Countrywide wins industry award
Specialist rural supplier, Countrywide has been named Distributor of the Year at the prestigious Over the Counter Awards for 2010.
The award recognises Countrywide’s range of services, specialist advice and high levels of customer service. It also highlights excellence in the sale and distribution of animal health products via an extensive team of suitability qualified persons (SQPs); animal health advisors who are professionally qualified to offer advice and prescribe certain medicines to farmers, smallholders and hobbyists.
Countrywide, who have 46 retail stores in the UK, employ near 250 AMTRA qualified SQPs and have invested over a quarter of a million pounds in the training and development of SQP’s during the last 3 years.
Jo Croxton, Countrywide’s Campaigns Manager and AMTRA trainer, comments, "We are delighted with this award. It recognises the skills and dedication of our team of SQP’s and their importance to the livestock sector, which should not be undervalued. Being an SQP is about having responsibility to ensure the right information and product is given to farmers to fit with their animal health regimes.
"Whether its wormers, fluke control or blow fly strike prevention – SQPs are vital to ensure farm businesses are as productive and profitable as possible. Building a robust partnership with farmers is vital and this award demonstrates that Countrywide are leading the agricultural industry in this area."
Ian Scott, Secretary General at AHDA – the Animal Health Distributors Association, was one of the judges of the award, "the winner of this award had to be a company who can demonstrate they are successful but also looking at how to improve their services further.
Countrywide have grown their sales during the last three years and have made a huge investment in training staff and providing first class animal health services. Their target of 4 SQP’s per store is an exceptional commitment.
"The other aspect that impressed the judges was Countrywide’s willingness to work with local veterinary practices. It is crucial that both bodies work together and better understand each other. This can be achieved via regular joint farmer meetings for example - where the local vet, local SQP and local farmer work in tandem. Countrywide, as ambassadors for the SQP, are keen to achieve this.
"I believe the agricultural industry still has some way to go in promoting the awareness of SQP’s to farmers and that working closely with qualified professionals will add value to their businesses."
Jo Croxton concludes, "We train near 50 new SQP’s each year through courses and exams at our Development Academy in Witney. Each course holds between 12 – 15 trainees and the latest exams are underway at the moment. Our next course starts in February, which is also available to external candidates. The training is challenging and passing the exams is a substantial achievement."
