assets without needing to pay Inheritance Tax (IHT).

The reliefs can currently achieve up to a 100% tax saving, meaning assets that fall into these categories - such as family businesses, AIM shares and agricultural land and farm buildings – can be passed on to children tax-free.

Kelly Greig, partner and Head of Later Life Planning at Irwin Mitchell said: “At the moment we have the vital furloughing scheme supporting thousands of workers, with the bill being footed by the Government – but this is creating a gap that

01227 763939 furleypage.co.uk

TAKE ACTION NOW TO PROTECT INHERITANCE needs to be plugged, most likely through raising taxes.

“We’ve already had some savvy clients getting in touch looking to do any tax planning that they can because they’re anticipating the aftermath of the furlough scheme will change things when it comes to personal tax.

“The Government has previously looked at APR and BPR reform as it’s a very generous relief. They’ve already reduced the lifetime allowance for pensions and the tax-free bracket keeps increasing, plus income tax is already high, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see this 100% relief reduced substantially, perhaps to 50% for those assets currently qualifying for 100% or alternatively reducing the net that qualifies for relief.

“If they decide to keep those in place, we could instead see the Government take up the Office for Tax Simplification’s recommendation from last year that ending Capital Gains Tax (CGT) uplift on death should go ahead.”

Tax, trusts and estates experts at law firm Irwin

Mitchell say there are some effective ways to protect these assets to bank the 100% reliefs now, and suggest delaying could cost thousands further down the line.

Kelly explained: “The advice is not to delay when it comes to making the most of the reliefs while they’re still available. It’s a good idea to review your circumstances and look to bank some of those reliefs now, as this could potentially save thousands of pounds in tax in the long run.

“For instance, if the CGT uplift does indeed get scrapped, there’s all the more reason to gift to a trust or to members of a family working hard in the enterprise. It may be the case that market values may be lower in an uncertain market, so it’s a good time to gift these assets because of less CGT that would be paid. Trusts are another option as well, but there are plenty of different ways to lock in the bonuses now.

“In these uncertain times it’s best to prepare in any way possible, and getting ahead of the curve now will pay off in the long run should APR and BPR reliefs be reduced.”

STICK TO THE COUNTRYSIDE CODE

The CLA has called for walkers escaping to the country as lockdown restrictions are eased to stick to the Countryside Code and respect farmers’ land.

With people now allowed to take unlimited amounts of outdoor exercise - and drive to other destinations for that exercise – some farmers have suffered abuse from walkers, had crops trampled and been worried about the safety of livestock threatened by dogs not kept under close control.

CLA South East Regional Director Michael Valenzia said: “The CLA recognises the enormous benefits to the nation’s wellbeing from being out in the countryside and close to nature. It is one of the most important ‘public goods’ provided by farmers and landowners.

“Visitors should maintain social distancing and not veer off signposted footpaths. Those using the countryside should, especially under current

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circumstances, be conscious that it is also a place of work where the land, livestock, machinery, wildlife and environment must be respected.”

Robert Ruck-Keene, who farms near Newport Pagnell in Buckinghamshire, said: “Landowners have a duty of care, but the public must take responsibility too, and I am concerned that those not sticking to permitted rights of way may be injured.

“In recent weeks we’ve seen a considerable increase in the number of people going for walks or bike rides where they shouldn’t, from a family of five walking with their two dogs straight through our winter wheat to a cyclist having his lunch on our lawn.

“Technology has many benefits, but not all mobile phone apps are accurate, and it means some people get lost or follow incorrect routes.”

LEGAL

THE RISE OF TECHNOLOGY What the agricultural sector needs to consider As the agricultural sector increasingly looks to incorporate technology into its core working practices, it is important to consider the wider implications and risks that may arise from this.

The impact of the current Covid-19 crisis, with more people working from home who are used to working on site, has highlighted a number of challenges that will also be faced by businesses that are introducing new technologies and ways of working. Lack of familiarity with the systems, coupled with working in a different, perhaps more stressful, environment can lead to increased human error and lapses in judgement.

Most data breaches reported to the Information Commissionerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Office, as well as most cybercrimes, will have some element of human error attached to them. Such mistakes can take several forms, from mistyping an email address or clicking on an unsafe link in an email, to failing to ensure bank details received by email are correct by telephone before sending the payment. All these errors are potentially very damaging to a business and could leave it open to cybercrime.

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important that employees or workers asked to use technology as part of their duties (even where it is something as basic as email) should be suitably trained to do so, as well as trained to know how to spot areas of risk and what to do where a mistake or risk is identified.

Nowhere is this more evident than where the technology relates to machinery that carries health and safety risks. An employer is under duty to provide a safe working environment for its employees and should ensure that where machinery of any kind is used, those operating it and those working within its proximity know how to do so safely.

Implementing clear written policies and ways of working covering topics such as health and safety, computer and IT usage, and data protection becomes increasingly important as more technology and different ways of working are introduced to an agricultural business. Such rules and policies should be regularly reviewed and communicated to employees to ensure that they are clear and at the forefront of their minds. Training, including regular refresher training, should also be implemented.

There is also a clear argument that introducing new technology without the knowledge to use it to its full capacity is of limited benefit to any business in terms of improving productivity. It is therefore important for businesses to recognise that investments in technology also need to be accompanied by investments in the workforce,

whether that be through training or external recruitment.

A move towards a more technology-reliant way of working may also result in the need to restructure the workforce or even make redundancies. In such circumstances, employees (particularly those with over two yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; service) will have significant levels of protection in law and it is therefore crucial that any such process is implemented and communicated correctly to avoid the risk of claims.

While the incorporation of technology into agricultural working practices is becoming critical in order to achieve high productivity and sustainable businesses, it is important that those operating within the sector are conscious of the wider implications of such changes and have solid and reliable systems and practices in place to combat those risks.

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ANTONIO FLETCHER

Partner, Brachers LLP T: 01622 767474 E: antoniofletcher@brachers.co.uk www.brachers.co.uk

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

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

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LAND AND FARMS

DON’T MISS ‘GOLDEN’ OPPORTUNITY

PDRS PRESENT FOR BUILDING

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‘Planning’ and ‘simple’ are two words that rarely go together.

As anyone who has had dealings with it will know, the planning system can be complex, confusing and costly.

The existence of Permitted Development Rights (PDRs), however, offer farmers a streamlined – and, yes, simple – process for erecting or converting buildings.

Assuming you meet certain basic criteria and can provide an agricultural justification, PDRs cover projects of up to 1,000 sq m of floor space, allowing dealings with the authorities to be quick and cheap; typically costing hundreds rather than thousands of pounds and with a presumption in favour of the application being approved.

In areas such as National Parks and AONB, an application under PDRs may be subject to additional scrutiny, but the principle still applies. The significant number of new buildings spread throughout the South Downs is evidence enough.

Factor in the availability of cheap finance at present (the base rate is just 0.1%) and you’ll probably never get a better time to put up buildings than now.

Having modern, fit-for-purpose structures can obviously increase the efficiency of your farming enterprises, but converting old buildings and putting up new ones can also future-proof your business by opening the door on new opportunities, even if they’re not apparent at the time of construction.

A low-ceilinged, dilapidated grain store might not be suited to today’s 16 to 20 tonne trailers, so investing in a new one can bring extra capacity and will be more appropriate for modern kit, plus give you the chance to generate new income streams from the old one. Under PDRs, it could be converted into, for instance, workshops, storage or potentially even residential use.

Recent events have probably changed work practices for good and demand for rural offices may increase as owners of city office blocks face the

challenge of falling occupancy.

It’s understandable that some farmers are delaying any major spending plans given Covid-19 worries and uncertainties surrounding Brexit, but a decision to invest in buildings is rarely a bad one. Naturally, there has got to be a clear business strategy, but nowadays it’s possible to put up a 500 square metre general purpose structure for about £50,000.

Time might be of the essence, too, with the system currently favourable to farmers. PDRs might not be around for ever. Policies evolve, the way authorities and officials interpret them changes – and a new government could well review how the planning system operates in the countryside, just as it could review the legislation surrounding inheritance tax and capital gains tax.

Agriculture is generally regarded as being treated ‘leniently’ when it comes to planning compared to other industries. Such a treatment is entirely justified as it’s necessary to boost the viability of farms and keep rural communities vibrant, but this approach has its critics so it’s possible that all agricultural buildings could be subject to full planning rules in future. This would involve far more regulations and conditions and make navigating the system more costly, complicated and slower.

As BPS is phased out, the essence of what it means to be a farmer will continue to change. Currently, if you ask a bunch of schoolkids what a farmer does, they’d say someone who grows crops or keeps livestock. They wouldn’t be wrong – but in many parts of the country, especially here in the busy and densely populated South East, the definition has been considerably wider for some time. Yes, farmers receive income from food production and perhaps support payments, but non-farming income is important.

With returns from agriculture under pressure and BPS payments set to disappear between now and 2028, revenues from such non-farming businesses and assets, including buildings, will become ever

• Farm and Estate Management • Farm Business Consultancy • Viticulture • Countryside Stewardship • Ecological Surveys • Planning Applications

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more vital.

If you are in the right area, there is a massive demand for buildings for uses unconnected to agriculture. Across the South East, there are many opportunities for rental income near towns and cities.

Some farmers and estate owners are making a big profit from a relatively small turnover on rental income from buildings, while only generating a small profit on a massive turnover from crops and livestock.

Even if you’re a long way from a centre of population, but just near a busy road, it may be that someone in your area is looking for storage or a place to park lorries.

Farming is at a crossroads, so it makes sense to review your buildings and develop a strategy to best utilise them. They should be seen within the context of your whole portfolio of assets – your land, property, buildings, natural capital and skills.

If you decide to embark on any project, remember flexibility should be one of the guiding principles. You might be putting up a structure that will be there for 30-plus years, so think carefully about its layout, size and location in relation to access and livestock and machinery movements. Run through all the scenarios about what might happen if your enterprises change and you want to use that building for something else.

Ensuring it has a low environmental impact should also be high in your thought process, as choice of materials and design (along, of course, with its siting) are key factors the authorities will consider.

If you can do that, now might be a golden opportunity to responsibly erect, extend or alter a building.

For now, ‘simple’ is a word that can legitimately be used to describe this part of the planning system and that’s not something you’ll hear me say very often.

MATTHEW BERRYMAN Director, CLM T: 07710 765323 E: matthew@c-l-m.co.uk www.c-l-m.co.uk

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

LAND AND FARMS The UK planning system has felt the impacts of the Covid-19 outbreak along with every sector of the global economy. However, after some uncertainty on how the decision-making process would be affected, the situation appears to have had less impact on smaller planning projects than might have been the case.

Local authorities were quick to implement new procedures in determining planning applications that would align with government advice on social distancing and remote working. Planning officers proceeded to work from home and are making delegated decisions on planning applications wherever possible. Local authorities have been granted legislative powers to hold virtual planning committees, which are already being held across the country, but local authorities will seek to limit committee items to those larger or more controversial schemes.

Under delegated powers, we have found that some smaller applications have in fact been determined at a greater pace than before the lockdown, demonstrating that remote working can function just as effectively in these unprecedented times. In some instances, this has been up to two weeks before the original target decision date.

The preparation of planning applications for small scale proposals has also been largely unaffected in recent months. Architects, ecologists and other technical consultants have been able to undertake their work remotely and in line with social distancing

www.batchellermonkhouse.com The Batcheller Monkhouse planning team has secured planning permission for a wide range of farm diversification projects across the South East. Please speak to us about the potential for diversifying your business.

KIRSTY CASTLE

T: 01892 509280 E: k.castle@batchellermonkhouse.com

CLARE BARTLETT

T: 01798 877555 E: c.bartlett@batchellermonkhouse.com

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

PLANNING FOR FARM

DIVERSIFICATION PROJECTS IN 2020 requirements, so there has been little delay in preparing the necessary application documents.

NEW OPPORTUNITIES

Based on our experience we believe now is the time to act. A number of opportunities have been set out below: Extension of the season for wedding venues, campsites and caravans The tourism and leisure industry has been hit hard by the lockdown, following the announcement in March that all non-essential businesses would be required to shut their doors. However, many are now preparing to get up and running again in July as lockdown measures continue to be eased.

The planning system will need to play a key role in getting the industry back on its feet. Planning permissions for leisure and tourism development often include a condition limiting the use of the business to certain seasons of the year, usually over the summer. The current lockdown offers a strong justification for those looking to extend or remove these conditions where it is felt that the business can operate safely and effectively year-round. This might include farm diversification projects such as wedding barns or camping pods.

Relaxation of restriction on holiday accommodation to allow occupation by farm workers Similarly, there may be an opportunity to provide more flexibility for those with holiday accommodation by allowing year-round occupation, perhaps to rural workers. A lack of small, affordable units of accommodation in rural areas is a problem in many parts of the country. Relaxing occupancy rules would serve the dual benefit of providing affordable, year-round accommodation for local workers and

an additional source of income for property owners outside the tourist season.

Tourism diversification There is strong support from planning authorities for farm diversification projects that provide an additional source of income for local farmers. A wide range of options have been explored in the South East and include the conversion of unused barns into holiday lets, wedding venues or farm shops and cafes, and the use of disused land for tourist accommodation. The need to diversify income streams can be further justified in light of Covid-19 and its impact on the economy.

Extension of permitted development rights for restaurants and cafĂŠs Temporary permitted development rights have been introduced which allow a restaurant or drinking establishment to operate as a hot food takeaway without applying for planning permission. Local planning authorities will need to be notified of this change but no formal planning application is required. These rights are currently in place until 23 March 2021. Now may be the time to agree extended rights beyond this time limit.

Rural business hubs Shared workspaces are becoming increasingly popular in the UK. These are flexible business spaces that provide access to a high-quality working environment, with the benefit of low overheads, existing IT infrastructure and the flexibility of a shorter lease. These spaces are more commonly found in urban areas but given the sudden move to home working, and with firms reducing their dependence on city offices, we are already seeing a growth in demand for this type of office space.

Disused farm buildings of sound construction are ideally suited to this use.

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Land & Property Experts

Sevenoaks, Kent

ÂŁ1,550,000

A semi detached three bedroom house with a range of general purpose equestrian outbuildings and sand school.

One building with planning permission for conversion to a residential dwelling under reference 19/00212/FUL. All within a ringfence with grassland and fenced paddocks with mature natural broadleaved woodland.

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Extending to approximately 30.46 acres.

Painters Forstal, Kent

ÂŁ1,500,000

A Grade II Listed Farmhouse with six bedrooms requiring refurbishment and modernisation.

Range of traditional general purpose farm buildings with attractive flint walled courtyard.

Fenced and gated pasture land to the west with licensed caravan site for 25 pitches.

Extending to approximately 21 acres. For sale as a whole or in lots.

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

T 01233 740077

LAND AND FARMS

ESTABLISHED VINEYARD AND WINERY ASHDOWN FOREST | EAST SUSSEX

A well-established vineyard in the heart of the Sussex Weald, with 60 acres of vines, fully equipped winery, Grade II listed farmhouse, holiday cottage and tithe barn for weddings and events has come to the market through Savills.

Kingscote Wine Estate extends to 152 acres and is in the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, close to the Ashdown Forest, and the Bluebell Railway runs through the estate.

There are about 60 acres of vines, including Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Bacchus, Pinot Blanc and Regent. The initial vines were planted in 2010, 2011 and 2013, with extensive planting in 2017. The vineyards have been planted on southerly slopes and have been established to produce a range of both still and sparkling wines.

The winery contains all the latest technology for producing premium wine using stainless steel and

GUIDE PRICE: £6,750,000

152 ACRES

temperature control. There is also a two-acre apple orchard planted in 2011, the fruit from which has in the past been used to produce cider.

The five-bedroom Grade II listed farmhouse has an abundance of traditional character features and exposed timbers and benefits from views across the vineyard and the beautiful undulating countryside. The Coach House, a two-bedroom property with open plan living space, is currently used as a holiday let.

At one end of a traditional timber-framed barn is a mezzanine gallery overlooking the main entertainment space, which has been used in the past as a smaller meeting area and as a stage for the band at events.

The estate benefits from a newly constructed Shufflebottom machinery store and workshop, and a substantial barn in the yard has potential for a variety of alternative uses.

The remaining land extends to about 80 acres and is predominantly pasture with around 22 acres of woodland, stretching out over opposing sides of the Medway Valley. From the top of the farm there are stunning views across the Weir Wood Reservoir and the undulating countryside beyond, towards the Ashdown Forest. There are also two fishing lakes on the estate, extending to about 2.7 acres, which are well stocked with carp, perch, bream and rudd.

Chris Spofforth, Savills head of farm agency in the South East, said: “Kingscote is a well-established commercial vineyard with all the facilities on site to undertake wine production from the vine to the shop. The current owners have more than doubled the amount of vines on the estate over the past couple of years and worked hard to build up the brand, resulting in a significant trading opportunity for the new owners.”

P O T TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

K C PI

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LAND AND FARMS

WEST SUSSEX FARM TO BE AUCTIONED ASHURST WOOD | EAST SUSSEX

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GUIDE PRICE: £1.75MILLION

A livestock farm in an idyllic location close to the Sussex, Surrey and Kent borders is to be auctioned through Savills.

Owletts Farm in Ashurst Wood, West Sussex, comprises 223 acres of predominantly pasture, a good range of agricultural buildings, a farm cottage/office and planning permission for a new farmhouse.

Chris Spofforth, head of Savills south east farm agency, said: “Owletts is a livestock farm with the vast majority of the land being down to grass or fodder crops with some excellent, fit for purpose buildings at its heart.

223 ACRES

There is an additional benefit of planning consent for a detached three bedroom farmhouse, leaving the existing bungalow free to become a farm office.

“Being in a highly sought after area, close to the Sussex, Surrey and Kent borders, the auction guide represents extremely good value for a farm with over 200 acres.”

The auction is being held online and takes place on 29 July, with an auction guide price set at £1.75million.

Nackington, Canterbury Rare opportunity to rent a productive block of Grade 2 arable land, equipped with a general purpose agricultural building and a 68,181m3 abstraction licence, with irrigation across the holding.

Offered on a five year Farm Business Tenancy for the whole.

All tenders must be received by noon Wednesday 8 July 2020 and submitted on the tender form, which is available from the agents.

About 291 acres.

To let by informal tender Stuart Nicholls 07786 944666 snicholls@savills.com savills.co.uk

RURL Nackington 190x133mm Ad 110620.indd 1

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12/06/2020 16:59

LAND AND FARMS

With the retirement of Charles Thacker as Managing Partner at Batcheller Monkhouse, Leo Hickish has been appointed Chairman.

Leo will take a particular responsibility for business growth and development but still be very much involved with the estate management and professional work that he loves.

Leo will be assisted by Don Cranfield as General Manger. Don will be responsible for the administrative side of the firm. He joins from Plumpton College and is well known in the rural community for his business development role at the College and more recently the responsibility

CRANBROOK | KENT

TIME OF GROWTH

for the LEADER funding programme “Despite these extraordinary times and the challenges that Covid-19 presents to us all, this is a time of growth for Batcheller Monkhouse.

It is particularly encouraging to see the pent-up activity being unleashed in our estate agency and lettings departments following the announcement that we could open for business once more,” said Leo.

> Don Cranfield

> Leo Hickish

GUIDE PRICE: £995,000

POPULAR NURSERY Originally forming part of The Tongswood Estate, the Grade II listed Walled Nursery on the outskirts of the village of Hawkhurst, near Cranbrook, Kent, is for sale with Savills.

The majority of the glasshouses have been restored and include a melon house, cucumber house, peach case, fernery and a ¾ span vinery. Part of the vinery was transformed into a café in 2016 and the gift shop was extended, creating a successful horticultural outlet with diverse income streams.

A two bedroom bothy cottage forms part of the ‘wall’, comprising an open plan kitchen/ dining room/study with a charming bay window overlooking the glasshouses and lawns, two spacious double bedrooms, bathroom and a central living room leading to a private garden area, beyond which is a yard and outbuildings, having potential for alternative uses.

Chris Spofforth, of Savills south east rural agency team, said: “Many will recognise The Walled Nursery as a popular horticultural destination, and will have stopped there for coffee or something to eat in The Vinery Café while browsing the plant stock on offer or buying a gift from the shop. The Walled Nursery is a real destination for locals and many from further afield. The on-set of Covid-19 has meant that the owners have had to close the nursery and The Vinery Café to visitors, but like many other businesses they have adapted and online sales are thriving under the circumstances. The property being sold is one that has trading provenance, a very good name locally and potential for the buyer to do their own thing from here-on, with the opportunity to expand upon what the current owners have created over the last 10 years.”

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Specialist Bespoke Planning Advice for your planning journey

www.therpp.co.uk CRANBROOK 01580 201888

CIRENCESTER 01285 323200

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

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FOR SALE

www.lambertandfoster.co.uk

BY INFORMAL TENDER (Closing date noon Friday 10 July 2020) LAND AND PROPERTY NEAR BRENCHLEY, KENT

Lan www.btfpartnership.co.uk

Stansted, Kent Spout Lane, Brenchley Guide Price: £250,000 Attached two bed cottage (EPC G) • Subject to lifetime tenancy • Views over adjacent orchards • Off street parking

Spout Lane, Brenchley Guide Price: £350,000 Attached two/three bed cottage (EPC E) • Views over adjacent orchards • Rear garden • Off street parking

An opportunity to purchase a working sm

Farmhouse, agricultural buildings with pl Spout Lane, Brenchley Guide Price: £100,000 A whole or in 5 separate lots - approx 90 a Parcel of land with range of former hopper huts • Four timber and iron hopper huts • Potential for alternative uses subject to planning A r t i s t ’s I m • In all about 0.42 acres

Rye, Eastx Susse Tong Bank Orchards, Marle Place Road Guide Price: OIEO £200,00 South facing orchard land in the High Weald AONB • Range of derelict hopper huts • In all about 23.46 acres

Please contact Joint Agents:

£3

A site for the development of a residentia Consent for a 4 bedroom contemporary h Planning Permission - RR/2019/1244/P

Spout Lane, Brenchley Guide Price: OIEO £450,000 A pair of three bedroom semi-detached cottages in need of complete redevelopment or refurbishment 2 • Total gross internal area of approximately 128m • In all about 0.18 acres

BTF Partnership 01435 864455 E: heathfield@btfpartnership.co.uk

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Lambert & Foster 01892 832325 E: agric@lambertandfoster.co.uk Maidstone, Kent

Established top-fruit unit - approx 43.50 a 14 acres Jazz, Gala & Conference under 4 Controlled atmosphere cold storage for 3

www.btfpartnership.co.u

LAND AND FARMS

BARHAM | KENT

GUIDE PRICE: ÂŁ1,600,000

185 ACRES

PRODUCTIVE PARCEL OF ARABLE LAND A productive parcel of arable land on the edge of the North Downs is for sale as a whole with Strutt & Parker.

The land at Upper Digges Farm is located south east of the cathedral city of Canterbury between the villages of Barham and Aylesham. It extends to approximately 185 acres (75 ha) in total and

comprises 183 acres (74 hectares) of productive arable land and two acres of tracks and woodland belts split across three large fields. The land has been farmed under a traditional cereals rotation.

The North Downs Way follows a central track running through the centre of the land, providing all fields with good access for agricultural machinery.

The soil is a mixture of Grades 2 and 3. The majority of the soils are a Coombe 1 association which are well-drained, lime-rich and of a fine silt over chalk.

Land at Upper Digges Farm is offered for sale as a whole by private treaty. The land will be sold with vacant possession.

P O T TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

K C PI

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LAND AND FARMS

SHARING THE BENEFIT Realising the benefits of housing delivery… or not, as the case may be…

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Often when developers engage with the public their reaction is one of fear, mistrust and trepidation. “Why is there a need for these new houses? The schools, doctors and roads are full and we can’t cope with any more houses… we want the infrastructure first.” None of these thoughts is particularly irrational, after all parts of South East England are home to the most densely populated areas in Europe.

Traffic congestion and long waiting times for GP appointments are not uncommon features of life in many parts of the UK. One of my frustrations as a town planner working in this industry is the slow pace of investment in infrastructure, after the cheque has been signed by the developer. I am always reminded of one particular meeting with a parish council whose first statement after my presentation was: “There are two housing sites in the town being built, the developers promised us money for our community hall and we haven’t seen it. We don’t trust you or your industry.”

When I pointed out to them that the monies had been paid to the district council some two years previously, they simply didn’t believe me. However, a couple of days later, I did receive a very polite phone call from the parish clerk stating that yes, indeed, the six-figure sum had been received by the council and yes, the district council had sat on it for two years and not told the parish. They were particularly grateful to me for pointing it out. Unfortunately, that is not uncommon.

Section 106 agreements are legal agreements that are attached to a planning permission, legally

binding the developer or landowner into paying monies towards local infrastructure improvements that mitigate the impact of that particular scheme.

However, as outlined in my tale above, the suspicion amongst developers and local communities is that councils are spending only a fraction of what they have received and that the rest has disappeared into a sizeable black hole. Quite how big, no one knows.

There has been no requirement on the part of local authorities to disclose the figures and dozens haven’t.

Until now. Councils are now required to publish an annual report disclosing the size of their payments and how much they have spent.

In February 2019, Property Week magazine sent freedom-of-information (FOI) requests to all 343 local authorities in England asking how much in Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy payments they had received between 2013 and 2018, and how much they had spent.

The figures obtained by Property Week, published in September 2019, revealed that local authorities across England received at least £4bn in infrastructure contributions from developers over the period, but only spent 37% of what they had received.

More than £2.5bn – or 63% – of the money paid by developers remains unspent.

In that context, it is no wonder that local people remain sceptical about the benefits of housing delivery. House building remains one of the most

important contributors to GDP in this country, and the benefits are considerable. Directly employing more than 250,000 people, the industry contributes to the Exchequer through a range of taxes such as Stamp Duty, Land Tax, Corporation Tax and Value Added Tax (VAT), together with the aforementioned significant contributions towards infrastructure development and of course the provision of affordable housing, delivered without public subsidy. A report by the consultancy Lichfields published in July 2018 highlighted that in the year 2017/18, house building generated £38 billion of economic output to the economy.

Local Authority Planning departments are under resourced and the officers are doing their best to provide a service to their communities. It is, therefore, up to the great British public to engage with local councillors at all levels of local government to ensure that the monies generated from the provision of new housing are spent in the local area. After all, it is only right that the local community gets to share in this benefit.

Could your land have development potential?

Find out more about land promotion

DAVID MORRIS

Planning and Operations Director Catesby Estates plc T: 01926 836910 E: davidm@catesbyestates.co.uk W: www.catesbyestates.co.uk

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www.batchellermonkhouse.com Residential

▪

Rural

▪

Equestrian

PATRIDGE GREEN, WEST SUSSEX

COWFOLD, WEST SUSSEX

GUIDE PRICE £1,400,000

GUIDE PRICE £1,000,000-£1,100,000 FOR THE WHOLE

A superbly located small farm and business opportunity, with about 14.34 acres and direct access to Downs Link Bridlepath.

Chalet Bungalow - 2 Reception Rooms. Kitchen/Breakfast Room.

4 Bedrooms. Separate Detached Cafe Building. Parking and Sitting Area. Range of Stabling. 2 Field Shelters. Tack Room. Barn.

Paddocks. In all about 14.34 acres.

Free-range chicken farm, available as a going concern with about 14.4 acres. Available in 2 lots.

Lot 1: Bungalow (AOC applies) – 2 Bedrooms. 3 Stables. Paddock – about 2.54 acres.

Lot 2: Equipped Free-Range Chicken Units with capacity for about 11,366 birds. Packing/Grading Shed. Ancillary Buildings, about 17,734 sq ft – In all 11.86 Acres APPLY PULBOROUGH OFFICE 01798 872081

APPLY PULBOROUGH OFFICE 01798 872081

Battle 01424 775577

Haywards Heath 01444 453181

Pulborough 01798 872081

Tunbridge Wells 01892 509280

London Mayfair mayfair@batchellermonkhouse.com

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Kent | Adisham Guide Price £1,600,000 A productive parcel of arable land on the edge of the North Downs.

Barham: 1.5 miles, Aylesham: 1.5 miles, Canterbury: 8 miles, Dover: 10 miles Grade 3 arable land | Split into three parcels Good road access

About 185 acres (75 ha) For sale as a whole

Battle 01424 775577

Haywards Heath 01444 453181

Pulborough 01798 872081

Tunbridge Wells 01892 512020

London Mayfair mayfair@batchellermonkhouse.com

National Estates & Farm Agency 07884 866275

will.whittaker@struttandparker.com /struttandparker

@struttandparker

struttandparker.com

60 Offices across England and Scotland, including prime Central London.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T | J U LY 2 0 2 0

LAND AND FARMS

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Marsh Court farm is a delightfully located grass farm with its own drive leading to the farmhouse and farmyard buildings with the land beyond on the market with Batcheller Monkhouse.

The farmhouse is a stunning detached stone built grade II listed farmhouse, believed to date from 1661. The property requires substantial renovation.

Adjoining the house is a former dairy building, now used as two stores. The farm buildings lie in a yard and also require renovation. There is a particularly attractive mainly stone built barn

92 ACRE GRASS FARM WINCANTON | SOMERSET

divided into implement store, two stock stalls and further store, with leanto stock yard. The former dairy and parlour is now used for sheep housing and general storage.

The land lies in a single block with good road frontage and is generally level, divided into a

92.26 ACRES

number of conveniently sized fields.

It is in a lovely setting with views over surrounding rising countryside, and there is a small part of a former moat running between the land and the buildings.

In all approximately 92.26 acres (37.34 ha).

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LAND AND FARMS Petley Wood Equestrian Centre is a wellestablished facility in the heart of East Sussex, two miles east of the historic town of Battle, and has further business development potential.

It offers a well-appointed four bedroom farmhouse and extensive equestrian facilities with land extending to about 190 acres, including beautiful woodland rides in a convenient location close to the A21.

It has been extensively developed to offer excellent quality equestrian amenities for both horse and rider. The site extends in all to 190 acres, including approximately 168 acres of mixed broadleaf woodland, 15 acres of pasture paddocks and the main events centre which extends to about 6.5 acres. While conveniently located near the A21, it enjoys a relatively private location.

The current owners have established a wellappointed regional equestrian centre with DIY livery facilities that are popular with owners who are attracted by the excellent year-round facilities. The arena and school facilities are regularly used for events, shows and private hire alongside a full calendar of competitions and events.

Petley Wood has a licence for weddings, with a dedicated site on the edge of the woodland for ceremonies.

Petley Wood House is a detached brick and tile farmhouse with tile hung upper elevations. It offers well-proportioned family accommodation on the ground floor.

The house has a southerly aspect bordering woodland in a gently sloping garden extending to about 0.60 of an acre. To the side of the house is a substantial brick double garage/utility area.

To the south of the house is a former timber built farm shop linking through to two attached units with side extension, a former retail sales area. This building might (subject to planning consents) have potential for other uses.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

EQUESTRIAN CENTRE WITH

BUSINESS POTENTIAL BATTLE | EAST SUSSEX

190 ACRES

The main equine centre is based around the main indoor arena (50m x 25m), a ten-bay steel portal framed, fully enclosed building with viewing gallery, commentary box to side and overhead irrigation system. The building is floodlit and has a public address system.

Extensive on-site stabling features 33 stables, including a courtyard which houses a U-shaped block of 19 boxes with rest rooms and hay barns.

There is a separate American barn incorporating five spacious loose boxes.

The equestrian events are predominantly held in the main arena, which extends to just under an acre and benefits from floodlighting, CCTV and a professional quality PA system linked to the adjacent show commentary box.

There is a second all-weather arena (40m x 20m) on the south side of the car park, with a high quality circular horse walker between the two. Completing the yard facilities is a series of buildings including a cafeteria and rest room which includes a fully serviced catering kitchen.

The site has two large car parking areas with plenty of room for parking on event days.

The centre extends to some 190 acres, including about 15 acres of fenced and railed

paddocks immediately adjoining the stables and buildings, which occupy some 6.5 acres including extensive hard surfaced car parking. Petley Wood is about 168 acres and comprises a ring fenced block of mixed broadleaf woodland.

Petley Wood is classified as ancient woodland and has an abundance of flora and fauna. It offers considerable conservation and amenity appeal and is home to a wide variety of animals and many native species of birds and butterflies. It is part of the DEFRA Woodland Grant Scheme.

Located on the eastern side is a Scheduled Ancient Monument listed by Historic England. The bow barrow is an ancient burial ground located on the south side of the ridge overlooking the River Brede and is believed to date back to the Bronze Age. It is 17 meters in diameter standing to a height of 1.3 metres.

The owners have established a network of carefully planned rides and trails through the woodland which lead to an attractive pond area on the far western boundary. The woodland provides an all year round attractive and safe environment for riding and walking and boasts a variety of established rhododendron and bluebell areas.

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CLASSIFIEDS

CONSTRUCTION CONSTRUCTION

Industrial & Commercial | Structural Steelwork | Agricultural & Equestrian

G. J. ELGAR

CONSTRUCTION Ltd

Shufflebottom Agricultural Buildings Steel-frame buildings for your farm + Supply only or supply & erect + Construction all over the UK + Award winning company

• • • • • • •

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Steel frame buildings Sheeting and cladding Guttering and repairs Groundworks and drainage Demolition and asbestos removal Refurbishment and change of use Concrete frame and steel frame repairs • Insurance and general repairs • Concrete floor and block paving

Strength, Security, Style Contact us for a free quotation 01269 831831 enquiry@shufflebottom.co.uk www.shufflebottom.co.uk Shufflebottom Ltd Cross Hands Business Park, Cross Hands, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire SA14 6RE

www.gjelgarconstruction.co.uk For more information contact us: t: 01233 623739 m: 07860 414227 e: simon@gjelgarconstruction.co.uk

formabuild.co.uk

G.E.WHITE

 Office 01273 492404  info@formabuild.co.uk  www.formabuild.co.uk

& SONS Ltd

Based in Lewes, East Sussex

AGRICULTURAL, EQUESTRIAN & INDUSTRIAL STEEL FRAMED BUILDINGS We supply CONCRETE PANELS – Any size to suit your needs All our buildings are

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

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

100%

British designed & built

Email or telephone with your enquiry and if required we can FaceTime to discuss the project

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marked

“You tried the others, now try the brothers”

All our panels are marked

All aspects of steel work, cladding & groundwork.

Family run business with 45 years experience.

All refurbishments & repairs undertaken.

Call for a free quote today.

Gary White 07812 599679 Jason White 07941 274751

CONSTRUCTION

CS982 SE Farmer Advert 60mm x 93.qxd:Layout 1

12/12/12

rn & s he s nt ut er AK ou So rm S isc Fa AM r d R e b em M

A one-stop-shop for all Profiled Roofing Products: BIGG ES T RA NGE IN THE SOUTH EAS T PROMPT AND RELIABLE SERVICE HUGE STOCKS

Call: 01342 337159 www.southernsheeting.co.uk

Hill Place Farm, Turners Hill Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex RH19 4LX

CLASSIFIEDS

14:1

CONSTRUCTION STEEL HOUSING Email for prices

TEL: 07813 910975 01233 750123

Ideal for offices, holiday lets, and dwellings. Quick to erect.

IDEAS IN ACTION

E: camilesconstruction@hotmail.co.uk

Bespoke options include:

Side extensions • Steel housing Office blocks • Asbestos removal All groundworks undertaken All frames are

marked

ENWARD Grain stores • Cattle buildings • Dairy units Change of use and refurbishment of existing buildings

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

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

LET’S KEEP WORKING!

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

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

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

www.kenwardgroundworks.co.uk

REFURBS, BIG 6 ROOF SHEETS, ROOF LIGHTS, RIDGES, VERGES, VALLEY GUTTERS, BOX GUTTERS, BOUNDARY GUTTERS, ASBESTOS, SHEETING Single Sheet To Whole Roof Roller Shutters Accidental or Storm Damage Works Demolition Refurbishments Waste Clearances

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

SOUTH EAST CLADDING LTD Professional Services to the Agricultural, Industrial & Equestrian Sectors

CALL TO DISCUSS YOUR PROJECT!

FREEPHONE: 01233 659129

from BT land-line

MOBILE: 07813 142 145 charlie.woodger@btinternet.com

CONSTRUCTION

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

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

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

W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T | J U LY 2 0 2 0

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CLASSIFIEDS

CONSTRUCTION

JPR “ROOFING” & GUTTERING INSTALLATIONS LTD

Supply and erecting of

Steel framed buildingS

Fully insured and licensed. 23 years family run business.

Covering all KENT & SUSSEX

AND

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

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

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

www.ardaviesfarmservices-canterbury.co.uk

GRAINSTORE INSTALLATIONS

A.R. DAVIES FARM SERVICES Est 1986

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

Family business Family runrun business

LET’S KEEP WORKING!

with over 45+45+ years of of with over years

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

CONSTRUCTION

Steel frame buildings, Steel frame buildings, cladding andand associated cladding associated

Specialists in: works. works.

• Agricultural, Specialists in: in: equestrian & light Specialists • Agricultural, industrial buildings • Agricultural, light equestrian & light •equestrian In house&fabrication industrial buildings industrial buildings •• In Planning services house fabrication • In house fabrication available • Planning services

ALL WORK ALL WORK

APPROVED APPROVED

lanesconstruction.co.uk

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

• Planning services available

available01323 848684 lanesbuildings@btconnect.com

lanesconstruction.co.uk lanesconstruction.co.uk

lanesbuildings@btconnect.com lanesbuildings@btconnect.com

01323 848684 01323 848684

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

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Contact: Chris, for a no obligation quotation: Tel: 07813 142145 or 01233 659129 (7 days)

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

www.jprmaintenance-construction.co.uk

Penfold Profiles

Contact us today +353 (0) 46 943 1389

Asbestos removal Sheeting Guttering

O’REILLY

concrete

RAMSA K M

E

M

B

E

R

Specialists in agricultural and industrial buildings ASBESTOS Survey Removal Disposal

O’Reilly Oakstown Ltd Oakstown, Trim, Co. Meath, C15 X499, Ireland info@oreillyoakstown.com

L Walls & A Walls Grain Storage Walls Precast Storage Tanks Prestressed Wall Panels Agricultural Precast & Storage

GUTTERS Aluminium liners PVC liners Accessories

SHEETING Complete buildings New roof system for conversions Repairs – Rooflights

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

Penfold Profiles. Lees Paddock, High Halden, Ashford, Kent J U LY 2 0 2 0 | W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T

www.oreillyoakstown.com

®

CLASSIFIEDS

CONSTRUCTION SHORTLAND STRUCTURES LTD

CONTRACTORS Grubbing, timber & groundwork services

S W ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

S W ATTWOOD & PART LAND DRAINAGE • orchard grubbing

• land clearance

• windbreak removal

• excavations

• timber extraction

• cultivations

LAND DRAINAGE

• STEEL FRAMED BUILDINGS • CLADDING • ERECTING • • fallen tree removal • pond dredging • EXTENSIONS • ALTERATIONS • CONCRETE PANELS  FIELD MAPPING • ground contouring • reservoir construction • ROLLER/SLIDING/PERSONNEL DOORS •  DRAINAGE SURVEYINGW.H.Skinner & Sons 01622 744640 - 07711 264775  FIELD MAPPING Tel: 01732 460912 Mobile: 07976 287836 Email: sales@shortlandstructures.com  DESIGN www.shortlandstructures.com  DRAINAGE www.whskinnerandsons.co.uk SURVEYING  DRAINAGE

CONTRACTORS FROM £220 PER ACRE

G & S BROWN

DESIGN SWA DRAINAGE

SW ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

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

S W ATTWOOD & PARTNERS

Drainage Contractors Working with farmers since 1947

 

LAND DRAINAGE

● LAND DRAINAGE ● DITCHING ● POND WORK ● WATER SUPPLIES ● SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS ● GROUNDWORKS ● PLANT HIRE 360° EXCAVATORS

    FOR ESTIMATES & ENQUIRIES

FIELD MAPPING DRAINAGE SURVEYING DESIGN DRAINAGE

(01622) 890884 Email: info@brownsdrainage.co.uk

FROM £220 PER ACRE

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION www.brownsdrainage.co.uk PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE:

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Competitive Direct Drilling Service

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 01795 880441 • FIELD MAPPING • DRAINAGE SURVEYING PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT OUR • DESIGN • DRAINAGE james@swattwood.com WEBSITE: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

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

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

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

www.attwoodfarms.com PHONE: 01795 880441

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

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

  LANDwww.swjfattwood.com DRAINAGE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION  PLANT HIRE OUR PLEASE CONTACT US OR VISIT R.POPOVIC Town Place Farm, Haywards Heath INERT TIPPING& SON Agricultural Contractors WEBSITE:  Tel: 01825 790341 Mob: 07970 621832 Email: Charlie@townplacefarm.co.uk Est 1966 • Round or Big Square GRAIN STORAGE & baling and wrapping  CLAY SALES PHONE: 01795 880441

www.attwoodfarms.

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

®

• • • • • •

Forage harvesting Muck spreading Cultivations, grass seeding etc All grassland and forest ride maintenance Complete or part operations All other associated work undertaken

www.attwoodfarms.com

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 CALL 01303 233883

 LAND DRAINAGE  PLANT HIRE  INERT TIPPING Call Nick Popovic on 01323 832002 or 07889 177434  CLAY SALES

EMAIL: james@swattwood.com

    

GRAIN STORAGE & TESTING LAND DRAINAGE

®

PLANT HIRE INERT TIPPING CLAY SALES

CLASSIFIEDS FROM £65 To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T | J U LY 2 0 2 0

CLASSIFIEDS

FENCING EVENTS

HIRE SPECIALISTS ACROSS THE SOUTH EAST • Toilets & Showers for hire

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

CWP fenci f n ng

• Large range of Temporary canteens, stores & welfare units

Tel: 07985298221 www.cwpfencing.co.uk

IRRIGATION

• Effluent Tank Emptying • Events also catered for with marquees & toilets

FOUR JAYS GROUP

Why dig when we can trench it?

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

HAULIERS 07860 728204 Hay & Straw Merchant | Machinery Haulage

Trencher with operator for installing: • Irrigation and water pipes • Utility cables and ducting • Repairs to water pipes • Impact moling

Enquiries FieldWaterInstallations@gmail.com Est 1993

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

STORAGE TANKS

74 HAY & STRAW IN STOCK | ROUND & BIG SQUARE BALES

Find us on Facebook

KING

Horizontal Cylindrical Tanks

INDUSTRIAL DOORS DOORS LTD

From 54,500 litres to 27,250 litres (12,000 - 6,000 gallon) Single and twin compartments, with cradles

Bunded Tanks

SUPPLY INSTALLATION MAINTENANCE SERVICE

INDUSTRIAL DOOR SERVICES

STORAGE TANKS

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

Tel 01638 712328

www.thekinggroup.co.uk/tanks

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

SMITHS

of the Forest of Dean Ltd.

The Tank and Drum Experts

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

Tel: 01634 378523

www.yiannisdoors.co.uk

FENCING

PHILIP JUNIPER Fencing Services

Specialists in Stock, Deer and Equestrian Fencing Covering the South East Tel: (01403) 700509 Mobile: 07836 219344

www.philipjuniper.co.uk

J U LY 2 0 2 0 | W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T

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.

To advertise in South East Farmer telephone 01303 233883

®

CROSSWORD ®

VINEYARDS

COMPLETE OUR CROSSWORD TO WIN Two bottles of Gribble Bridge Sparkling White

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Withstand (6) Garden implement (5) Garden implement (4) A plant such as Jasmine or Passion Flower (7) A machine tool used for shaping (5) Pythagoras’ ------- (7) Create a stir (4) Used to make coffee (4) Pressurised fluid generating mechanical power (9) Entry levels to (ELMS) (4) Hospital department (Abbr) (3) Dairy product (5) Rodent (3) Having no money (slang) (5) Insinuate (5) Drink alcohol (6)

DOWN 24

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Crossword by Rebecca Farmer, Broadstairs, Kent

PRIZE ANAGRAM: Common arable crop weed (8)

To enter, simply unscramble the

anagram (8) using

the green squares.

Email your replies with your name, address and phone number to sef.ed@kelsey.co.uk Correct entries will be entered into a draw which will take place on 13 July. The winner will be announced in the August edition.

TO ADVERTISE CALL 01303 233883

LAST MONTH’S ANSWERS: 1

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VINEYARDS

With Premier League football resuming and other sporting events, this month we’re offering readers the chance to win two bottles of Gribble Bridge Sparkling White – celebrations or commiserations? For more information about the vineyards, please visit www.biddendenvineyards.com or call 01580 291726. *Subject to availability

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H A E M O N C H U S C O N T O R T U S

LAST MONTH’S WINNER: John Spicer from Tunworth, Basingstoke Correct answer: Haemonchus Contortus

W W W. S O U T H E A S T FA R M E R . N E T | J U LY 2 0 2 0

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