Western Morning News

Farmers left behind by poor rural connection

- ATHWENNA IRONS athwenna.irons@reachplc.com

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.”

 ?? Rui Vieira / PA ?? > The 2020 Digital Technology Survey is based on a snapshot of 430 NFU farmer and grower members
Rui Vieira / PA > The 2020 Digital Technology Survey is based on a snapshot of 430 NFU farmer and grower members
 ?? Steve Parsons / PA ?? Evidence gathered during the Groceries Code Adjudicato­r Call for Evidence in 2016 highlighte­d how unfair practices in the dairy industry have persisted
Steve Parsons / PA Evidence gathered during the Groceries Code Adjudicato­r Call for Evidence in 2016 highlighte­d how unfair practices in the dairy industry have persisted
 ??  ?? From left, Tina Collins, finance, office and HR manager; Molly Sutton, business apprentice; Rachel Seymour, marketing intern; and Glen Johns, sales director; with their Supply Trade Employer of the Year award
From left, Tina Collins, finance, office and HR manager; Molly Sutton, business apprentice; Rachel Seymour, marketing intern; and Glen Johns, sales director; with their Supply Trade Employer of the Year award

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