Celebrity farmer Adam Henson encouraged farmers to focus on building the public’s confidence in their produce in 2019 at a major annual agricultural conference.
Henson, who appears on BBC's Countryfile and owns Cotswold Farm Park in Cheltenham, gave an insight into the history of his family business.
He also offered advice on topical issues to around 100 guests at the Wright Hassall Agricultural Conference.
He said: “I know from experience just how difficult it can be to run a farm.
“When I took over Cotswold Farm from my father, I was trying to do everything myself but what I quickly learned was that it simply isn’t possible, you need a strong team around you.”
Henson said the UK farming industry is on the cusp of major change with Brexit, but believes farmers will be able to ride this wave.
“However, those who are smart will diversify: we don’t have a God-given right to live off just producing food,” he said.
“Another area which I think we need to focus on is improving the public’s perception of our produce, we need to make sure they are aware of our hygiene procedures and push the traceability of what we are selling, this is a major factor in consumers’ decision making now, as it should be,” he added.
Henson was one of three speakers at the event, alongside Holly Beckett of Focussed Farmers and Joel Woolf, a farmer’s son from Suffolk who is now a partner at Wright Hassall.
