Vencomatic UK highlights role of women in poultry

22 September 2020 | by FarmingUK Team | News , Poultry , Rural Life

Vencomatic UK says British agriculture offers many different roles from project management, advertising to design

Vencomatic UK has highlighted the various and exciting roles that the poultry industry has to offer and the women who are doing them.

Celebrating women across the British agricultural industry has had a successful response since July, when the initiative took off.

Consequently, Vencomatic UK, one of the leading poultry equipment suppliers, have showcased the roles that women play in their company.

Rebecca Wilson: Customer Service Coordinator

Rebecca was no stranger to the world of agriculture when she joined Vencomatic UK.

Having lived on the family farm her whole life, she has always been hands on with arable and livestock and early memories from nursing lambs influenced her decision to pursue a career in farming.

Therefore, after completing a bachelor’s degree in Human, Social and Political Sciences and Masters in Rural Estate Management, she returned to Yorkshire to join Vencomatic UK as a graduate trainee working towards a senior management.

In this role her day to day can vary from assisting customers, breakdowns and servicing and recently branching into project management.

Rebecca Wilson

She expresses what she loves about her position: “The poultry sector offered me a new challenge and the opportunity to get to grips with some of the more complex elements involved in the production of chicken and eggs.

"For example, environmental impacts and welfare concerns are at the forefront of what Vencomatic does”.

Reflecting on the initiative to highlight women across the industry, Rebecca draws on her own experiences stating that “it’s not unusual for people to be shocked and surprised by the fact that the females on the farm can know what they’re talking about when it comes to agriculture.

“At a time when British agriculture is very much subject to the public eye, having motivated, knowledgeable and enthusiastic females who are encouraged to either stay or join the industry can only strengthen it”.

When encouraging women both in and out of the industry to consider the various roles within farming, her advice would be to “Aim high, always
 and be confident that you can achieve what you set out to do, even if you face hurdles or criticism along the way.

"If you are wanting to get into agriculture (or any industry which is new to you), take advice from as many people as possible, and be willing to give up a bit of your time for free to begin with if this means you can learn something new.”

Emma Barber: Administrative Assistant

In contrast to Rebecca, Emma joined the industry with no prior experience in farming, initially beginning her career with her own beauty business.

However, since joining Vencomatic UK, her role has “opened her eyes to the amazing work that everyone does and how much happens ‘behind the scenes’."

From contacting customers, working with engineers, and keeping on top of paperwork and diary schedules, she has been able to adapt to various demands whilst leaning about the industry.

Emma Barber

Explaining her view on the industry before Vencomatic, she states that her opinion has 'drastically changed'.

"I cannot believe the amount of work, effort and hours that goes in to faming and poultry alone and I had no idea about the amazing sheds that we build and the welfare enhanced equipment that we use”.

Consequently, highlighting the amazing work of females in farming, Emma thinks that “it will help open people eyes to see the great work that women do and the big part they play in the industry”.

She finishes: “I am proud to be a woman and I am proud to be in the poultry industry and I can’t wait to see what the future brings for us.”

Amy Sharpe: Poultry Manager

Amy’s experience within the industry is vast and exciting. Starting with her BSc in Agriculture, and completing a placement year where through the British Poultry Council, she secured a scholarship with Moy Park.

She states: “I thoroughly enjoyed my yearlong placement in all aspects of broiler production I considered an industry I otherwise wouldn’t have”.

After later completing a placement with at LJ Fairburn and Son, she found a love for the laying side of poultry and soon returned after graduating to be their Agricultural Manager.

Early this year, she joined Vencomatic UK as their Poultry Manager, where her role involves monitoring red mite and ammonia, supporting farmers across the country and researching the welfare benefits of cutting-edge R & D.

Amy Sharpe

She comments that: “It is great to work for a senior team of ‘blue sky’ thinkers, driven to leave a positive stamp on the poultry sector”.

She speaks about the recent work in promoting women in agriculture: “I think women are a lot more prevalent in the industry than they were 20 years ago as both the industry and the home-work life balance has changed.”

Overall, Amy welcomes females from all sectors and industries to consider a career in agriculture saying: “Focus on your goals, but remember there is more than one way from A to B. Don’t fret if you don’t go the way you planned- just keep going.”

Lizzie McLaughlin: Graphic Designer and Marketing Executive

One of the more creative roles in the Vencomatic team is Lizzie’s work as a Designer and Marketing Exec.

After studying her BA in English and finishing her MA in Design, she started her journey with Vencomatic UK, working on a range of campaigns from strategy planning, advertising, events management, web and promotional material design, to editorials and press releases.

She states: “I love how diverse my role is and that I can contribute to making a difference; highlighting the excellent work we do from welfare, renewable energy to the women in Ag initiative”.

Before joining the poultry industry, Lizzie had a different view of agriculture: “Not coming from a farming background, I was detached from my food and did not consider the hard work and intricacies of agriculture.

Lizzie McLaughlin

"Sadly, I envisioned that farming was a predominantly male industry, strictly confined to labour roles. However, after almost 3 years at Vencomatic, I now fully appreciate what the industry has to offer, the amazing work our farmers do (both male and female) and that the roles in agriculture are vast; from business, to design roles, to project management”.

As a result, she has found that having a main role in promoting women in agriculture and showcasing the diverse roles that the industry has to offer has been extremely rewarding.

She talks about her involvement: “It has been interesting to interview so many talented women and see a wide range of stories. From those who have been in farming all their life to the women who haven’t, the passion and optimism from the women in the industry is both uplifting and empowering.’

Reflecting on the various roles of the team, Vencomatic UK hope to not only celebrate some of the amazing women in the industry but inspire those who may not have considered a career in agriculture, to start doing so.