A fresh start for the east midlands
Pictured from left to right, Russell Ashfield, Andy Guy, Denis Chamberlain MBE and Steve Lindsay.
Farming organisations from across the East Midlands met last week to launch "Fresh Start", an initiative to attract more new farmers, managers and technicians to the region's farming industry.
Fresh Start is a national campaign launched earlier this year and its national chairman, Denis Chamberlain MBE, gave the keynote address to the event held at Greetham Valley Golf Club, Rutland on Thursday (29 September).
"The Curry Commission identified the need to encourage more new entrants into the industry, but the challenge is how to do it?" said Denis Chamberlain who was asked by Sir Don Curry to lead the national initiative. "There are many opportunities following CAP reform with each sector of the industry wants to attract new blood and new skills.
"To be sustainable, the farming and food industries need a sustainable workforce and in an economic environment of full employment, all industries are competing for skills. Fresh Start can encourage that competitiveness and therefore secure the future of our essential food production industry.
"Farming and horticulture are all about fast moving, technologically innovative and challenging businesses supplying the nation's food. We want new people to join our industry and Fresh Start will help to do that."
Denis Chamberlain was joined by three further speakers at yesterday's launch event: national Fresh Start project coordinator, Steve Lindsay; Russell Ashfield, the National Trust's East Midlands Farm and Countryside Adviser and Nottinghamshire dairy farmer Andy Guy, who together with his wife Sue have farmed in the county for four years. Representatives from a diverse range of organisations and companies attended the event to help raise awareness and secure buy in from all sectors and supporters of the farming industry in the East Midlands.
Speaking from his own experiences, Nottinghamshire's Andy Guy said: "Starting out and building a business is a challenge in any industry, but it is a truly rewarding experience. Sue and I now have a secure tenancy on a dairy farm; we're developing the pedigree Holstein herd and looking at opportunities to add value. The key to our achievements has been self-belief and the fact that we never gave up on what we wanted, no matter what the set back - nothing is insurmountable."
Denis Chamberlain said: "There is a new generation of young, creative and fiercely ambitious entrepreneurs who are not afraid to take on the challenges and the industry-led Fresh Start initiative will try to create opportunities to enable new entrants to enter a highly rewarding and increasingly innovative rural industry.
"I hope that the level of interest and support we received today will enable the East Midlands' industry to provide practical help for people wanting to enter farming. But we must not leave it here - we must drive Fresh Start forward at all levels, working with the people at today's launch, we must tap into the experience and potential to make it happen."
