Farmers left behind by poor rural connection
MORE than four in 10 farmers still don’t have adequate fast and reliable broadband in order to run a modern-day farming business, according to a new National
Farmers’ Union (NFU) survey.
The organisation says the results highlight the ongoing division between rural and urban areas, with the potential for essential food production business growth being hampered by persistent poor connectivity and mobile coverage.
Trying to farm more efficiently by monitoring crops and livestock, taking part in virtual business meetings, online banking and remote learning as part of homeschooling, all feature in the 2020 Digital Technology Survey as reasons why farmers have been left frustrated over the past 12 months by slow broadband speeds and lack of mobile signals, a situation exacerbated by the global pandemic.
Stuart Roberts, deputy president of the NFU, said: “For too long, those living and working in the countryside have been dealt a poor hand when it comes to digital connectivity; waiting for improvements which never seem to arrive. It is completely unacceptable that in this digital age we have a two-tier system of haves and have – particularly at a time when communication has become even more important.
“Modern farming relies on fast and reliable internet access, yet as our survey shows, more than four in 10 farmers feel they still don’t have the connectivity they need to run their businesses. This comes at a critical time for these food production businesses when much is changing.”
The NFU has long highlighted the issue of poor mobile signals in rural areas, which it says puts farmers at risk and prohibits the adoption of new technologies which have much to offer the sector. Mr Roberts added: “The current pace of change is just too slow and, with the introduction of 5G and fibre broadband technology in cities, the gap between urban and rural areas continues to widen.
“As the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) recently highlighted, people living in rural areas ‘risk being left even further behind’ if the Government fails to raise its game on rural connectivity. This is why the NFU is renewing its call to both government and the telecommunications industry to tackle the lack of rural connectivity as a priority.”
ANEW Dairy Code of Conduct signals a “huge step in the right direction” to ensure a fairer and more effective supply chain, industry leaders have said.
It comes as the UK Government and devolved administrations have published their response to last year’s consultation seeking views from dairy farmers and processors across the UK about how contracts and relationships could be improved.
The 12-week call for evidence was launched in June 2020 to explore whether regulations could be introduced to ensure fair treatment across the UK’s dairy sector. Imbalances of power within the dairy supply chain were believed to be causing instability for farmers, such as where milk buyers have the ability to set and modify the terms of a contract at short notice.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the responses to the consultation “clearly demonstrated the need to introduce new regulations to require certain standards for contracts between those producing and buying milk for processing”.
Now the UK Government and devolved administrations will create a new statutory Code of Conduct for the sector, using Section 29 of the Agriculture Act 2020.
Farming Minister, Victoria Prentis, said the legislation will “crack down on unfair practices within the supply chain”, supporting the dairy sector and ensuring that British dairy farmers “remain competitive as they look to the future”.
She added: “It is only right that any contracts drawn up between farmers and processors deliver fair conditions across the board, for an industry that works hard year-round to provide the dairy products for which we are world-renowned.”
Building on the evidence shared in consultation, Ms Prentis said the new statutory code will seek to provide a guiding framework, establishing minimum standards but also providing businesses with the flexibility to adapt contracts to their individual circumstances. Further engagement with industry remains necessary to develop the standards to be specified within this framework, she added.
In a joint statement, dairy farmer representatives from the UK’s four farming unions said putting a new Dairy Code of Conduct into legislation will provide a “more effective dairy supply chain in which farmers and processors can work together to ensure fairer and equitable terms for all dairy farmers, while delivering great value dairy products for consumers”.
Michael Oakes, National Farmers’ Union (NFU) dairy board chair; Abi Reader, NFU Cymru milk board chair; Gary Mitchell, NFU Scotland milk committee chair; and Mervyn Gordon, Ulster Farmers’ Union dairy committee chair; were all in agreement that for too long, dairy farmers have “borne far too much of the risk” in the dairy supply chain and “inappropriate contract terms are often at the root of the problems”.
They continued: “Contracts have been weighted too heavily in favour of the milk buyer who can change terms and pricing mechanisms, and even introduce price cuts without negotiation, while locking farmers into changes without recourse.
“The UK farming unions have been fighting for years to change the structure of how the dairy sector operates. We want more sustainable, progressive and equitable relationships between farmers and processors, so we can collectively tackle the issues we face. This is all the more crucial as we build back from the impacts of Covid-19 and work towards new trading arrangements outside the EU.
“We have been monitoring closely how contracts work around the world. Although we recognise that our dairy market has some differences, for example compared to Australia, we think there are lessons we can learn in building our own model. Even within the UK, there are clearly markets operating in different ways, such as Northern Ireland, and this will need to be taken in to account when designing the new code.”
Although “delighted” with the announcement, the unions warned that this is “only the beginning”, adding: “We must now work hard to ensure we get this new Code of Conduct right and that it works. We hope the whole industry will take on board the results of the Government consultation and work collaboratively to find a positive way forward.
“It’s essential that the UK dairy market is fit for purpose for all parts of the supply chain, supporting innovation and resilience in UK dairy, and supplying quality dairy products for the public to enjoy.”
DEVON-BASED Harpers Feeds has been announced as the winner of the Supply Trade Employer of the Year at this year’s Dairy Industry Cream Awards.
Run annually by British Dairying magazine, the awards scheme aims to showcase some of the brightest and best people, businesses and innovations in the sector.
The Employer of the Year category, sponsored by De Lacy Executive, saw Harpers Feeds share the award with Mole Valley Farmers.
Harpers Feeds, headquartered in Holsworthy, beat off entries by many leading national supply companies to win the award which finance, office and HR manager, Tina Collins, says is recognition of the emphasis the business has always placed on people development. She explains: “Our whole business philosophy is based on having a team that buys into our values so that we offer outstanding customer service.
“Attracting, developing and retaining high calibre staff has been a foundation of our growth and we have an excellent reputation as an employer in the South West and maintain an emphasis on recruiting locally, helping retain strong links with our customers and community.
“Succession planning is a core principle of our recruitment strategy. We look for people who can develop with us and we are keen to understand people’s aspirations and then look to manage these as they develop. We develop talent within the team by mentoring and promoting from within wherever possible.
“We work on building strong bonds with the local community and take several work placements per year. Many of our current team first came to the business on that basis, with others joining us having worked away for a period of time.”
Harpers Feeds has strong links with local and national training establishments, Tina adds, from local schools through to leading agricultural universities. She says: “Most years we take at least four Year 10 students with us for a week each plus students on block placements. We are always over-subscribed for work experience places but try to accommodate and nurture any talent looking to enter the industry.
“We are also increasing involved with Apprenticeship schemes in support of Government and other initiatives, including the latest KickStart scheme.”
Like many businesses, Tina admits the pandemic caused major problems which had to be worked round, but these had an unexpected benefit. Harpers launched a Facebook campaign to attract new staff. The aim was to find staff for their operations, but within 48 hours they had 120 applicants. So, they used these details to help other supply businesses and farmer customers find staff to help them see out the initial challenges from the virus.
Tina concludes: “This award is a wonderful tribute to our whole team and our commitment to providing exceptional service and products to our customers.”