Morrisons’ £2m to train new farmers
MORRISONS is launching a £2million apprenticeship fund to train up future generations of farmers and address a recruitment challenge.
The UK’s fourth biggest supermarket said its programme would include broad-based agricultural skills training from a recognised provider, mentoring and support to understand the retail sector, and matching apprentices with local stores to learn what customers want.
Just three per cent of UK farmers are under the age of 35. The average age is 59, and 70 per cent of farmers believe not enough young people are coming into farming.
Morrisons chief David Potts said: “We are British farming’s largest single customer, so it makes sense to invest our apprenticeship fund so more new farmers can be trained to provide food for the nation.” National Farmers’ Union president Minette Batters welcomed the injection of fresh funding.
She said: “Improving skills is a key part to unlocking productivity gains on farms and vital in addressing the future challenges and pressures that farming faces.”