SAOS Update Summer '24

SAOS Council - a Critical Link to and from Members

Our Chief Exec, Tim Bailey, emphasises its importance and calls for new recruits

With 2025 fast approaching, we have begun the process of a review and ‘refresh’ of the SAOS business strategy. Like any business, this ‘roadmap’ is critical to ensure that we review our purpose and our vision: why we exist and what our ambitions are. It also sets out what our key strategic priorities are for the years ahead in the context of the world we now operate in and the future drivers impacting on it.

In the development of a co-op strategy it is crucial that we remain true to the co-op business model of operating for the benefit of the members who own and govern us. This strategy must also be underpinned by the core co-operative values including self help, self responsibility, openness and democracy.

It is in the context of both member governance and democracy that the critical role of the SAOS Council plays out. It’s fair to say that there remains a degree of ignorance (even mystery perhaps) about what the SAOS Council does and why it exists, so we must do a better job of promoting its pivotal role and how members can contribute.

At its simplest, the SAOS Council is a representative forum of our members and other key industry stakeholders. The Council has 16 elected members, with provision for a maximum of three additional co-opted members. It functions as an interface between members, the Board of Directors, and the executive team. Through this, it enables representatives to highlight their business priorities, needs, and challenges, and to help identify areas where possible action by SAOS could be taken in response. The Council elects six Directors to the SAOS Board.

In addition, the SAOS executive team uses the Council to share relevant industry information such as SAOS business updates, and to consult and seek feedback on new initiatives. Recent examples of this have included discussions on future SAOS Training Development planning, Co-op policy ‘asks’ for the future Agriculture Bill, and Supply Chain opportunities and challenges for co-ops following the Ukraine invasion.

As such, SAOS Council will be the first ‘port of call’, as we get our strategy planning underway, and when combined with wider membership

“I find being on the SAOS council enthralling! Joining with the leaders of so many different industries - all (mainly) with the common goal of food production, and such a wealth of experience and diversity of thoughts - it’s an inspiring group to be a part of and contribute to.”

Dave Bell, Tayforth Machinery Ring

“Being on the SAOS Council means that I can help contribute towards shaping the future strategy of the organisation. As an industry representative I ensure that members voices are being heard, especially when addressing key challenges facing the sector.”

Angela Porchez, Angus Growers

“In an ever changing environment, it’s a real opportunity to help shape the industry along other key stakeholders, as well as to advance your own business through mutual co-op learning.”

Anne Rae MacDonald, HBS Ring

engagement, will provide us with our own ‘appraisal’ and an invaluable feel for what we need to do next, do more of, and even stop doing if applicable.

Without an active and responsive Council, SAOS cannot effectively function as a vibrant co-op, responding to the needs of its members. We shouldn’t underestimate this fortunate position we are in of having a transparent and democratic mechanism helping to ensure that the views of farmers, and their wider farming and rural supply chains, can help to shape our evolving workstreams. This means SAOS can truly be ‘of farming, by farming, for farming’. Every year, there are two to four new vacancies on SAOS Council, and we always welcome expressions of interest from potential new members. The commitment is important but not onerous with just three half-day meetings each yeartwo in person and one online. Please get in contact with me or any of the team if you would like to find out more.

Summer ‘24

We bid a very fond ‘fare-thee-well’ to Rona Sutherland, our Supply Chain Development Manager, at the end of March. Much of the team gathered at Perth to show our appreciation to Rona for her considerable contribution to SAOS over almost seventeen years. Alan Stevenson raised a few laughs as he described Rona as his ‘work wife’,

having working with Rona for considerably longer across different organisations. He said: ”One of the great things about you was that, in my rubbish leadership style, I’d give you two lines of an idea - and you’d come back two days later, having researched it, spoken to a few people - and come up with the delivery plan. Very occasionally it was a bit mad but most of the time it was spot on! That ‘can do’, helpful attitude is what you are all about and we’ve all benefited from it over the years – and that’s true not just of the team but of external colleagues from other organisations – you are respected everywhere. You are such a great person to work with in terms of your knowledge, experience, expertise, thoughtfulness, dedication and most of all, your kindness.”

Alan went on to note the immense contribution has Rona made to SAOS and the wider food and drink sector over the years; helping establish SAOS in its supply chain development and collaboration role, developing strong networks, which we still benefit from today, and helping to build links with all our key contacts including Scotland Food & Drink and the Scottish Government.

We’ll shortly be undertaking a survey on the SAOS Update to gather readers’ views on the newsletter and checking that we’re still what you want!

We would greatly appreciate your help with this -

it has just a few questions and will honestly take just 2 minutes. We look forward to hearing your responses, views and any new ideas.

Thanks in anticipation!

The Employment and People Challenge - Finding new Ways to Explore Solutions

We have been working on new ways of thinking and developing ideas to help our co-op members. David Michie shares more info on this in his latest blog.

“Employing and managing staff is a big challenge. In fact, our co-op members tell us that it is their number one issue. Recruitment and retention of staff, new ways of working, different work patterns, developing skills, and planning for the succession of older staff are all challenging Scotland’s agri co-ops right now.

We in the SAOS Co-op Development team identified this was such a big challenge through our business review work, where we speak directly with our co-ops to understand their challenges and identify opportunities to help. The scale of the challenge was confirmed by some of our co-op managers at a workshop in the winter where we were able to drill down to get at some of the specifics.

I don’t think these employment issues are restricted to agri co-ops. I think they are affecting a lot of businesses in Scotland right now. Lockdown has changed the workplace and worker attitudes, and technology has had a huge impact on the way we work. There is more flexibility, with many jobs now being done remotely. There are also fewer people looking for jobs. Which is probably also a consequence of lockdown. As well as Brexit. This trend of fewer people being available to do work, and more people wanting to work ‘their way’, means there is a real need for some new thinking on employing and managing staff.

At SAOS we have come up with a new idea to help our co-op members get on top of this challenge. Partnering with Greenburn HR, we are offering a series of “Planning to Succeed” sessions in late summer, where we want to get operational managers together to share their experiences, learn from HR professionals, explore some new

thinking and, most importantly, put together a plan that they can then take back and implement in their business. There is so much we can learn from each other and sharing and exploring ideas is a great way to come up with really valuable insights and potential solutions. We’ll also be discussing how to plan to succeed through managing staff performance, having the right remuneration packages in place, and by recruiting the right people in the first place. These operational improvements will all help improve performance and make business run more effectively. These sessions will give managers a bespoke plan to make this all happen.”

We’ll share more information on these sessions very soon, watch out for the email!

Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders -

As our Spring Update went to press ahead of the graduation ceremony for 23/24’s cohort of Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders, we wanted to acknowledge them and their success.

Congratulations to all the successful participants, they are pictured here at the event with everyone who joined them to celebrate their success.

And thanks to Kirsty Spink, pictured below, who shares with us here how GTL has helped with her transition from Finance Manager to the dual role of Managing and Finance Director at Grampian Growers.

“I’ve worked at Grampian Growers for 36 years, starting as a Finance Manager, where my focus was on numbers, budgets, and financial reporting. Recently, I took on additional responsibilities as Managing Director. It was a big shift - from focusing on financial management, to overseeing the entire organisation and leading our staff! I knew I needed new skills to succeed in this dual role, so I signed up to Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders.

From finance to leadership

Taking on the role of Managing Director was always going to be challenging. I’d been in the same role for so long, so this was a huge change for me. I was used to managing financials, but now I had to facilitate board meetings, make key decisions, and lead a whole organisation. I wanted to ensure I could step back and see the bigger picture. The GTL course helped me shift my mindset from managing to leading, while at the same time keeping that focus on finance.

Empowering my team and building my confidence

One of the most important things I learned from the GTL course was that leadership is all about empowering others. I realised I needed to help my team grow and take on more responsibilities. This new approach has started to make our workplace more collaborative, and it also boosted my own confidence. My self-belief grew and I’ve started to implement changes to encourage more communication and teamwork among the staff. These small changes have made a big difference in our work culture.

Learning to trust and delegate

One of the most valuable lessons from the GTL course was about delegation and trust. I had to accept that I couldn’t do everything myself - and that that was okay. This realisation allowed me to focus more on the bigger picture, instead of getting bogged down in day-to-day tasks. The programme taught me that it’s okay to take time to plan and strategise. This was a game-changer for me, allowing me to focus on leading in a more strategic way.

Redefining time management

In my transition from Finance Manager to Managing Director, my relationship with time underwent a significant shift! Previously, I was focused on managing tasks and meeting deadlines, always feeling the pressure to keep things moving. But through the Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders course, I learned that effective leadership requires a different perspective on time. It’s not just about being busy; it’s about prioritising and delegating. I started to understand that taking time to step back, reflect, and strategise is a crucial part of leading. This new mindset allowed me to be more realistic about what I could accomplish, which ultimately made me a better leader.

Advice for leaders

If you’re considering the GTL course, here’s my advice: It’s a fantastic programme for anyone taking on additional responsibilities, stepping into a leadership role, or who has been in a senior position for a long time but not had any formal training - this is a great programme for you. It helps you grow as a leader while also focusing on everyone around you. The sense of community and support is invaluable. The course showed me that I wasn’t alone in this journey, and it gave me the confidence to make the changes I needed to be a more effective leader.”

The Growing Tomorrow’s Leaders programme is already full for ‘24/25 but you can find out more and note your interest for next time at: www.saos.coop/events-and-training/growing-tomorrows-leaders/

Abattoir Report Highlights Issues and Opportunities

The findings of the Scottish Small Producer Access to Abattoirs Report, conducted by SAOS on behalf of the Small Producers’ Pilot Fund (SPPF) Steering Group and Food from Fife, highlight the various challenges facing producers who require ‘private kill’ services in Scotland, and the abattoirs providing them.

The research involved a survey of Scottish producers who utilise private kill services, together with interviews with representatives from Scottish abattoirs providing private kill services. Six key recommendations emerged from the outputs of the survey and consultation exercise which have the potential to address the vulnerability of private kill services across Scotland.

Around 40% of survey respondents indicated that the constricted nature of the private kill abattoir network limited what they could process, with welfare concerns due to travel times, traceability, and communication also highlighted as issues. The survey also found that limited access to butchery services affects the ability of producers to supply added-value product into local supply chains.

Undertaking private kill is not the main focus for most of the mainland abattoir facilities and they often find it challenging to service this market. Demand, location, difficulty in employing and retaining a skilled workforce, and operating structure are also key challenges to running viable abattoirs for private kill.

SAOS’s Fergus Younger, a member of the SPPF abattoir subgroup, highlighted: “Collaborative working - between producers, abattoirs, and butchery operators - is vital to addressing the challenges of servicing the private kill market. Improving co-ordination in throughput could not only improve the economics of existing facilities, but could offer the producer a simpler route to access abattoir services. The Small Producer Pilot Fund Steering Group is keen that assistance be focused on the areas of greatest need and improving the options for producers looking to

utilise these facilities.”

Agriculture Minister, Jim Fairlie, said: “I would like to thank everyone who participated in the study. An analysis of the data is now underway which we will use to inform our future decisions.

“Small producers are a crucial lynchpin of our rural economy and it is vital that we improve their access to Scotland’s wider food supply chain. This will help bolster our food security whilst improving fairness for our small rural businesses.

“This report was funded through our Small Producer Pilot Fund which has been allocated £180,000 so far this year. This is an example of our ongoing efforts to help individual small producers increase their resilience, enhance their contribution to the rural economy and become more sustainable.”

Following up on the report’s findings, SAOS has been working with Mull slaughterhouse to trial whether additional private kill co-ordination support could help producers secure better access and help the abattoir operate a more efficient business. Similarly, SAOS has been working with Munro’s of Dingwall to help fully understand the costs associated with servicing the private kill sector.

The full report is available at: www.saos.coop/whats-new/news/abattoir-survey-results

The Small Producers Pilot Fund was set up by the Scottish Government to contribute to their Vision for Agriculture, our Good Food Nation ambitions, and Local Food Strategy. The Fund will help individual small producers increase their resilience, enhance their contribution to the rural economy and become more sustainable through supporting local food supply chains, improving access to training opportunities and helping link together small producers into existing abattoirs. The abattoir subgroup, which reported to the SPPF steering group, comprised: Will Docker, Balgove Larder and Food from Fife; Martin Beard, Rare Breeds Survival Trust; Adam Forest, Scotland Food & Drink; Flora Corbett, Mull Slaughterhouse; Graeme Ferguson, Fife Council and Fergus Younger, SAOS.

Co-operative Crops

As we’ve talked about in previous issues, intercropping is not a new idea, but the positive symbiosis between crops is the subject of a Europe-wide research project that Jim Booth, and now David Michie, are involved in and they recently travelled to Germany to undertake some testing (and tasting) as part of the EU research project, IntercropVALUES.

The project has research partners from all over Europe, studying various different types of crop mixtures and their impact on crop quality and yield, soils, and biodiversity.

David told us: “Our small part in this big research project involves learning from a group of intercroppers in Scotland, along with SRUC, our joint partners here. These intercropppers are part of a group of organic farmers who have set up an association called Scocan to grow and market organic oilseed rape. This crop has two, very high value, uses. The rapeseed meal is used for livestock feed, as an alternative to soya; while the cold pressed rapeseed oil is sold as a high value culinary product, ÒR-ganic rapeseed oil. But growing organic oilseed rape is not easy. Weeds and pests are a challenge, and the crop is hungry for nitrogen. To overcome these challenges these innovative farmers are intercropping, trialling different combinations of crops to try to improve yield, and working and learning together by sharing results.

“We are following their progress to understand their challenges, what works for them, what is motivating them to try different mixes, and what they are learning from the process. We are also speaking to the processor to understand any challenges they may have from their side.

David added: “I’m looking forward to learning more from both the Scocan farmers and from our European counterparts over the next few years. I am really interested in following the progress of the farmers’ innovative ideas in Scotland and in the results from crop trials in Europe, as many of the crops are also grown by our co-ops. If the results look promising, it would be great to import some innovative ideas for Scottish co-ops to try out.”

Join us at the Highland Show!

It doesn’t half come round quickly! The Highland Show is nearly upon us once again and we look forward to welcoming SAOS’s member co-op directors and invited guests to the SAOS/ScotEID stand from 4-6pm on Thursday,20th June - for a catch up drink and some nibbles.

If you can join us, please RSVP by email before 13th June to: jennifer.thompson@saos.coop

We hope to see you either at the reception or pop in for a chat and make use of the tea room catering.

SmartRural will once again have some of their wares ‘on show’, so come and have a chat about new developments and what’s ‘coming soon’. We are absolutely delighted to be able to host again some of the glorious blooms from the Flowers Grown in Scotland group, who SAOS helped bring together. Whatever the weather they are sure to brighten up the tea room.

(We are situated ringside on 7th Avenue - look out for Edie the EID cow!)

Scotland Food & Drink Awards

For over two decades, the Excellence Awards have brought together the finest Scottish producers with key decision makers and influencers across the industry. Underpinned by people, passion, and perseverance, it is an opportunity to toast fantastic achievements of the past year, whilst looking to the future and supporting the next wave of innovation and creativity. Entries are open. Find out more/apply now at: www.foodanddrink.scot/events-and-membership/the-excellence-awards

Other News & Views in Brief

Co-operative Conference

Dundee - 24th-26th June

Jim Booth will be joining one of the panel sessions, representing our coop members, at the upcoming ICA (International Cooperative Alliance) CCR Europe Research Conference at the University of Dundee, in June.

The theme of the conference is ‘Co-operatives, Hybrids, and Democratic Organisations as the Future of Sustainable and Equitable SocioEconomic Development: Operationizing Co-operatives and Democratic Organizations to address contemporary challenges and problems’.

The event will facilitate a “vibrant discussion and robust analysis on the importance of different types of co-ops and their overlap with democratic organizations for a sustainable, inclusive, and equitable future.”

For more info on the event, go to https://ica.coop/events

Calum

Barker,

Highland Grain’s new General Manager

Many of you would have met Highland Grain’s relatively new recruit, General Manager Calum Barker, at our conference in January. We were keen to find out more about Calum, who is also a new recruit to the agriculture industry.

When Calum left home on the Black Isle to complete a law degree at the University of Dundee, a career in the legal profession was the plan, however a chance encounter in an Inverness whisky shop set him on a different path and, as his passion for whisky flourished, so began the new goal of a career in the whisky industry.

He joined Chivas Brothers’ International Graduate Scheme and worked as the Chivas Regal Brand Ambassador in Poland for a year. While there, he was approached by Isle of Harris Distillers and encouraged to apply for their East of Scotland Brand Ambassador post. Calum spent the next four and a half years with them, working his way up to become UK Brand

Development Manager and was part of the launch team for The Hearach, Isle of Harris Distillers’ inaugural whisky.

Calum has always been interested in the wider whisky supply chain, so he jumped at the chance to learn more when he was told about the Highland Grain position.

Calum told us: “I am thoroughly enjoying my time with Highland Grain. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be involved with such a well-established and respected farming co-op and I’m very optimistic about what the future holds for us. Highland Grain prides itself on offering the best quality malting barley for the Scotch whisky industry and we will always strive to uphold this quality. Based on the Black Isle, we are surrounded by some of the most highly-esteemed distilleries in the world. We take great pride in supplying to many of these, and will continue developing and strengthening our relationships with both local maltsters and distilleries, to ensure that future consumers of these brands can enjoy a dram which has been made using the best quality local barley.”

When not at work, Calum is likely to be found either hill walking in the Highlands with his wife and dog, his other hobbies are windsurfing, skiing, football and music. Sláinte Calum and good luck!

Congratulations to ANM’s Rising Star

Aberdeen & Northern Marts’ trainee auctioneer, Fraser Chapman, was awarded the rising star award at the North East Scotland Food & Drink Awards in May. The event, delivered by Opportunity North East (ONE) in partnership with Aberdeenshire Council, celebrates excellence and innovation in the North East Scotland’s vital food and drink sector.

Fraser regularly auctioneers at the weekly cattle and sheep sales at Thainstone, as well as canvassing for stock across Alford, Deeside and the Isle of Uist, visiting farms and regularly talking to customers. Fraser is also training to become a fully qualified auctioneer and currently studying Livestock Market Operations and Management at Harper Adams University, where he recently became an associate of the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland (IAAS) after completing his first two years of the course.

The judges highlighted Fraser’s clear vision of his career pathway, including ensuring that the sector, which can sometimes be challenging, is represented in a positive way and was impressed that he recognised the social aspect of his work, engaging with clients during farm visits, being mindful of mental health and social skills. Well done Fraser!

Scottish Agronomy Membership Helps Planning for All Year Round Harvesting

Harvesting every month of the year has brought a different perspective to crop management for Scottish Agronomy member, Iain Wilson who is farm manager at the 4000-acre Stracathro Estate near Laurencekirk. Alongside conventional annual cropping for the milling and feed market, the estate also grows and harvests year-round to feed an AD plant.

Installed six years ago, the AD plant supplies approximately four million cubes of gas to the National Grid every year. Stracathro is contracted to feed the plant and provide the feedstock with crops solely grown on the farm.

establishment and growth to make sure there’s a constant supply for the AD plant.”

Planning for a harvest every month needs a well-considered strategy, but it’s a challenge Iain is enjoying: “We need to fill the AD plant with the same tonnage every day and with crops that will provide similar energy so the power supply remains reasonably consistent. There’s not a month when we’re not harvesting. We need to plan the rotation,

This means Iain is focused on getting the soils right and varieties that work for him, using Scottish Agronomy trials as a guide: “I want to keep it simple. The scale of Stracathro means I can’t afford to take up time with dirty varieties, and the days of reaching for the chemical can to solve every problem are gone. I really value the trials Scottish Agronomy does on varieties and inputs so I can target nutrition and protection. In my role, I have to be able to justify every penny to the owners. I will intentionally miss a pass from time to time so I know if what I’m doing is working and I like to challenge my agronomist!”

You can read the whole of this blog by Iain Wilson on the Scottish Agronomy website at: www.scottishagronomy.co.uk/

Collaborative Event Promotes Careers in Dairy

‘Dairy is much more than just milk’ was the message for students who attended the Digital Dairy Chain’s inaugural ‘Think Dairy Careers Expo’ in April. Over 400 secondary school pupils from Dumfries & Galloway and Cumbria experienced a highly interactive event set up to help address the skills shortage within the dairy industry.

Thirty exhibitors took part in the event at Borderway Mart in Carlisle, including SAOS member co-ops Aspatria Farmers, Tarff Valley and First Milk Among others involved were Lactalis, Paragon Vets, Cogent UK, Carrs Billington and training providers such as Scotland’s Rural College and LANTRA.

The students who attended were able to try everything from a milk-based experiment to learn about the composition of milk, to attempting to artificially inseminate a model cow! And to encourage the 13 to 17 year olds’ curiousity about what a career in dairy involves, exhibitors rewarded any good questions from the students with ‘cow money’ – fake notes of various values that the pupils could either keep or pool together to make a cow buying syndicate during the final event of the day, a mock cattle auction with live cows!

Donna Walton from the Digital Dairy Chain’s project partner, SmartSTEMs said: “It was wonderful to welcome so many students from Cumbria and Dumfriesshire to the Think Dairy Expo. Students had the opportunity to explore a wide range of dairy STEM careers that are available on their doorstep, whether they were drawn to the art of cheesemaking or the science of animal husbandry, the event demonstrated to them a range of careers that they may not have previously considered.”

Roger Briddock, Regenerative Programme Manager at First Milk commented: “First Milk is committed to creating opportunities for the next generation working in agriculture, whether on the farm, in the factory or across many other areas of the dairy sector. Being involved in this event is a great way to get young people interested and open their eyes to what our industry can offer them.”

Laura Millar, Head of Strategic Projects & Communications with Harrison & Hetherington said: “It was wonderful to see so many young people at this event discovering the possibilities of making a career in our fantastic dairy industry. Dairy farming is very much leading the way in embracing new technology and transforming the sector for the future, and we are delighted to be able to help raise awareness and encourage interest from the next generation, who we hope will take dairying forward as a career choice.”

Review of Cereals and Oilseeds Supply Chain

supply chains

SAOS, in partnership with FIA, has been successful in securing the AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds Assurance Evidence Gathering project.

Work is now underway on a thorough examination of the quality, traceability, testing requirements and processes for grain to enter all end markets, outside of the existing UK assurance schemes.

Patrick Hughes, SAOS’s Strategic Services Director commented: “We are delighted to be working with Food Integrity Assurance on this important project which will benefit from our combined areas of expertise. As an organisation, SAOS specialises in farmer co-operation, supply chain collaboration, strategic sector research, analysis and solution provision. This programme of work will see us benefit from FIA’s additional expertise in farm assurance.

“We’ll be using all of these skills to interrogate the robustness of farm and trade assurance of cereal and oilseed products in the UK. This will involve a threepronged approach - through supply chain interviews, assurance scheme analysis, and consulting farmer representative bodies. This will ensure a completely transparent process giving confidence to UK farmers and the food and drink sector.”

Innovation Competition With £1.1m of Funding

The second round of the Digital Dairy Chain’s Collaborative Research and Development Funding Competition is open for entries, with £1.1 million pounds of grant funding available for successful entries.

The competition is run by the UK’s national innovation agency, Innovate UK, with the aim of supporting

Available

innovative projects focused on improving dairy production and the supply chain.

£2 million pounds was already awarded through the Digital Dairy Chain project when the first contest opened to applications in the 2023. The seven winning projects of 2023 were awarded grants of between £200-350K, which has been invested in work taking place predominantly across Cumbria and South and West Scotland.

The Digital Dairy Chain’s Programme Director, Stuart Martin, commented: “The quantity and quality of applications received proved that the appetite for R&D in the dairy sector is high. We have shown that where there is funding, support, and expertise, they are being whole heartedly embraced by the dairy industry and transformative innovation will be the outcome.

“If you have an innovative project idea, collaborative partners on-board and are considering applying, visit the Innovate UK website, read through the competition guidelines carefully, and then join us for an online Q&A session or for the Innovate UK briefing webinar to ensure you stand the best chance of submitting a winning application.”

Professor Des Gibson who is leading Albasense, a winning project from 2023, also offered his advice: “Ensure the problem you are solving is explained, together with associated cost effective underpinning intellectual property and how the project team will deliver and manage the work. Moreover, provide analysis of market opportunity, entry routes and unique selling points.”

The competition is open until 19th June. For more information, as well as links to Innovate UK briefings events and guidance, go to the Digital Dairy Chain’s website: www.digitaldairychain.co.uk

Scottish Co-ops’ Role Celebrated at International Webinar

Following the success of the C2Network’s ‘Waste to Worth’ webinar in March, SAOS was invited by MainstreamBIO to share its experiences of co-ops supporting primary producer participation in the bioeconomy. This was the final webinar in a series of six, focused on ‘unlocking the potential of bioeconomy’.

James Gaffey, Co-director of the Circbio Research Group at Munster Technological University and partner in the Horizon EU-funded MainstreamBIO project, has worked previously with the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) through the Irish Barryroe Co-op on grass biorefining projects. He is very familiar with the benefits of co-operation and the key role played by both ICOS and SAOS in their development and C2N has enjoyed working with him over the last few months.

The event provided a great opportunity for SAOS Project Manager, Paty Rojas Bonzi, to outline the pivotal role that the C2Network plays in building partnerships to support our co-ops in addressing key challenges. Paty highlighted some of our successes to date, most notably C2N’s work in revalorising agri-waste and supporting the circular economy. It also provided an excellent platform to talk about the work of Grampian Growers on the chemical extraction of compounds from its daffodils, and on the feasibility of extracting added value from potato haulms in the form of the chemical compound, Solanesol.

During the lively Q&A session, Paty fielded questions around the challenges that co-ops face in supporting their farmer members to adopt bioeconomy practices, as well as in finding new business opportunities associated with their waste streams. The importance of robust leadership, a diverse people resource and effective communication channels were all highlighted as necessary for garnering support and participation from members for this new business opportunity. There was also a chance to emphasise the range of support that SAOS offers co-ops keen to explore this further.

In closing, interest from the next generation was noted and welcomed and it was widely acknowledged that their involvement was critical to the future resilience of the farming industry.

If you’ve any suggestions for future SAOS Updates, or should you no longer wish to receive it, please contact: jennifer.thompson@saos.coop