How the Borders helped to ring in the changes

Whenthebordersmachinery Ring (BMR) first opened for business in 1987 it was the first co-operative group set up in the UK with the specific aim of sharing farm machinery and labour in an attempt to reduce the industry’s costs.

And 30 years on from when it opened with a membership of 23 farmers and contractors it now has over 950 members and a turnover of £6 million – and offers a wide range of services and equipment. It has also blazed the trail for the nine machinery rings in Scotland and eight in England.

The ring’s current chairman, Guy Lee, credited Melrose farmer Alistair Cranston with the foresight to instigate the group after he had come across the machinery sharing idea at a conference – and then travelled to Germany to see how the idea operated there.

Speaking this week about the recent anniversary of the ring’s inauguration, Lee said: “Alastair brought the concept back home to the Borders, where farmers were initially sceptical of the concept. However BMR was established with 23 founder members, and the rest is history!”

Ring manager Michael Bayne added that membership continued to grow over the past year, returning a modest profit on an increased throughput.

“We are settling in well to our new premises in Earlston which were purchased in 2016, providing a comfortable, modern workplace for staff which is central to the membership. The new building also has excellent meeting and training facilities, meaning most of our training courses can now be held in-house.” Bayne said.

The group currently covers the Scottish Borders, Lansarkshire and North Northumberland and while the pooling and sharing of farm machinery remains the ring’s core function, Bayne said that other aspects of the business, including fuel supply, utilities, labour and training provision were now increasingly providing a significant share of turnover.

“Thirty years ago, most of our work involved matching the demands of farmers with for example a broken-down combine, with neighbours who had finished their own harvest and could lend a hand.

“Although this remains an important core service, we are just as likely to be taking calls from a hotelier, haulier or even a private house-holder looking to purchase their fuel or other supplies through the Ring and take advantage of our pooled buying power.”

The BMR is also committed to helping the Developing Young Workers (DYW) scheme after hearing from Andrea Hall, the scheme’s programme manager who works with schools to ensure pupils were aware of jobs with local employers.

She said that the DYW had been set up to make school pupils more aware of the job opportunities which were available locally – and which were often best entered via other pathways such as modern apprenticeships or other vocational training.