Rural Leadership - Workshop 3
Increased confidence, endless passion and newfound friendships are the first phrases which spring to mind whilst reflecting on the final residential workshop of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Show rural leadership programme 2023-24. There isn't one word which can describe the experience I have shared with this special cohort. Nevertheless, there is an unmeasurable belief that they all have flourishing futures ahead of them both professionally and personally and I’m honoured to have been part of their team.
Workshop number three took us to the big smoke of London. Before embarking on the journey east I jokingly told friends and family that I was going to resolve the problems of the world by the time I returned. As you can imagine I had a number of sarcastic "good luck with that" comments along with "don't get your hopes up". However, there was one "aim high" optimistic comment which put the smile on my face which was needed for this slightly nerve-racking trip ahead. I don't class myself as a city person, in fact they scare me. Nevertheless, there was hope inside me that this journey would be one I would never forget.
The early morning trains on a rather cold Wednesday were destined for Westminster Houses of Parliament. This was our first visit of the third and final workshop. The rooms where big decisions are debated and finalised for both ourselves and future generations. It was what I expected it to be. Grand in scale and elegant in its architecture.
Ben Lake, Plaid Cymru MP, kindly invited us to meet him following our tour and had an honest conversation about his ambitions both professionally and personally. Values were discussed in great detail around fairness, food security and the power the media play in portraying our rural stories. We questioned how we as an agricultural industry can influence government consultations through a range of different lobbying routes and techniques. Ben was eager to share with us what he felt were the key areas of concern for our industry moving forward both in Wales and the UK as a whole. We discussed in detail the need for changes in food labelling especially with new trade agreements and the concerns over carbon calculating. Education within schools was also of high priority. Food production, seasonality and the cross-cutting themes our industry includes can inspire children to understand where their food comes from and encourage them to start careers within it. Finally, UK food security, of which nearly all the areas we discussed can sit underneath was highlighted as a major issue moving forward. Food is almost being used as a weapon and we shouldn't make ourselves vulnerable because of it.
Ben closed our session on the skills he felt good leaders should carry to inspire the individuals around them. Confidence in admitting when you don't have the answer and honesty in accepting you have done something wrong. Trying not to take everything personally or to heart when criticism comes your way and most importantly having the right team members, peers and mentors around you to support and guide you when needed.
Our accommodation for the three day trip was at the distinguished Farmers Club in Whitehall Court and our guest on Wednesday evening was Andrew Meredith, editor of Farmers Weekly. A week before our trip I had been asked if I could introduce Andrew that evening along with chairing the reception. As a writer this was an exciting opportunity for me but also a slightly apprehensive one as Andrew is in charge of managing the editorial team of the UK farming industries well known agricultural publication.
The three course meal that evening was as you'd predict it to be. The Farmers Club's farm to fork menu showcased exactly what amazing dishes could be created from good, honest, home grown produce. Following our meal Andrew kindly shared with us his story of how a farmer's son from mid Wales had ended up in the big smoke of London. He highlighted the Farmers weekly aim in creating a magazine based on what they hope will be of interest to the readers needs and priorities. There were four things Andrew stated you must have in order to be a good farmer and editor. Firstly, get the basics right. From there you can build, but the basics are the important foundations in your business. Secondly, you need to continually be innovative. Andrew mentioned how this year, 2024, the Farmers Weekly will be celebrating 90 years. However, without innovation and modernising the magazine through its apps and podcasts it wouldn't be where it is today. Farming has changed a lot in 90 years, yet it begs the question if the industry has been innovative enough over those 90 years also?
The third aspect was networking. Relationship building and maintaining good contacts holds you in good stead in this industry. As a cohort we have experienced numerous networking opportunities with a variety of different individuals within the food producing sector which has broadened our minds to the wealth of knowledge we can access if needed further down the line of our careers. Limitations was the final word Andrew shared. He questioned what success looks like within agriculture? Reminding us to not always focus on the end consumer buying British produce. There are so many options available to our industry that we shouldn't limit ourselves to just one.
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We did however limit ourselves to sleep that evening. At 2.30am Thursday morning we woke to encounter the next visit on our agenda. Smithfield Meat Market. What a fascinating and incredible atmosphere to witness in the early hours of the morning whilst the majority of London town is asleep. I mean I don't blame them for staying in bed as it was minus four degrees that morning and I too know where I would have preferred to be. But this was an opportunity not to be missed!
The first impressions on arrival showcased the scale of the hospitality industry and the skills and craftsmanship involved in producing the right cuts of meat for the orders being collected for the menus and shops that day. As a group we had heard so much about carcass balance in the first and second workshops which was clearly on display in the variety of butcher cabinets that morning.
Paul Martinelli from the P J Martinelli Ltd business, kindly gave us a tour of the market that morning and explained the history along with the different aspects and customer needs each stallholder located there had. This visit was a real eye opener for the changes we need to consider within our UK read meat sector moving forward. The pallet loads of pre cut meat boxes piled up outside the market entrance which has been hauled into London on articulated lorries predominantly came from the UK, Holland and Australia. Paul informed us about the new Brexit rules which had been brought in with regard to labelling the health status and traceability of the lorry loads of meat and the effect this has had on the market with buying in certain products.
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One of the first buyers we met from Reeve + Co Ltd explained how 95% of his sales were for the ethnic market. Predominantly selling lamb and poultry, he revealed to us the number of lamb carcasses which came through Smithfield market weekly. Brace yourself as this was a real wow moment to our group. 30,000 lamb carcases a week come through the market in total with 2500-3000 carcasses coming through to his business alone. It was at that point the questions came flying in from us all. Especially the sheep farmers amongst the group.
Lamb carcasses are mainly sourced from the UK and Northern Ireland and everything comes into the market fresh. The ideal carcass is 24 kilo deadweight. Anything less than that is too expensive and anything over that is difficult to sell. The main lamb cuts sold are the shoulder and legs however they pretty much always sell the whole carcass in one way or another. Origin is of no interest to their customers and they had no idea what PGI status meant when asked. I questioned if their lamb trade was sustainable out of interest for our future lamb sales as farmers. The buyer explained that slaughterhouses were currently deflating the market by going direct to the hospitality business themselves. Prices may be cheaper with legs of lamb selling for £9 each from the slaughterhouse compared to £12 each in the market. However, where the slaughterhouses are struggling is with the lack of supply they can offer those hospitality businesses compared to those within the Smithfield trade.
When it comes to beef, London doesn't really buy silverside. The primarily Indian customer prefers a lean big carcass but again breed is of no importance. Pork mainly comes from Belgium due to being a bigger carcass than the British breeds; however, German and Spanish boxed pork is also sold. Mutton is sold to the Afro-Caribbean customers with Notting Hill Carnival being their biggest festival to supply in the year with up to 400 carcasses a day being required compared to the usual 150-200.
Other meats included rabbits of which all were sourced from France. Tripe sales are very popular in London at present with it selling for over £4/kilo compared to a rump steak selling for £6/kilo. The most expensive meat in the market was Japanese Wagyu selling for £175/kilo nevertheless it was obvious why with the incredible marbling throughout. This was a truly inspiring but also an extremely thought provoking visit which had us as a group talking for hours thereafter.
After a quick warm up and forty winks we were joined at breakfast by Sian Bowsley, Head of Agri Food Policy, Northern Ireland Task Force, FCDO. Sian shared with us her journey from her humble farming family home in Wales to where she is now in London. Sian explained how she always envisioned being a vet; however, her decision to take an alternative route following a three year career break working and living in New Zealand led her to her current job role in the food industry. Sian's honesty and career story really resonated with me and her final comments around what she believes to be the best leadership skills confirmed her true passion for what we all are trying as an industry to achieve. Keep asking questions, and keep expanding your networks. Never doubt what you can achieve. It's always important to turn a negative into a positive in order to find the right outcomes where possible. Sian's CV is incredible and I highly advise those who have a dream of achieving a life goal in agriculture take a look to see what is possible.
Late Thursday morning we were joined by Rosie Cowie, the dairy agricultural manager at Sainsbury's. Rosie provided a very visual presentation of what Sainsbury's as a supermarket are trying to achieve moving forward. Sainsbury's have recently changed their company ethos from "helping everyone to eat better" to the new "good food for all of us". Rosie explained how through data collection, knowledge transfer and lobbying opportunities they are competing against other supermarket retailers to support the UK farming industry whilst also providing customers with the nutritious food they need at the best prices for them. In my own opinion its was good to hear the right words being used for their future business plans however, there is still a lot more accurate work which can be done. As a farming community we all want to feed our nation nevertheless, we also want the farmers producing the food to get a fair deal out of it in order to survive and thrive.
The final session on Thursday morning before a well earned rest was needed was by Aled Rhys Jones, CEO of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society (RWAS) who had joined us on this three day trip. Aled gave us an authentic conversation of his own personal career path and the obstacles and difficulties he has encountered along the way. Aled highlighted that naivety can be viewed as being a good thing because sometimes you may never take the jump in your personal or professional life to do whatever it is you want to do. Again, like many other speakers before him, Aled reminded us about the importance of a good team around you as you can't do everything all by yourself. It was Aled's closing remark that stayed with me the most however. A statement so true especially on my own personal development journey. " If you want to make a change, you have to win hearts and minds".
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Thursday afternoon allowed us to explore London as a group or if preferred, on our own. It was our moment to decide what we wanted to do next and after a quick bite to eat I knew exactly where I wanted to head.
The National Portrait Gallery holds the most extensive collection of portraits in the world. I always remember the impact it had on me when I visited it last, over ten years ago when I was undertaking my fashion and creative industry qualification. It was a venue which had been on my bucket list for a while and I was excited to see the range of portraits on display. I spent just over an hour there and in that time did a lot of reflecting about my personal journey through this inspirational rural leadership programme.
My agricultural and professional route of choice has always been hindered by comments from those who claimed I know the bare basics about the industry due to my creative past and the fact I look a lot younger than my actual age (Side note, I don't take that last comment as a negative anymore especially as a woman getting ever closer to that apparent midlife crisis age range! It's definitely now viewed by me personally as a bonus. Take the wins where you can).
Reading the object labels alongside the wide-ranging portraits on display provided me with a lightbulb moment about what we as a cohort had been trying to express through the multiple conversation opportunities given to us. Each individual on display in that gallery came from a broad range of industries. From politician's to musicians, scientists to community heros. However, each individual was being recognised for the same reason. Not for what they had achieved, but rather how they had used their voices to get them to that point of recognition. As a group throughout this programme, we had all been repeating how we as an industry need to educate people about how their food is produced. A statement that is still truthful however, in that moment I realised that we should be rephrasing the strap line to something slightly different. How do we get our voices heard?
Age is irrelevant. Status is insignificant and location is unimportant. What matters is how we as unique individuals use our voices to tell our stories to those who need to hear them. The most important lesson I feel I have learnt and gained on this journey is the fact there are multiple routes and opportunities in which we can get our voices heard, our opinions shared and the positives of how our industry can help being recognised. Telling others who may not currently realise it, that the farming industry is important.
All that was left for us to do Friday morning as a group was to discuss and reflect on what this rural leadership programme had taught us and how it has benefited us for our future careers and personal paths in this incredible industry. Nerys Llewellyn Jones and Alison Harvey who had facilitated this year's programme as well as joined us on this pathway also shared with us the routes they had taken through their own careers to get to where they are now. Emotions were high that morning nevertheless, I never felt more comfortable and safe crying in a room with other people than I did that day.
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