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© Business Money Ltd 2006 |
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Smithfield 2004Earls Court, London, 2-5 December 2004Having never before attended the biennial Smithfield show, I was not sure what to expect as I entered the massive halls but I was in for a rare treat. I regularly attend The Royal Bath & West Show and always marvel at the technology that is employed in modern agriculture but the exhibitors at Earls Court had pulled out all the stops and rolled out their largest, meanest-looking bits of kit that made for, quite simply, the most impressive display that I have ever seen. But I wasn’t there to lose myself among the big, shiny toys on this occasion, I was on a fact finding mission. UK rural business has had to undergo a lot of change recently, and the CAP Mid Term Review that came into play on 1 January will mean that landowners will need to change systems again, in some cases, to access new forms of income and to qualify for Single Farm Payments, so more upheaval is in store one way or another. But what is being done to support the farmers through the transition period and by whom? The Smithfield show seemed like the perfect place to find out. A number of new and exciting initiatives were introduced this year. The most notable were the Profitable Meat Production area and the impressive FarmOptions area at the heart of the arena. The Profitable Meat Production area featured a rolling programme of presentations throughout each of the show’s four days covering everything from animal health to food standards. Plenty of high-tech equipment was employed in video and interactive displays, as well as slightly less high-tech but equally impressive butchery demonstrations, the Royal Smithfield Club National Festival of Meat’s ‘beef ribs final’ and the Meat Training Council’s ‘four nations young butcher competition’. A new stage area had been provided this year to offer farmers expert advice on how to improve profitability – from benchmarking to collaborative marketing. FarmOptions, sponsored by Lloyds TSB Agriculture was somewhat different, as Sue Graves, show director, explained: “FarmOptions is a direct response to change in the farming industry and the need to find new, profitable enterprises. Research has told us that farmers want more information on those topics and this initiative will fill the information gap that has been created. “Farm businesses need to examine every potential asset on the farm – whether it is through adding value to existing production or exploiting the extra potential in land, buildings, waterways or the locality of the holding. The bottom line is that assets have to be sweated to squeeze out extra, profi table income.” Certainly there was plenty of activity around the FarmOptions area with the Fresh Start stand seeming especially popular – people interested in moving into the farming sector? Surely no! Through its sponsorship of FarmOptions, Lloyds TSB Agriculture had a strong presence and plenty of its employees were on hand to offer advice and assistance on funding and banking issues. Its ‘Focus on Farming Survey’ last year showed that two-thirds of farmers in England and Wales plan to start diversifying enterprises on their farms over the next five years. In response, Lloyds TSB has doubled its numbers of agricultural managers with the aim that its customers seeking specialist service can deal face-to-face with someone who understands the industry. The sponsorship of FarmOptions is an indication of Lloyds TSB’s commitment, and understandably so. There were over 44,000 potential customers through the doors over the four days and it was good to see several of the other main funders on hand to offer advice and win business as well. The rural economy still accounts for 23% of GDP in the UK and the banks do well to pay it heed. One, perhaps, lesser-known specialist, that is now actively lending to the sector, is UK Farm Finance Ltd. To say that it is a ‘new entrant’ would not, strictly speaking, be true. Some readers may be familiar with the name UK Mortgages and Finance Services Ltd – the name under which chairman, Des Phillips, and his team have been operating as brokers for many years. I caught up with him on the stand where they were serving people with small glasses of Somerset cider and pieces of Cheddar cheese – both of which I am well acquainted with, given our own west country location – and he explained to me that the group has secured funding lines and is fast establishing itself as a lender. Des is going to be growing that side of the business in 2005 and is keen to speak to brokers who have business to place in the farming sector. In addition to the two main advisory areas, there were also the lively and popular Farmer Forums. I attended an interesting political question time debate where Junior Farm Minister Lord Whitty, not surprisingly, came in for a fair amount of stick. He was challenged mainly on hunting and the effect on the agriculture industry, the problems of fly-tipping for farmers and the amendments to the Over Thirty Months Scheme. He took it with good grace, despite having few answers, and I take my hat off to him for attending what was always going to be an uncomfortable affair. Naturally, the panel members representing the opposition were keen to help him in his plight and it was great to hear James Paice, shadow secretary of state for agriculture, fisheries and food, state that the Conservatives would repeal any ban on hunting if they get into power. But then he would say that, wouldn’t he? The rest of the panel consisted of: Steven Howe, forum chairman and Farmer’s Weekly editor; Andrew George, Lib Dem farm spokesman; Peter Kendall, NFU deputy president; Mark Hudson, CLA president; and Reg Haydon, TFA chairman. Several awards were presented throughout the course of the show and it was good to see winners from some smaller companies. The Smithfield New Machinery Award was won by Richard Larrington from Lincolnshire. His company, which employs just 10 staff at present, won the award with its Potato Box Loader with patented Cushion Lock. Developed by Richard over the past year, the Box Loader offers absolutely damage free potato loading. He said: “As a small company we are incredibly excited to have been recognised for this award. Our innovation has been acknowledged over some of the biggest names in agricultural machinery. We have had a lot of interest in our product from major players from as far afield as Brazil, Canada, France, Germany and Holland”. The livestock classes and competitions saw entries of the very best cattle and sheep. Dancing Queen, a 13-month-old Charolais cross heifer, from three times Smithfield winners Lynn and Hugh Dunlop, won the Merial Overall Cattle Championship, and was sold for a record £16,000. A Pair of Beltex owned by Richard and Granville Colgrave won the Sheep Championship Award and they were auctioned for £1,000 each – another record figure. Considering that a large part of this year’s show focused on diversification, it was encouraging to see the animals doing so well. Overall, Smithfield was a welcome reminder that, whilst the government always seems to be out to give our farmers a hard time, there is plenty of advice and assistance available for coping with change and a lot of dedicated industry professionals eager to help them through the next phase. Farming has never sat still in the past and legislation or not, I don’t suppose it would start now. Ben Lefroy
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