InnovationsPre-Congress

31 August – 3 September 2014 . London

Andrea BeddowsPR freelancer

Trevor ClarkeEditor, The Clench & Liveryman, Worshipful Company of Farriers

Peter HillFarmpress - UK & Global farm machinery technical

& trade news

Jane KingEditor, Farmers Weekly

Jamie DayEditor,

AgriTrade News

Tony McDougalPublic relations

consultant

Cedric PorterDirector, Supply Intelligence and

Editor, World Potato Markets

Guide contributors (bGaj members)

sponsors

Day 1 SponsorPrincipal Sponsor Day 2 Sponsor Day 3 Sponsor

Welcome to Britain Dinner Sponsor Food & Drink Sponsor

Adrian BellPre-Congress chairman

IFAJ 2014 chairmanDirector, Whisper.pr

Howard VentersPre-Congress deputy

chair, Director, Shepherd Publishing

Gill NorrissCo-ordinator, food chain panel

session Guide contributor, Director, Sequitur

orGanisers

This issue4 introduction from the mayor of London

5 bbsrc: bioscience for life

6 London in facts and figures

8 London: a world-class city

9 the Farmers club

10 Liquid history: the river thames

12 Day 1 – GrowinG for the future

13 british society of plant breeders

14 the millennium seed bank

15 the Leckford estate

16 the city Liveries: their history and role

17 the Groceries code adjudicator

18 Day 2 – LonDon fooD anD farminG

19 ebLeX

20 centuries of tradition meet at smithfield

21 Farming in the city of London

22 Farmers Weekly

23 the bbc

24 Day 3 – Science matterS

25 Certis Europe

26 Living Heritage: the Houses of parliament

28 rothamsted research

29 defra: the fourth emergency service

30 a sustainable food chain: innovation and flexibility

31 the journalists’ church

32 the caledonian sleeper

33 massey Ferguson

34 HaiLo: a special offer for pre-congress delegates

35 delegate list and contact details

WelcomeWelcome to London, and to the pre-Congress tour for the

58th IFAJ Congress. Over the next three days, we’re going to

guide you through a programme that brings together heritage

alongside innovation, and culture as well as agriculture.

We’ve taken the view that pre-Congress should, as well as

providing you with valuable leads, stories and insights into

the host country’s food and farming industry, also act as an

introduction to the United Kingdom; in particular, your host

city of London.

It’s not enough that London boasts two thousand years of

history. It’s arguably amongst the world’s leading cities, on so

many fronts: the arts, finance, architecture, scale, open space,

facilities and much much more. We may be here at the Club for

only three days, but during that time you won’t fail to pick up on

the buzz and vibes that permeate every aspect of our capital.

We hope you’ll find that same degree of buzz and vibe in our

tour selections. In developing the ‘Future Proofing’ theme of

pre-Congress, our endeavour has been to identify venues

that point – in some way – to a progressive line of thought.

All of them are notable: whether for their longevity, a unique

approach, a pioneering spirit, their application of science and

technology. Innovation – the overall theme of IFAJ2014 – can

take many forms; our objective is to help you seek out, and

share with your audiences back home, the many different

ways in which British agricultural innovation manifests itself.

My deepest gratitude to our generous sponsors must not

pass unnoticed. Our headline sponsor, BBSRC, and our three

‘day’ sponsors – BSPB, EBLEX and Certis Europe – have

all displayed great enthusiasm and support. Crucially, their

sponsorship has allowed us to accommodate greater delegate

numbers and a packed tour itinerary, within what we believe

to be an outstanding delegate fee. Meanwhile, our two food

sponsors - Massey Ferguson and Waitrose - will ensure that

the food and drink you’ll consume over the next three days will

be British, tasty and abundant.

It’s an absolute pleasure to have you here – 52 delegates, from

15 countries – at the Farmers’ Club, in the official home of the

British Guild. I look forward to reacquainting old friends and

making new ones as we enjoy the next three days together.

adrian bell, pre-Congress chairman

a bGaj publication

3 Whitehall Court

LONDON SW1A 2EL

www.bgaj.org.uk

Graphic design

Mark Narusson

marknarusson.com

British Guild of AgriculturalJournalists

Get connected

www.ifaj2014.com

@ifaj2014

iFaj2014

introduction from the mayor of London, boris johnson, for the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists’ World Congress 2014: Innovations from a Small Island

Welcome to London where the world’s culinary traditions merge in one big melting pot! Food is a vital component of

London’s economy, public health and quality of life.

The food sector supports hundreds of thousands of jobs, nurtures enterprise, and adds to the cultural landscape

of the city while pumping billions of pounds into our economy. From street markets to Michelin starred restaurants – London’s

food sector has it all.

But the benefits of this flourishing private enterprise are not shared by all. In feeding a city of millions, London

faces significant challenges to ensure that its population can access healthy, nutritious and affordable food.

The environmental impact of this food system is also of concern. We need to ensure that our food system works

in a sustainable way to protect resources for future generations and ensure food security.

London is unusual for a city of its size in having a London Food Board and a Food Policy Team based at City Hall.

This shows our commitment to making London’s food system healthier and more sustainable. This programme is focused on

improving access to healthy food, increasing the amount of British produce in London’s wholesale markets, and ensuring that

London’s public sector promotes local and sustainable food in its procurement.

The Food Board has also driven forward an ambitious plan for urban agriculture – creating over 2,000 new community food

growing spaces over four years and engaging over 100,000 Londoners in the process. Its importance is in reconnecting

people to where their food comes from, building local community cohesion, and helping all Londoners

to benefit. But of course there is more to do.

I hope that you have a fantastic time in London and enjoy sampling the wonderful food cultures and cuisines. If you

are lucky you might even come across one of the 200,000 cucumbers grown in London’s Lea Valley every year!

boris johnson

Mayor of London

4 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

bbsrc: bioscience for lifeThe uK is a world-leader in bioscience research, including vital, underpinning agricultural research. BBsrc plays a unique and central role in maintaining this position.

each year, BBSRC invests around £90M in world-

class agricultural research and training, from

crop science (including energy crops) to farmed

animal health and welfare (including aquaculture), as

well as research relating to agricultural systems and the

environment. These investments aim to further scientific

knowledge, promote economic growth, wealth and job

creation, and improve quality of life in the UK and beyond.

Helping to address global challengesDemand for food is rising, driven by factors such as population

growth, increasing affluence and changing diets. At the same

time, there is increasing competition for land and fresh water,

which puts added pressure on production, while climate

change will reduce the reliability of food supply, for example

through altered weather patterns and increased pressure from

pests and diseases.

In addition to food production, there is increasing scope for

agriculture to be a major source of sustainable feedstocks for

bioenergy and high-value chemicals in the wider bioeconomy.

Avoiding direct competition with food, by better utilising

agricultural waste and production from marginal land, is a key

challenge. In future agriculture must produce more from the

same or less land, using less water, energy and other inputs

whilst reducing waste and adverse environmental impacts,

including greenhouse gas emissions.

Tackling these different, but related, challenges requires

multidisciplinary research. BBSRC is applying the latest

bioscience and modelling at a range of scales, up to

agricultural landscapes. We support research to increase

the efficiency and sustainability of crop and animal

production, reduce waste in the food chain, and ensure

safe and nutritious diets. This includes minimising negative

environmental impacts and preserving biodiversity and other

ecosystem services.

To deliver our goals we are boosting national capability in

research underpinning food security and the bioeconomy

through support for major infrastructure and facilities,

and by ensuring that the UK skills base has appropriate

critical mass and specialist research expertise. The BBSRC

strategically-funded institutes (see www.bbsrc.ac.uk/

institutes) are central to providing this national capability.

Food security is a complex issue that encompasses

international trade, aid, transport, economics and social

science. BBSRC will continue to play a leading role in

the multi-funder, multi-disciplinary Global Food Security

research programme, which draws together partners

from across Research Councils UK, the Technology

Strategy Board, government departments and devolved

administrations for greater coordination of funders around

shared strategic objectives. The programme provides

leadership, enhances synergy, and acts as a focus for

attracting greater private and third sector investment.

As recognised in the UK Strategy for Agricultural

Technologies, there is a need to accelerate the translation

of research into practice. We will tackle this by working

closely with multiple partners to implement the strategy.

For example, working with the Technology Strategy Board

to establish the Agri-technology Catalyst and Centres for

Agricultural Innovation, which will serve to align academic

research more effectively with industry needs, and increase

translational skills.

communicating with industry – the ultimate users of this research – is vital to help BBsrc achieve these goals. That is why we are delighted to sponsor this year’s IfaJ congress, building on the relationships that we have with agricultural journalists across the arable, horticulture and livestock sectors.

come and visit us on our stand during the main

congress in aberdeen - we look forward to

meeting you. or find out more at

www.bbsrc.ac.uk

InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 5

London in facts and figuresone hundred years ago, london’s population of 6.8m made it the world’s most populous city. Today, 8.5m people make it the largest city in europe, but worldwide it ranks only twenty-third. However, it still has plenty to boast about, writes Adrian Bell.

the world’s oldest underground railway system

The London Underground celebrated its 150th

anniversary in 2013.

Its 4,100 carriages on 11 lines carry 1.171 billion

passengers every year over 249 miles of track, 45% of

which is in tunnels.

Waterloo is the network’s busiest station, handling 88

million passengers a year on 23 escalators.

London is two cities Strictly speaking, London is not a city in itself but a

metropolis, made up of older districts and boroughs that

have long lost their distinctive boundaries.

Only two districts have full ‘city’ status: the City of

London itself (often called the Square Mile) and the

adjacent City of Westminster.

The City of London is England’s oldest local authority,

having governed for 700 years.

London is the greenest city of its size in the world

Green space covers nearly 40 per cent of greater

London. That compares to 14% in New York and just

2.5% in Mumbai.

London has the highest concentration of higher education in europe

It is home to 43 universities.

Almost 103,000 international students live and learn

in London.

TourisT Tip: The most popular journey with tourists is between Leicester Square and Covent Garden. But it’s a distance of just 260 metres, takes 20 seconds, and will still

cost you £4.30 for a single journey!

Quirky facT: Only two stations contain all five

vowels… the letters a, e, i, o and u

Quirky facT: The Queen’s Remembrancer is the

oldest continually existing legal post in England. He presides over ceremonies that sound like they’re from Lord of the Rings. The Trial of the Pyx, for example, sees 26 goldsmiths sworn in to weigh

coins from the Royal Mint.

6 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

London is the world’s most multicultural city

It has the highest foreign-born population of any city –

37 per cent of its population was born abroad.

More than 300 languages are spoken.

It is home to more than 50 non-indigenous communities,

each with a population exceeding 10,000.

London has more international visitors than anywhere else

in the world – 15.3 million.

World firsts for London include The world’s oldest public zoo, at Regent’s Park, opened

in 1828.

The world’s first traffic light was installed outside the

Houses of Parliament in 1868.

Founded in 1694, the Bank of England was the first

privately-owned national bank in any country.

In 2012, London became the first city to host the modern

Olympic Games three times.

London is home to some of the world’s largest structures

The Millennium Dome – now known as the O2 arena –

can comfortably fit either the Great Pyramid at Giza or the

Statue of Liberty within it.

The Shard, a 72-storey skyscraper, is the tallest building

in the European Union. It stands 1,016ft (310m) high.

The M25, the 122-mile orbital motorway surrounding

London, is the world’s longest.

Quirky facT: Voltaire, Edgar Allen Poe,

Ho Chi Minh, Mahatma Gandhi, Vincent Van Gogh, Sigmund Freud,

and Hitler’s older half-brother all lived in London for a time.

The London Eye was the world’s largest Ferris wheel,

before it was superseded by structures in Nanchang,

Singapore and Las Vegas. It’s still the biggest in Europe

and the UK’s most popular tourist attraction.

Blackfriars Bridge, over the Thames, is the world’s

largest solar-powered bridge.

St Pancras railway station, now home to the Eurostar

fleet, was the world’s largest enclosed space when

completed in 1868, and remains the world’s largest

enclosed train station today.

economically speaking London is the world’s largest financial centre.

Inner London has a GDP per capita of US$152,

116 – the highest of any city on Earth.

Its GDP per capita is 328% of the EU average.

London is home to the most multi-millionaires in the

world. In fact, there are more in London than in the

whole of France.

London is home to the world’s most expensive flat -

£135.4m, at Hyde Park.

Food for thought Britain’s per capita consumption of baked beans is twice

that of the United States.

30,000 Londoners rent allotments to grow their own fruit

and vegetables.

Within Greater London, there are 12,064 hectares of

farmland – about 8 per cent of London’s land area.

Only seven dairy farms remain in the Greater

London area.

London is home to 37,450 restaurants. Sixty-four are

Michelin starred.

One year’s consumption of food in London produces 19

million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions – but because

Londoners throw away almost a third of the food they buy,

food waste alone accounts for 6.3 million tonnes. That’s

more than the entire national output of Iceland.

InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 7

With a population of eight million and nearly 2,000 years of history, london is one of the most significant financial and cultural capitals in the world. andrea Beddows takes a tour…

london or Londinium as it was then known, was

founded by the Romans in AD50 who, after battling

the legendary Queen Boadicea and her army, were

forced to build a wall to protect it from further invasion.

The current City of London, or Square Mile, is largely

located within this defensive wall and is the oldest, most

historic part of London. The Romans left at the beginning

of the 5th century as the Empire crumbled, leaving London

largely deserted, though by the 7th century the city was

still sufficiently important to justify the building of the first St

Paul’s Cathedral. Following attacks by Vikings, the Norman

invasion in 1066 headed by William the Conqueror saw

London’s prominence continue to grow. Keen to protect the

city he built a stronghold, the Tower of London. Ever since

then, the Royal family has been based in London.

London became the centre of trade and governance in

Tudor times, with its population extending beyond the

old city walls to the nearby towns of Westminster and

Southwark on the south side of the Thames. It was during

this period that shipbuilding on the river became more

prominent and a number of palaces, theatres and deer

parks were established.

The 17th century was an unsettled period for London, with

the Great Plague and Great Fire particularly significant.

The 18th century saw the trading capabilities of London

escalate as huge quantities of goods were brought in to it –

80% of England’s imports - from all over the world. The City

of London’s importance as an important financial centre

also grew.

London expanded greatly in Victorian times as the railways

linked much of Britain to the capital. With this increasing

urbanisation, open space became increasingly important

and an Act of Parliament in 1851 designated five Royal

Parks covering nearly 500 hectares in central London as

public open space. Many of the prominent buildings we see

today in the capital stem from the 19th century, including

the Houses of Parliament, which were reopened in 1858

following a fire and featuring the great Big Ben bell. Of equal

note was the first underground railway, now known as the

Tube, which opened in London in 1862.

London continued to grow considerably during the 20th

century, doubling in size between 1919 and 1939. It

sustained widespread damage from aerial bombardment

during the Second World War, with docks and factories

destroyed, and 30,000 people killed.

The city became a cultural icon in the ‘Swinging 60s’ and

recently The Millennium Wheel or ‘London Eye’ and the

Millennium Dome – now the O2 - were built to celebrate the

arrival of the 21st Century. And finally, built in 2012, the Shard,

nearly double the height of the London Eye, offers stunning

360 degree views on a clear day for a distance of 60 km.

Traditional ceremonies and events continue to illustrate

important aspects of London’s rich history and include

the Changing of the Guard, Trooping the Colour, the State

Opening of Parliament and Lord Mayor’s Show. Most

recently London hosted the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic

Games, making it the first city to host the modern games

three times.

London: a world-class city

8 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

the Farmers cluba unique club for those involved in agriculture, The farmers club was founded in 1842 and has been established in its current location, overlooking the river Thames, since 1904. This is to be your base during your stay in london. oscar Wilde, george Bernard shaw and many other eminent people are known to have stayed here; moreover, the building was used as a base for the Intelligence service until the end of World War II.

The Club was created by agricultural writer, William

Shaw, to provide “a gathering place for farmers

which could also serve as a platform, from which

would go out to England news of all that was good in

farming, with reports of any discussions about those things

that needed to be done.” Through its early days it was little

more than a debating society with men of vision highlighting

the issues of the day. Over the years the Club has

continuously adapted to members’ needs and has survived

the changing fortunes of agriculture through recessions,

two World Wars and ever-increasing mechanisation of

the industry. Membership fluctuated accordingly over the

years but has now reached a peak of 5,500. Club activities

include attendance at major agricultural shows and regional

events as well as a programme of visits and seminars

on the key issues of the day. Contact with members,

the majority of whom are farmers and landowners, is

maintained via an excellent bi-monthly journal along with

its website.

Relatively recent milestones in Club development have

included the establishment, in 1964, of a Committee of

Junior members, later to become the Under 30s Club, with

its own Chairman and organising its own functions; the

foundation in 1981 of The Farmers Club Charitable Trust,

awarding bursaries for those in agricultural education to

study specific subjects abroad; and the creation of the

Pinnacle Awards for Excellence in Business Management,

now in their 18th year - sponsored jointly by The Farmers

Club, ADAS and the Cave Foundation, with help from the

British Guild of Agricultural Journalists - offering awards for

students planning to work in agriculture who demonstrate

management potential through projects submitted.

Whitehall Court, the heart of the Club, offers a ‘home-from-

home’ in central London. Run by a committee of members,

drawn from all parts of the industry, the Club has a constant

eye to the future, and has recently launched an ambitious

programme of restructuring and refurbishment of the facilities

and accommodation, which have been updated whilst

retaining a traditional feel.

With the arrival of a new chef earlier this year menus for

the restaurant and for lighter bites in the bar have also

undergone a major review. Given the industry it serves, it is

perhaps unsurprising that members have been delighted

by the chef’s focus on providing simply cooked, seasonal,

quality British food. He uses all British produce and devotes

considerable time and effort to tracing the provenance of

everything he serves. Where possible, produce from Club

members is sourced via the London supply chain and their

details are listed in the menus. The new menus encompass

a spectrum of dishes to appeal to all tastes.

more information on the club and membership

is available at www.thefarmersclub.com and

an exciting new website will be launched in

the autumn to keep you up to date with club

developments.

Meanwhile, enjoy your stay!

stephen skinner

Chief Executive, The Farmers Club

InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 9

Liquid history: The river ThamesThe river Thames is england’s longest river, stretching for 215 miles from its source in the cotswold Hills. at every point during its journey to the sea, over thousands of years, it’s affected the lives of those who live alongside. But it’s london that is perhaps most synonymous with the Thames, and for good reason, explains Adrian Bell.

It was in AD43 that the Roman Emperor Claudius

finally overcame the native British tribes and occupied

England. Recognising the river’s strategic and economic

importance, the Romans founded a trading post at the

lowest possible point. Its name? Londinium.

For five centuries, Londinium was one of the Roman

Empire’s major commercial centres, largely thanks to the

Thames - and since then, it’s never looked back. Aspects

of Thames activity are recorded in the ancient Domesday

Book, commissioned by William the Conqueror after his

decisive win at the Battle of Hastings; the Tudors and

Stuarts built magnificent palaces alongside the river, such as

those at Richmond, Kew, Hampton Court, Whitehall (where

Parliament stands today) and Greenwich.

With the expansion of world trade in the 16th and 17th

centuries, the City of London grew rapidly and the wharves

throbbed with goods from far-away lands. London Bridge

was for many years the only crossing of the river; that,

coupled with the city’s narrow medieval streets full of

horses, carts and traders, saw the river used as the capital’s

major thoroughfare. It was easier to travel with one of the

‘watermen’ than to attempt to get anywhere overland.

By the 18th century, with London the centre of the vast,

mercantile British Empire - covering nearly a third of the globe

- the Thames was said to be the world’s busiest waterway.

But it also became one of the world’s dirtiest; London’s

population was emptying all its waste into a vast open sewer

formerly known as the Thames. In 1858, sittings in Parliament

had to be abandoned during the ‘Great Stink’; outbreaks of

cholera and typhoid became common. A massive engineering

project began, installing huge sewers beneath the river’s

embankments, and easing the river’s burden.

During the 20th century, much of the river’s trade was lost to

road transport, and the decline of the Empire in the aftermath

of the Great War further reduced its economic importance.

Ever larger ships, and the introduction of the shipping

container, saw ports move further downstream into the

wider estuary. Industry too moved out of the city, and former

warehouses and wharves started to become sought-after flats

and apartments.

Today’s river is a far cry from the bustling sight of boats and

barges that would have greeted the eye in medieval times.

It’s also cleaner than ever; declared biologically ‘dead’ in

1957, it’s now the cleanest river of any major city anywhere

in the world, home to 125 species of fish and over 400

species of invertebrates. Seals, dolphins and porpoises

regularly divert from the North Sea.

Just don’t try swimming in it. Since 2012, it’s been illegal.

Facts and FiGures

34 bridges over the

Thames in London,

15 tunnels below it, and

one cable-car crossing

80 islands in the Thames

The Thames provides two-

thirds of London’s drinking

water

Its tidal range is 7 metres

Busiest inland waterway

in the UK

London bridge is falling down...As recently as 1729, London Bridge was the only road crossing of the Thames

downstream of Kingston. The site has seen multiple bridges since the first Roman

crossing in around AD55, but it is the medieval bridge built in the reign of Henry II to

which the famous nursery rhyme refers. Begun in 1176, it took 33 years to complete. Its

19 arches supported some 200 buildings; often built haphazardly, they overhung both

the river and the road, which was in any case just 12 feet wide. The bridge was poorly

built and constantly under repair.

Britain’s habit of driving on the left originates from London Bridge; in 1772 the

Lord Mayor passed a law to try to make crossing the bridge easier and quicker by

segregating the opposing traffic flows. But the bridge impacted the river too; the narrow

arches created fierce rapids and there could be a six-foot difference in water levels

between the two sides.

The medieval bridge was demolished only in 1831; New London Bridge lasted only until

1967, when it was sold to an American oil mogul and re-erected in Arizona. The current

bridge was opened in 1973.

10 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

WaitroseBacking innovation and excellence

in agriculture and proudly supportingIFAJ Congress 2014

For further details about Waitrose, contact John Gregson on 01344 824573or on john.gregson@waitrose.co.uk

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day 1 growing for the future0645 – 0700 Breakfast at Club – to go

0700 Depart by coach for Wakehurst Place and Millennium Seed Bank, West Sussex

0830 Arrive Millennium Seed Bank

Tour in groups

1115 Depart for Leckford, Hampshire

1315 Arrive Leckford Estate

Lunch (provided by Waitrose)

Presentation and tour

1615 Depart Leckford, for London

1815 Arrive Farmers’ Club

Change for dinner

1845 Coach departs for Livery Dinner at Armourers’ Hall

1900 Armourers’ Hall

Guest speaker: Christine Tacon, Groceries Code Adjudicator

2230 Carriages

sponsored by bspb

Created by the British Society of PlantBreeders (BSPB), Plant Breeding Mattersis a comprehensive online resource withfacts and figures covering the businessand science of plant breeding.

You can reach it from the BSPBhome page at www.bspb.co.ukor call +44 (0)1353 653200 torequest a printed copy.

British Society of Plant Breedersenquiries@bspb.co.uk

The new and definitive guide toPLANT BREEDING

BSPB IFAJ half page advert 0814_Layout 1 05/08/2014 14:15 Page 1

british society of plant breederspenny maplestone, chief executive, BspB

The British Society of Plant Breeders (BSPB) is the

representative body for the UK plant breeding

industry. Members range from large multinational

companies to independent SMEs and public sector

research institutes, comprising virtually 100% of plant

breeding activity in the UK across the major agricultural and

horticultural crop species.

Acting on members’ behalf, BSPB licenses, collects and

distributes certified seed royalties and farm-saved seed

payments on agricultural and horticultural crops. Plant

breeding is an innovative, research-intensive sector, and

every £1 invested through seed royalties generates at least

£40 within the wider food economy – through increased

yields, reduced production costs, improved quality or

import substitution.

BSPB co-ordinates statutory and non-statutory variety

evaluation trials, and represents members’ interests on

technical, regulatory and intellectual property matters.

For further information about the Society’s activities visit

www.bspb.co.uk

BSPB also supports continued innovation and investment

in UK plant breeding by representing members’ interests

with regulators, policy-makers, research funders and other

industry organisations, and by working to promote better

public understanding of the business and science of plant

breeding. Through its Plant Breeding Matters programme,

BSPB highlights the role of crop genetic improvement in

supporting a competitive UK economy and addressing

key global challenges of food security, health and nutrition,

climate change and sustainable development. Visit the

website at www.plantbreedingmatters.com

“Plant breeders are at the forefront of global efforts to apply

science and innovation to improve the productivity, climate

resilience and resource-use efficiency of crop production.

We are therefore delighted to support the forthcoming

IFAJ World Congress with its pre-Congress tour, where the

importance of conserving plant genetic resources, as well

as the rapid progress taking place to understand and exploit

novel sources of genetic diversity, will feature prominently.

“Britain’s plant breeding industry is a hi-tech, research-

intensive sector, developing a constant flow of improved

crop varieties as the foundation for successful, productive

agriculture, and the starting point in the UK’s £90bn food

supply chain.

“Supporting the Congress theme of ‘Innovations from a Small Island’, this is a key opportunity for BSPB to showcase the innovation taking place within the UK’s commercial plant breeding and seeds sector to an international audience.”

“We look forward to welcoming IFAJ members to the UK,

and to discussing the role of plant breeding innovation as

a key factor in meeting the food, feed and fuel needs of a

world population set to reach 9.6 million by 2050.”

6

The basic aim of all plant breeding techniques is togenerate new genetic diversity and then select plantswith the desired improved characteristics.

The creation of each new variety is a complex, costlyand skilled operation. It is also time-consuming –early-stage varieties in today’s breeding programmesmust anticipate the needs of farmers, consumers andthe environment in ten years’ time and beyond!

Breeding techniques vary between crop species, butthe scientific principles of plant breeding remain trueto Mendel’s first discovery that selected parent plantscan be cross-pollinated to combine desiredcharacteristics in a single variety.

These characteristics are determined by genes –units of hereditary material that are transferred fromone generation to the next.

Since each plant contains many thousands of genes,and the breeder is seeking to combine a range oftraits in one plant (such as high yield, quality andresistance to disease), developing a successfulvariety has been compared to playing a fruit machine

– not with three reels but several hundred. The skillof the plant breeder lies in improving the chances ofhitting the jackpot by combining all the desiredcharacteristics in the same variety.

”Future food-production increaseswill have to come from higher

yields. Unless progress with

agricultural yields remains very

strong, the next century will

experience sheer human misery

that, on a numerical scale, will

exceed the worst of everything

that has come be fore...”Norman E. Borlaug, 1970

Creating new varieties

The female parent isemasculated so that

it cannot selfpollinate and pollenis transferred from

the male parentwith a paint brushto make the cross

Pollinated plants arebagged to ensurethat the femaleparent receives

pollen only from thechosen male parent

Seed is collectedfrom the pollinatedplants and sown outto produce an F1

population in whichall the plants areuniform; this isoilseed rape

Seed from the F1plants is collected

and sown to producean F2 population inwhich the plants, inthis case wheat, are

genetically verydiverse

1

Plant breeding in practice

Plant Breeding MattersThe business and science of crop improvement

InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 13

the millennium seed BankBy Jamie day

The Millennium Seed Bank (MSB) based at Wakehurst

Place in Ardingly, West Sussex is an ambitious

endeavour seeking to store seed samples of all the

world’s plants for posterity and use. It aims to preserve

the world’s biodiversity through the storage of seeds and

samples of plants that might otherwise become extinct – its

stated objective is to combat potentially catastrophic threats

to human wellbeing by safeguarding wild plant diversity and

enabling its sustainable use through global partnership.

The MSB is managed by the world famous Royal Botanic

Gardens, Kew (RBG Kew). RBG Kew is split between two

sites, the garden, plant collection and research facility

located to the west of the UK capital city London and the

plant and seed collections and research at Wakehurst Place

in West Sussex. The state-of-the-art Millennium Seed Bank

was opened in 2000. The purpose built facility for seed

conservation and seed biology comprises of the laboratories

and a public exhibition area, under which lies a vast storage

vault. Seed samples are dried and kept in glass jars within

the vault frozen at -20°C.

The scientists started by collecting samples of the plants indigenous to the uK. after this, it set itself the target of assembling seeds from 10% of the world’s wild plant species. With this target met in 2009, the next milestone is to have seeds from 25% of the planet’s plants – some 75,000 species - stored at the msB by the year 2020.

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Scientists at the MSB work in partnership with over 120

organisations across 80 countries around the world, together

they form the Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP). There

are 600 people worldwide involved, with regional networks

established in Africa, Europe, the Americas and Australia.

as of July 2014, the msBp has banked seeds from 13% of the world’s plant species, equivalent to 34,088 wild plant species with 1,980,405,036 seeds in store.

The priority is to collect seeds from plants growing in alpine,

dryland, coastal and island ecosystems, as these are most

vulnerable to climate change, as well as useful plants. Other

priorities are to preserve seeds from plants that are endemic,

economically important or endangered.

The MSBP will help countries meet international objectives

such as the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and

the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations’

Environment Programme. Where possible, the MSB ensures

that its samples are duplicates of locally held seed stocks

and that seeds are available to researchers.

As well as preserving plant biodiversity, collections play a

role in the restoration of damaged habitats and ensuring

food security and livelihoods, as well as in educating future

generations and researching and developing plant science

skills. Enabling use can be demonstrated through many of

the MSBP projects for example the “Adapting Agriculture to

Climate Change Project”.

the millennium seed bank tourThroughout the morning there will be a behind the

scene tour led by the MSB scientists and an opportunity

to see the public exhibition area of the Orangery,

including the use of interactive touch screens and views

into the working laboratories and seed-preparation

facilities. There will be interactive areas for hands on

experience of seed banking. This will enable participants

to get a good idea of what the scientists at the MSB

do on a daily basis. The four main areas of the tour will

be the herbarium, the seed cleaning and germination

laboratories, and the seed banks themselves.

14 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

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the Leckford estateBy gill norriss

The Leckford Estate, which includes the Waitrose farm,

a plant nursery, a farm shop and a water garden,

occupies about 1,500 hectares of rolling Hampshire

countryside to the south west of London. It was purchased

by John Spedan Lewis in 1928 as his private estate, was

converted to a limited company in 1929 and is now part of

the John Lewis Partnership of which he was the pioneering

founder. In 1937 Spedan bought the grocery chain Waitrose

and incorporated it into the Partnership, opening the first

Waitrose supermarket in 1955. Today the Partnership has

more than 30 John Lewis department stores, more than 300

Waitrose supermarkets and an annual turnover of over £10

billion. It is owned by its 91,000 staff, known as ‘Partners’

and all profits are returned to them. The Estate also has

leisure facilities including golf courses and fly fishing, for the

enjoyment of Partners and their families.

From 2001 Leckford became an important part of Waitrose,

with a real focus on producing food for the stores under the

Leckford brand. Waitrose believes in “championing British

produce, treading lightly on the environment, supporting

responsible sourcing and treating people fairly”. The farm

embodies the principles of good food, good environmental

practice and fair behaviour in all its transactions, ensuring

responsible and sustainable agriculture and animal husbandry

and holding true to John Spedan Lewis’s original vision of

farming in harmony with the environment.

A wide range of crops is produced to supply Waitrose stores

with outputs such as Leckford-label bread flour, rapeseed

oil, mushrooms, apples, pears, cider, apple juice and honey.

A state of the art dairy unit and a poultry unit provide milk,

free-range chickens and eggs. A recent addition to the fruit

enterprise is the vineyard, whose quality sparkling wine was

sold in Waitrose for the first time this year.

The Waitrose reputation relies on the traceability of the finest

foods, requiring strong relationships throughout the food

chain, built on respect, trust and a mutual commitment to

the highest standards. Long-term relationships with other

suppliers enable the company to help them develop healthy,

sustainable businesses as well as sharing Leckford’s high

standards and best practice with them.

Leckford Estate is all about innovative practices and new

products, a holistic approach, choice and quality, and

respect for the environment. Above all, it’s about delivering

customers the very finest food from known sources. Today

you follow in the footsteps of visitors from all over the world

who have visited Leckford to share in these values and

learn from a modern and professional food business with a

sound footing in its own history and a strong commitment to

forward thinking.

InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 15

the city Liveries: their history and roleBy Trevor clarke

T rade and craft associations have flourished all over

Europe for many centuries, protecting the quality

and reputation of their trade and the behaviour of

their members.

But the City of London companies, now collectively known

as the Livery, also carrying the distinctive title of Worshipful

Company, are unique in their survival, number and diversity.

The social and economic conditions which gave birth to

the original guilds have long since been overtaken by the

development of industry and commerce, but the livery

companies still flourish today as living institutions, numbering

some 26,000 sworn Liverymen, whose activities have been

commended by successive Royal Commissions.

Liverymen still play an essential role in the governance of

the City of London (as distinct from London, the capital city).

Assembling in Common Hall, they are instrumental in the

elections of the City’s government and certain of its officers,

the most important being that of voting for The Lord Mayor of

the City of London.

Their survival has been achieved by doing what they

have always done: fostering their trade in a wide context

including serving the community, giving in 2012 nearly

£43m to various charitable organisations, running some

153 schools and colleges directly and embracing modern

skills and professions. Despite their antiquity, the Livery was

responsible for an early attempt at sexual equality: a medieval

law called ‘femme sole’ allowed women to trade in their own

right in the case of a widow continuing her husband’s craft.

Early gatherings of “the Livery” would take place in hostelries,

many of which were bought by the Livery and turned into a

permanent Hall. Armourers’ Hall, the venue for the dinner

on 1 September, is on the original site of the ‘Dragon and

Five Shoppes’. The Company has occupied this same site

since 1346, taking a lease on the property in 1428 and

acquiring the freehold in the 16th century. In 1795, the Hall

was enlarged, but the Court decided in 1839 to rebuild it

completely, which, together with its furnishings, cost £10,533

– the equivalent of £605,000 at today’s prices. Not every

Company has a Hall, however – many liveries lost their halls

in the two great disasters to strike London during the last 400

years: the Great Fire of London in 1666 and, more recently,

the Blitz of the Second World War.

Application for membership of livery companies is purely

a domestic matter for each individual company but one

commonality is that any applicant for Livery must be

granted the Freedom of The City. There are a number

of rights traditionally but apocryphally associated with

freemen—the right to drive sheep and cattle over London

Bridge; to a silken rope, if hanged; to carry a naked

sword in public; or that if the City of London Police finds a

Freeman or Liveryman drunk and incapable, they will bundle

him or her into a taxi and send them home rather than

throw them into a cell. While sheep have occasionally been

driven over London Bridge on special occasions, the rest of

these “privileges” are now effectively symbolic.

One custom which is carried out in Hall during a gathering

of Liverymen is the “Rose Bowl”, a means both of cleansing

the hands after eating (a throwback to pre knives and forks)

and to encourage good digestion. There’s also the “Loving

Cup”, a ceremony upon which you will be instructed in the

“mystery” and invited to share.

There is no doubt that the Livery movement will be with us for

the foreseeable future – and it is up to us in each generation

to ensure that it is relevant, that it does serve a purpose and

that it is in a fit state to pass on to the next generation – for

them to make of it in their turn, what they will.

In the words of the celebrated livery toast: May they flourish

root and branch – for ever and ever and ever.

Facts and FiGures

There are 110 Livery Companies.

The newest, the Worshipful Company of Arts

Scholars, was formed in February 2014.

The oldest is the Mercers’ Company (general

merchants), whose Royal Charter dates from 1394.

the term ‘at sixes and sevens’, meaning something

in total disarray or confusion, has its origins in an

ongoing dispute between the skinners’ and merchant

taylors’ company over which was founded first. they

now take it in turns to swap precedence every year.

the venue for monday night’s dinner is armourers’

Hall, a Guild established in 1322 and receiving its

royal charter in 1453.

16 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

the Groceries code adjudicator: Working for fairness in the groceries supply chain in the uK and overseas By christine Tacon, groceries code adjudicator

Across the world relationships

between large retailers and

their suppliers can often be

challenging and the UK’s

approach to the problem

has generated much interest

internationally.

Just over a year ago an Act

of Parliament established the

Groceries Code Adjudicator

(GCA) and I was appointed to the role - the outcome of a

process that evolved from a 2008 Competition Commission

investigation into the groceries sector. The investigation found

that while the sector was broadly competitive, some large

retailers were transferring excessive risk and unexpected

costs to their direct suppliers.

In response the uK government introduced the groceries supply code of practice (the code) to regulate the relationship between the ten largest groceries retailers and their direct suppliers based in the uK and abroad. The retailers are: aldi stores ltd, asda stores ltd, co-operative group ltd, lidl uK gmbH, Iceland foods ltd, marks and spencer plc, J sainsbury plc, Tesco plc, Wm morrison supermarkets plc and Waitrose ltd.

Practices covered by the Code include: paying for goods

on time; compensating suppliers for forecasting errors;

not varying an agreement without reasonable notice; not

requiring suppliers to pay listing fees or marketing costs and

delisting practices. This list is not exhaustive - see details on

the GCA website (www.gov.uk/gca). Price setting or the

relationship between indirect suppliers and the large retailers,

however, are not in my remit.

As the Adjudicator I am responsible for monitoring retailer

practices through evidence gathering, ensuring compliance

with the Code and providing retailers with guidance on good

practice. I have the power to carry out investigations and if I

find serious breaches I can impose financial penalties.

Wherever possible I want to work collaboratively, raising

issues with the retailers’ Code Compliance Officers as

soon as I hear about them, providing the opportunity to put

potential breaches right. I have already published three case

studies where large retailers have accepted the Code has

been breached and action has been taken. This is a swift and

simple way of moving things forward.

I believe I am already seeing progress. At the GCA’s

inaugural conference in June I reported that following my

encouragement eight of the ten retailers had voluntarily

agreed to limit forensic audits to the two previous financial

years rather than the six permitted in UK law.

This activity - often involving the scrutiny of documents and

emails going back six years for potential missing payments

- was one of suppliers’ top five issues. Some suppliers told

me they had faced demands for six-figure sums that were

often difficult to challenge as key personnel had moved on.

But the retailers listened to my concerns and they made a

significant commitment.

To achieve more I know that I have to increase awareness of

my role among direct suppliers, especially those overseas.

I have to impress upon them that without their information

and evidence to work with, it will be very hard for the GCA

to make any difference. Reaching suppliers overseas is

particularly challenging.

That’s why I am delighted I have an opportunity to speak to

agriculture correspondents attending IFAJ 2014. My plea to

you is help me to spread the word back home; I am happy

to give interviews and do video link-ups to reach overseas

suppliers. Together we can work for fairness in the grocery

supply chain.

InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 17

For the latest news, followus on Twitter @EblexTweetsEBLEX is a division of the Agricultural and

Horticultural Development Board (AHDB).

The website for the Englishbeef and sheep meat industryn Market Pricesn Technical Resourcesn Industry Newsn Forthcoming Events

Download the EBLEX app

www.eblex.org.uk

Eblex ad 210x144_Layout 1 06/08/2014 10:10 Page 1

day 2 london food and farming0615 Depart Farmers’ Club

0645 Arrive Smithfield Market

Divide into two groups

Breakfast at ‘The Hope’

Guided tour of the market

1000 Depart for City Farms (Mudchute and Surrey Docks)

1030 Arrive (one group at each site)

1200 Leave for river piers

1230 Embark MV Golden Star

Mudchute group: Masthouse Pier

Surrey Docks: Greenland Pier

River tour with lunch on-board (provided by Waitrose)

1430 Disembark at Putney

Coach to Reed Business Publishing, Sutton for meeting with Farmers Weekly

1515 Arrive Farmers Weekly

1630 Depart Farmers Weekly for BBC Broadcasting House

1730 Arrive Broadcasting House for BBC Rural reception

Presentation and tours

Q&A with Dimitri Houtart, Editor, Rural Affairs & Environment, BBC Radio 4

Graham Harvey, agricultural story editor, The Archers

2030 Depart and free time

‘Supper money’ distributed

sponsored by ebLeX

For the latest news, followus on Twitter @EblexTweetsEBLEX is a division of the Agricultural and

Horticultural Development Board (AHDB).

The website for the Englishbeef and sheep meat industryn Market Pricesn Technical Resourcesn Industry Newsn Forthcoming Events

Download the EBLEX app

www.eblex.org.uk

Eblex ad 210x144_Layout 1 06/08/2014 10:10 Page 1

ebLeX eBleX works for farmers and processors in the english beef and lamb supply chain.

funded by statutory levy paid on every animal at

point of slaughter, it carries out a range of functions

for the industry which otherwise would unlikely

be undertaken by individual farming enterprises, to the

detriment of the efficiency and profitability of the sector.

These include research and development, knowledge

transfer, market intelligence and trade development, both

domestically and in export markets.

It is a division of the Agriculture and Horticulture

Development Board (AHDB) along with BPEX, DairyCo,

HGCA, HDC and the Potato Council, working together

to improve the efficiency and competitiveness of the

agriculture and horticulture sectors.

Ultimately, it exists to enhance the profitability and

sustainability of the English beef and lamb sector.

Its aims are:

to help the beef and sheep meat supply chain become

more efficient

to add value to the beef and sheep meat industry.

The communications challenges tackled by EBLEX are

significant. While there are between 50,000 and 60,000

beef and sheep enterprises in England, there is no available

list of them to allow the organisation to engage directly. It

launched the Better Returns Programme – the brand under

which it carries out much of its knowledge transfer work –

as a way of getting farmers to sign up, for free, to receive

technical information and attend events. To date, it has

around 27,000 businesses signed up to the programme.

Aside from that, it uses a variety of channels to

communicate important messages to producers and

processors, giving the industry the tools to become more

efficient, more sustainable and more profitable. These

include trade publications, a website, a blog, social media,

events, newsletters, sponsorship and advertising.

It also plays an active role in publicly defending the industry

on issues such as the environment, health and nutrition and

animal welfare, highlighting the good practice and positive

role that the English beef and lamb sector brings to the

countryside, the economy and the consumer.

InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 19

But through this recent change Smithfield Market has

remained at its original site supplying Londoners with

world-class meat and poultry from across the UK.

The Smoothfield that Smithfield gets its name from was a

flat and green area just to the north east of the main city

that for more than 700 years was the home to cattle fairs

supplying London with its meat. But by the 19th century the

demands of the world’s largest and richest city were taking

their toll on the area - it is estimated that in 1849 a million

animals arrived at Smithfield by rail alone. So it was decided

that a state of the art market specialising in cut meat was

needed. The City of London turned to Sir Horace Jones,

the architect behind Tower Bridge to design its Temple to

Meat. The Catherdral-like structure consisting of two wings

joined by a Grand Avenue was opened in 1868. But the

arrival of imported meat from Australia, New Zealand and

South America meant that even this new building could not

cope with demand and four extensions were built over the

new few years.

Smithfield continued to supply the Capital into the 20th

Century, although it closed during the Second World

War. A fire in 1958 destroyed the Poultry Market building,

but it arose Phoenix-like five years later in a building that

boasted Europe’s largest clear-spanning dome at 225 feet.

Demands of customers and EU-regulations meant that the

market had to be modernised in the 1990s and new chiller

rooms, rails and loading bays were added.

Although the way food is supplied has changed

fundamentally over the last 150 years, Smithfield Market

still trades more than 100,000 tonnes of meat a year with

many restaurants and butchers relying on it to supply the

top quality meat that they require. But the market is not just

limited to those in the trade and is open to anyone who is

prepared to arrive before 7am in the morning.

Recently there have been plans to redevelop the site,

something that has generated opposition from those who

want to keep this mercantile jewel. But with a food market

part of the plans, it is likely that Londoners will be able to

buy a taste of the countryside in the heart of the city for

many years to come.

See www.smithfieldmarket.com for more.

for centuries london was supplied with meat, fresh produce and fish through a number of markets. fruit and vegetable markets covent garden and spitalfields and fish market Billingsgate decamped to more convenient locations away from the city centre with the old sites now smart shopping and residential complexes. In the last few years Borough market has become a week-round farmers’ market where london’s ‘foodies’ stock up on produce they can’t find in their local supermarkets.

centuries of tradition meet at smithfieldBy cedric porter

20 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

Farming in the city of londonBy peter Hill, BgaJ member communications

I t’s doubtful whether many tourists to London expect to

find cattle grazing, or hens scratching about in straw.

Yet these unlikely sights are part of the London scenery

thanks to the community farms that bring a flavour of the

countryside and well-documented health and social benefits

to the inner-city population.

Set up and run by locals for the benefit of local people, they

are usually established in response to a lack of access to

green space and a desire to encourage strong community

relationships alongside an awareness of farming and

gardening. Income is generated through donations, grants and,

increasingly, services such as play groups and on-site cafes.

for more than 30 years, city farms have provided enjoyment for over 500,000 londoners each year, providing the only opportunity for inner city children to make the connection between such simple things as milk and the cows that produce it.

There are 16 city farms in London and more than 60 across

the UK. Production efficiency is not the priority, simply

the opportunity for local people to have contact with and

contribute to the care of animals. The emphasis is firmly on

education services and youth activities, riding therapy and a

peaceful escape from city life.

The IFAJ tour visits two farms – Mudchute and Surrey Docks,

both in the east end of London and both founded in the City

Farm movement’s early days. Founded in 1977, and covering

13 hectares, Mudchute Park & Farm (www.mudchute.org) is

one of the largest in Europe. It houses more than 100 animals

and includes areas open to members of the local community.

There is a full education programme for both children and

adults, while hiring out the facilities generates income.

Mudchute is located on the Isle of Dogs, the distinctive spit of

land that forces the River Thames to take a long loop south as

it heads towards Greenwich and to the sea. Take a walk north

from the farm’s tranquil setting and you are soon surrounded

by the soaring office blocks of Canary Wharf, London’s modern

high-rise financial district.

Another farm that nestles in the shadows of Canary Wharf

is Surrey Docks. Occupying a 1ha (2.5 acre) former goods

yard, it’s home to Large White sows running with a docile

Gloucestershire Old Spot boar, two Red Poll cows and

their calves and numerous other farm birds and animals.

Bees produce inner-city honey and an orchard grows fruit.

The farm even has a working blacksmith’s forge and like

Mudchute conducts a full education programme.

Some of the animals have names and petting is encouraged

but there is no shyness about their purpose: meat and other

produce are on sale.

City farms are not unique to London or to Britain; it’s just great

to see that cattle, sheep, pigs and other livestock still have a

place in one of the world’s most recognisable city landscapes.

www.farmgarden.org.uk

www.face-online.org.uk

www.leafuk.org

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InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 21

Farmers WeeklyBy Jane King

farmers Weekly is 80 years old in print this year (launched June 23rd 1934).

The “yellow peril”, as it is

affectionately known by

readers, is a multi media

brand today reaching a

farming audience beyond the

UK through the magazine,

the web and face to face

activity. We reach 93% of all

UK farmers through our products and services and aim to

be a critical friend – informing and challenging the industry

in equal measure.

While we take great pride in our world class farming

capabilities in this country, we are not happy just to stand

still. Farmers Weekly’s role is to offer leadership to farmers

– encouraging them to embrace change to realise their full

potential. Our award-winning editorial team achieve this in a

variety of ways by delivering compelling, practical content that

supports farmers to do the right thing for their own business,

for their livestock, the environment and for the consumer.

our content has to be engaging, authoritative, independent and forward-looking, which is why we are now a major player in social media, online learning and in live events like the farmers apprentice, fertile minds and fW awards.

Innovation has been vital to FW’s success over eight

decades and long may that continue.

22 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

the bbcBy adrian Bell

John Reith, a 33-year old Scot, has other ideas.

His vision is an independent British broadcaster,

educating, informing and entertaining the nation.

Free of political interference it will also be unswayed by

commercial pressures. Radically, its funding is a licence fee

of ten shillings (50 pence), ensuring that the organisation

is financially, politically and commercially independent. The

British Broadcasting Company eventually launches on 18th

October 1922.

Within a year, the BBC was broadcasting plays, concerts, talks

and variety programmes. News too, but – characteristically

British – this was broadcast only after 7pm to avoid upsetting

newspaper sales.

Broadcasting House - the UK’s first purpose-built

broadcasting centre - opened on the tenth anniversary of

the BBC (by now the British Broadcasting Corporation). In

November 1936 it became home to the world’s first regular

TV service, broadcast to 20,000 homes within 35 miles of

the studio. But it would be almost 20 years before television

audiences outstripped those of radio, and it was a singular

event: the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. More than 20

million people saw the broadcast; for many, it provided an

irrefutable reason to purchase their first television set.

The 1950s also saw the BBC’s interest in rural affairs

begin – but not with a conventional farming bulletin. The

Second World War had brought Britain food shortages

and rationing; the Ministry of Agriculture needed to raise

productivity to keep the population fed. What better way

than through a radio soap opera, disseminating information

to farmers to help them adopt better farming practices?

Today, ‘The Archers’ is the world’s longest-running radio

soap. Farming matters may be less to the fore than in days

past, but regular listeners will know that every episode’s

credits usually mention the ‘agricultural story editor’.

Naturally, he’s a member of the British Guild.

The Archers isn’t the only BBC programme covering farming

and rural affairs. Farming Today’s daily 15 minutes has over

one million listeners, exploring topical issues often from a

farmer’s point of view, while the longer Farming Today This

Week (FTTW) is broadcast on Saturday mornings.

Television has Countryfile – the UK’s most-watched factual

programme, it has just celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Regularly capturing audiences of seven million, its Sunday

evening slot covers wildlife, conservation, food production,

countryside crafts, social history and leisure activities.

Journalism remains a fundamental strand within the

programme, and a weekly investigation might focus on halal

slaughter, animal diseases or rural concerns such as access

to high-speed broadband.

A popular feature is ‘Adam’s Farm’, fronted by Adam

Henson, whose Cotswold farm post-Congress delegates

will visit. Adam explains the challenges faced by farmers like

himself across the country: weather, prices, disease, but

also the sheer enjoyment that farming brings.

The BBC doesn’t always get it right. In 2014, the BBC

Trust – its governing ‘board’ – conducted a review of

its rural affairs coverage. The report identified, amongst

other findings, that the BBC was giving undue weight to

a small number of organisations in its news coverage;

that stories were ‘too often viewed through the lens of

environmentalism’; that its reporting skewed the argument;

and that there was too often a metropolitan bias in

coverage of rural England.

The report made a number of recommendations, including

the appointment of an overarching BBC Rural Affairs

Correspondent (previously axed); identifying correspondents

from regional and local newsrooms to report for network

news on rural issues; and widening the range of rural

contacts and BBC expertise.

With the BBC never having been well represented within the

British Guild, this offers an opportunity for both organisations.

the bbc and congress 2014 Farming Today This Week visits Thainstone and Mackies

Farm on Friday 5th September.

Five Congress delegates will pre-record short reports – 2-3

minutes - for broadcast the week after Congress. Dimitri

Houtart, its editor, says he wants ‘foreign critical views on

the British food and farming industry, preferably contrasting

it with knowledge of the delegate’s country’.

It’s the 1920s. radio broadcasting has become popular but the contrast between east and west is vivid. america has pursued the route of commercial, unregulated radio stations; the rigidly controlled soviet union has established a tight state system matching its political structure.

InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 23

day 3 science matters0700 Vacate rooms at Farmers’ Club and load baggage; breakfast on-board

0715 Depart for Rothamsted

0830 Arrive Rothamsted, Harpenden, Hertfordshire

Coffee and breakfast

0845 BBSRC Presentation1

0915 Rothamsted Presentation2 - background and current ‘hot topics’

0945 Tour

Centenary Building (including 20:20 wheat3)

Sample Archive (including agro-ecology and soils4)

CE and glasshouses ( including Camelina5)

Bringing industry and SMEs closer to the scientists

Plant Impact6

1045 Delegates board coach for a quick driven tour of the field experiments

1100 Depart

Key contacts

1 Matt Goode, Associate Director, Communications & External Relations, BBSRC

2 Achim Dobermann, Director, Rothamsted Research

3 Martin Parry, ‎Associate Director, Strategy and Planning, Rothamsted Research

4 Professor John Crawford, Head of Sustainable Systems Research, Rothamsted Research

5 Professor Johnathan Napier, Research Leader, Rothamsted Research

6 John Brubaker, CEO, Plant Impact plc

1215 Arrive at Palace of Westminster, London

1300 Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs7

Video link to Master Class group in Aberdeen

1350 Secretary of State departs

1400 Lunch in Terrace Restaurant, House of Lords

1500 Tour of Houses of Parliament8

1600 Depart Parliament for Farmers Club

Key contacts

7 The Right Honourable Elizabeth Truss MP

8 Lord Cameron of Dillington, President, British Guild of Agricultural Journalists

1625 Panel discussion - A Sustainable Food Chain: Innovation and Flexibility (see page 30)

1825 Depart for St Bride’s Church

1845 Evensong and reception at St Bride’s

2015 Coach departs for Euston Station

2045 Arrive Euston and board Caledonian Sleeper

2115 Depart Euston, destination Aberdeen!

sponsored by certis

24 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

Certis Europe - focusing on asustainable foodsupply for agrowing globalpopulation

Certis Europe holds a unique positionin providing integrated crop protectionsolutions for a wide range of crops thathelp growers to meet the demands andpressures of the market.

Find out more www.certiseurope.com

IFAJ half page ad_Layout 1 04/08/2014 16:42 Page 1

certis europemark Waltham, ceo, certis europe

crop protection plays a vital part in the production of healthy, clean and safe crops and certis europe holds a unique position in providing integrated crop protection solutions to growers of a wide range of crops that help them to meet the demands and pressures of the market.

In its quest to help ensure the long-term future of grower

businesses the company seeks to explore and understand

the wider challenges that will need to be addressed to

maintain a sustainable food system in the future. We have

already started to develop our own long-term strategy in the

protected cropping sector, considering in some depth how

that may look in 2030.

We welcome the exciting opportunity the pre-Congress tour

provides for IFAJ delegates to see some of the agricultural

and horticultural operations and institutions that showcase

current developments in science and innovation.

The final afternoon of Q&A and discussion sessions

represents an ideal occasion to question and draw

together ideas on how the industry can move forward.

How will developments in science and innovation help

to build and maintain a sustainable food system for a

growing global population?

certis is delighted to sponsor these meetings and offer the opportunity to consider with politicians and experts the wider challenges of our industry today and in the future. We are looking forward to sharing some of our thoughts and to lively discussions with international delegates.

one of the oldest continuous representative

assemblies in the world, the modern UK

parliament has its origins in two Anglo-Saxon

bodies – the Witan and the Moot – existent between the 8th

and 11th centuries.

The Witan allowed the King to consult with leading advisers

and noblemen. It existed only when the King chose, and

although its duty was to advise the King, the King could act

without its consent. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, a

smaller, permanent inner council began to advise the King,

with wider consent sought from nobles and churchmen.

The Witan would eventually form the basis for the modern

Upper House, known today as the House of Lords.

The moot, meanwhile, was a regular meeting for each

county. Attendees included the local lords, bishops, sheriffs

and representatives from each village. Again, the Norman

Conquest acted as a catalyst for its permanence and it

was the moot that introduced the idea of representative

government at the local level. This would become, in time,

the locally representative House of Commons.

The first official use of the term ‘Parliament’ was in 1236,

but it was still an occasion rather than an institution. Not

until Edward I’s reign began in 1272 did Parliament become

a more frequent event. By 1327, when Edward’s son was

removed from the throne, the modern three-part Parliament

was in place: Monarch, Lords and Commons. Although

those remain today, the seven hundred intervening years

have seen great changes in their respective share of power.

The English Parliament progressively limited the monarchy’s

power, culminating in the English Civil War of 1642-1651,

the execution of King Charles I and the brief establishment

of a republic. Although the monarchy was restored in

1660, the supremacy of Parliament was now established.

By 1707, it had become the Parliament of Great Britain

after the Act of Union between the English and Scottish

Parliaments; in 1801 it saw the merger of the Kingdoms of

Great Britain and Ireland. Since 1927, it has been known as

the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and

Northern Ireland. The most significant changes in recent

times have been the 1999 abolition of hereditary peers from

the House of Lords, and the removal of judiciary duties from

the House of Lords with the creation of the Supreme Court

of the United Kingdom in 2009.

Living Heritage: the Houses of parliamentan instantly recognisable building, the site of the Houses of parliament has been a centre of power for more than 900 years, writes Adrian Bell.

26 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

Facts and FiGures

Benches in the House of Commons are green; those

in the Lords are red. Thus on the Thames, Lambeth

Bridge (nearest the Lords is red) while Westminster

Bridge (nearest the Commons) is green.

Since the 2010 General Election, UK parliaments are

on a fixed term of five years. The next election is in

May 2015.

No British monarch has entered a sitting House of

Commons since 1642, when King Charles I stormed

the chamber to arrest five members.

There are 650 elected Members in the House of

Commons, each representing an average of 92,000

people, but only 427 seats. Latecomers have to

stand.

The annual tradition of ‘Bonfire Night’, held annually

on Nov 5, commemorates a failed attempt by Guy

Fawkes to blow-up the Houses of Parliament while

the King was opening Parliament in 1605.

It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament…

But what of the buildings themselves? The Palace of

Westminster, as the complex is properly known, was first

established in the 11th century as the primary London

residence of the English king and remained so until 1534

when Henry VIII moved to the Palace of Whitehall. The

medieval buildings were gradually adapted, extended and

refurbished over the next 300 years, but in 1834 a fire

destroyed both Houses of Parliament along with most of

the other buildings in the Palace complex. Fortunately,

Westminster Hall – built in 1097 and boasting the largest

clearspan medieval roof in Europe - was saved.

The foundation stone for the modern Houses of Parliament

was laid in 1840, following an architectural competition won

by Charles Barry and Augustus Pugin. One hundred years

later it would come to close to being destroyed again, in the

course of German bombing of London during the Second

World War. The chamber of the House of Commons took a

direct hit, and Westminster Hall was saved only thanks to

the actions of quick-thinking and determined firemen.

By far the most well-known feature of the Houses of

Parliament is Big Ben – yet herein lies a story. It refers not to

the tower whose features have become a visual shorthand

for London, but the 13.5t bell within. The tower itself is

known as the Elizabeth Tower – a name bestowed upon it

in 2012 for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 27

rothamsted researchBy Jamie day

rothamsted research, which receives strategic funding from the uK government’s Biotechnology and Biological sciences research council (BBsrc), is the longest running agricultural research station in the world.

BBSRC is the biggest public funder of academic

research and training in the non-clinical life sciences

and the largest single public funder of agriculture

and food-related research, investing around £90M each

year in research and capital relating to agriculture.

Recent and ongoing investment at Rothamsted Research

campus in Harpenden, Hertfordshire is designed to ensure

it is equipped to continue in its role, while developing as a

hub of international scientific collaboration.

Rothamsted research station was founded by Sir John

Bennet Lawes (1814-1900), the owner of the Rothamsted

Estate, in 1843. The estate is owned by the Lawes Trust,

and the listed Manor House, where Sir John Lawes lived, is

still on the estate.

Sir John Lawes was an entrepreneur who became one

of the great Victorian scientists. He inherited the estate

at the age of 7, but from the late 1830s, developed an

interest in the effect of inorganic materials on crop growth.

This culminated in 1842 with him opening the UK’s first

factory for the manufacture of artificial fertilisers, based

on phosphorous and sulphate materials, known as the

superphosphates, in south-east London.

The Rothamsted estate gave Sir John Lawes the facility to

test his theories, and his appointment of Sir Joseph Henry

Gilbert, a chemist, as scientific collaborator in 1843 led to

the creation of the Rothamsted Experimental Station. This

was the foundation of modern agricultural research and the

science of crop nutrition.

The long-term classical experiments on wheat fertiliser (the

Broadbalk) and grassland fertilisation for hay (the Park Grass)

have been running since 1843 and 1856 respectively and

continue to this day. Rothamsted has a collection of soil, grain

and straw samples taken from these fields in each of the

subsequent years. These samples are still used by researchers

in looking for information on climactic, meterological, mineral

and pest, weed and disease information from the past.

The vast amount of information collected through

Rothamsted’s classical experiments comparing the use of

inorganic and organic fertilisers on crop yield, also led to the

development of statistical tools to interpret and analyse the

data, many of which have become the standard statistical

methods used in modern science.

Over the years, Rothamsted expanded its work into more

aspects of soils, plant nutrition and crop protection from

weeds, pests and diseases. Notable discoveries have

been the discovery and development of the pyrethroid

class of insecticides, and advances in the fields of virology,

nematology, soil science and pesticide resistance.

Over recent years, the consolidation of the UK’s crop

research resources has seen Rothamsted become the main

UK crop research centre in England. Rothamsted’s state-

of-the-art grassland Farm Platform at North Wyke in Devon

provides scientists with a unique opportunity to address

some of agriculture’s most pressing challenges, for example

mitigating and adapting to climate change, protecting

natural resources and sustaining the rural economy in

grassland dominated regions such as South West England.

Although the centre is largely funded through the BBSRC,

finance is also provided by other government bodies,

the UK’s farmer-funded levy boards (AHDB) and through

industry partners for specific projects. For example, there is

a major project underway with Syngenta to develop higher-

yielding wheat varieties.

Rothamsted’s mission is to deliver the knowledge and new

practices to increase crop productivity and quality and to

develop environmentally sustainable solutions for food and

energy production. It is equipped with the latest laboratory

facilities and technology, and hosts many international

conferences to disseminate its findings and encourage

discussion and debate among the world’s agricultural scientists.

A £13 million expansion programme is underway to

increase the laboratory and conference space available, and

to provide the facilities to encourage companies and new

start-ups to work on the campus. The vision is to create a

plant science hub for the exchange of ideas to help meet

the growing world demand for plant materials for food, fibre

and industrial processes.

28 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

defra: The fourth emergency service prime minister david cameron described the department for environment, food and rural affairs (defra) as the “fourth emergency service” when he first visited its london headquarters after the 2010 general election. By Tony McDougal

It is a fair comment. Due to its wide-ranging remit, Defra

deals with a large number of emergencies, including

in recent years an outbreak of foot and mouth, the

horsemeat scandal, serious flooding and tree diseases such

as ash die-back (Chalara fraxinea).

And a number of its issues can polarise public opinion – last

year’s badger culling trials in west Gloucestershire and west

Somerset were an attempt to reduce the spread of bovine

tuberculosis (bovine TB) among the nation’s cattle herds.

They were admired and supported by livestock farmers but

heavily criticised by animal welfare and green lobby groups.

But Defra’s role is much wider than dealing with

potentially crippling plant health or animal diseases. It is

the government department responsible for policy and

regulations on environmental, food and rural issues.

Although Defra only works directly in England, it works

closely with the devolved administrations in Wales, Scotland

and Northern Ireland. It leads on vital negotiations in the EU,

covering major and contentious issues such as the reforms

of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Common

Fisheries Policy (CFP)

And it also leads on international negotiations, leading for

the UK Government at the Rio+20 sustainable development

talks and at international biodiversity events.

Its new Environment Secretary Liz Truss, brought in

last month following a wider than anticipated Ministerial

reshuffle, is likely to continue to focus on the Government’s

key aim of promoting economic growth. One of her

first public announcements was to help commit Central

Government to buying fresh, locally sourced and seasonal

food to benefit British farmers and small business.

She said of the £400m initiative: “This will help drive growth

in Britain’s first class food and drink industry and benefit the

environment through reduced waste....

“This is a huge boost to British farmers and producers and

for our students, patients and employees who want to enjoy

fantastic food.”

As the third Environment Secretary during the current

Coalition administration, she and the Department face tough

challenges in the run-up to the next election. Defra’s annual

budget has been cut by £500m to around £2.5bn since

2010 and further resource savings are on the horizon. As

one of the smaller Whitehall departments, which does not

have huge amount of money ring-fenced, Defra has faced

repeated financial squeezes. One area where it has managed

to hang on to considerable levels of funding has been around

flood protection, with £3.2bn allocated between 2010/11

and 2014/5 to manage flood and coastal erosion.

Following the severe Winter floods which left many parts of

the English countryside and indeed some suburban areas

underwater, Defra has been provided an additional £270m

for urgent repairs and rebuilding work, including maintenance

of ditches through dredging which was one of the most

contentious issues on the ravaged Somerset Levels.

There will be much interest in how the Department and its

Rural Payments Agency continues to develop arrangements

to implement the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP),

which starts in 2015. Heavily criticised for making a

bureaucratic mess of implementing the last CAP, there are

signs that lessons have been learned.

Farmers will have their single farm payments replaced

by a new direct payment made up of a basic payment, a

payment for greening and, if appropriate, a further young

farmers payment. This will be backed up by the new Rural

Development Programme, which starts on 1 January, 2015

and over the next seven years will see a total of £3.5bn

invested into the rural economy and the environment. Existing

environmental stewardship and the English Woodland Scheme

are to be replaced by a new single National Environmental

Land Management Scheme (NELMS).

Facts and stats

The estimated total of UK food and drink wasted in

the food chain is around 15m tonnes/year or around

15 per cent of the overall total.

In 2011, three of the 12 farmland bird species,

analysed as part of the UK Farmland Birds Index

1970-2011) had declined to a tenth of their 1970

figure (grey partridge, turtle dove and corn bunting).

The Government is one of the first in the world to

introduce a network of Marine Conservation Zones

around the English coast. 27 MCZs were designated

in November 2013 in the first tranche. They will

help restore habitats and species through greater

protection

InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 29

a sustainable food chain: innovation and flexibilitypanel discussion, sponsored by certis europe | 16:25 – 18:25 on 3 september 2014 at The farmers club, 3 Whitehall court, london sW1a 2el

food security and nutrition are high on the agenda

for policy makers across the globe. With drivers

such as population growth and climate change to

be confronted there are huge challenges ahead. What is

being done to address these challenges? What is the future

of our food supply? How will we provide a safe, nutritious

and sustainable diet for the population of our cities? What

innovations can we expect?

Chairman for the Panel discussion: Malcolm Crabtree,

independent farming professional

There will be six 8 minute talks around the subject of food security – a sustainable food chain producing healthy and nutritious food. This will be followed by discussion.

talk 1

speaker: Tim Benton, Global Food Security ChampionTHE CHALLENGE: Why is food security important globally,

what are the challenges we have to overcome/ what is

sustainable intensification? What factors does this involve

– agricultural production, environment, biodiversity, water,

energy, land for recreation, carbon footprint, all are involved.

talk 2

speaker: Jonathan Pauling, Principal Policy Officer, Greater London Authority, supporting the implementation of the London Food StrategyTHE CHALLENGE: at a local level (London): How will

London be supplied with food, what initiatives and future

plans are in place to provide its 10 million inhabitants with a

nutritious and healthy diet.

talk 3

speaker: Adam Staines, Joint Head, Agriculture, Food and Land Use Sector, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)The challenge of producing more from less: what basic

research is being funded by BBSRC and the other

Government Research Councils to ensure food security

globally. To include the BBSRC Food Security Research

Strategy which includes waste.

talk 4

speaker: Calum Murray, Lead Technologist, Sustainable Agriculture and Food, Technology Strategy Board (TSB)The challenge of ensuring basic research is picked up and

taken to an applied level. What applied research is the TSB

funding and what innovations can be expected in the short

and medium terms to ensure global food security.

talk 5

speaker: Duncan Sinclair, Agriculture manager, WaitroseThe challenge faced by a multiple retailer procuring a

sustainable supply of food during the next decade and

beyond. What plans and strategies have you in place?

talk 6

speaker: Caroline Drummond, Chief Executive Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF)THE CHALLENGE: How will farmers and land managers

produce food and environmental services sustainably to

ensure global food security during the next 3 decades.

‘A sustainable food chain – a question of balance or

trade-offs’.

30 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

the journalists’ church st Bride’s church, fleet street

The Church of St Bride is justly world famous. To

enter its doors is to step into 2,000 years of history,

which had begun with the Romans some six

centuries before the name of St Bride, daughter of an Irish

prince, even emerged from legend to become associated

forever with the site.

The parish’s links with the media go back to the beginning

of the sixteenth century when William Caxton’s assistant,

Wynkyn de Worde, set up his press in a corner of the

churchyard. Since then, the area has been associated

with printing and publishing and, since the late nineteenth

century, newspaper-making.

By 1989, all the national newspapers had decamped to

more remote publishing centres; many people at that

time feared that the diaspora of the Fourth Estate might

result in St Bride’s losing its title of the Cathedral of Fleet

Street. Some even considered that the great church

would lose its parishioners. Fortunately for St Bride’s, the

national newspapers scattered in every direction rather than

congregating in one locality, so that “Fleet Street” remains

to this day a generic term for the nation’s press. Moreover,

the church retains its position as the spiritual home of the

media, who are fully committed to its future.

During the Middle East hostage crisis of the late 1980s and

early 1990s, it hosted all-night vigils for John McCarthy

and others, and on their release in 1991 a grand service

of celebration was held. There have also been services of

commemoration for numerous journalists who have given

their lives reporting from war zones and troubled areas

around the world, demonstrating St Bride’s unique position

in international journalism.

Every year we hold a service of commemoration for those

journalists who have been killed or held hostage around

the world, which is a much-valued gathering point for the

industry. We hold regular memorial services for former

journalists and executives, and over the years have

celebrated the lives of figures such as Clement Freud, Harry

Carpenter, Alan Coren, Marie Colvin and Derek Jameson,

and seasonal carol services for the ‘old’ and ‘new’ Fleet

Street. It will be no surprise to those who remember Don

Gomery that St Bride’s hosted his memorial service, too.

Our links with the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists

go back to the 1970s and our annual Harvest Service, held

in October, has grown into a showcase for the beauty of

the space, the wonder of the choir and the warmth of the

fellowship.

www.stbrides.com

st Bride’s is the parish church for all in fleet street and the media World – a busy, inclusive and thriving parish church in the centre of the city of london; an inspiring space in which the beauty of its architecture, the power of the liturgy and the weight of history all meet and enrich each other.

InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour 31

the caledonian sleeperpay attention to the length and width of the bunk in your cabin when you board the sleeper for our overnight journey to aberdeen on day 3 of the pre-congress tour, says Adrian Bell.

If you’ve ever flown British Airways’ Club World service and

thought the ‘lie-flat’ bed placed you in the lap of luxury,

you might be surprised that the sleeper’s bunks are a good

six inches more generous in each direction. What’s more,

rather than the flying dormitory of your average wide-bodied

jet, you’ll find far more privacy and comfort in these single or

twin-occupancy cabins, and all for a fraction of the cost of a

premium air ticket. Add to that a wake-up service, breakfast

delivered to your door, and the promise of departing London

in darkness only to wake up in the Highlands the next

morning, and you might start to think that this will be one of

the highlights of your visit to Britain.

Think all this sounds too good to be true? You’re right. The

drawback is that the Caledonian Sleeper is just one of two

sleeper services remaining on the British rail network and,

just a few years ago, was a service in danger of disappearing

altogether thanks to continued lack of investment and

plummeting passenger numbers. Using rolling stock dating

from the 1960s and 1970s, the train – which has been in

operation for 141 years – was running at a loss and catering

for passengers who either adored its quirky style, or simply

adopted the maxim of ‘grin and bear it’.

But it’s come back from the brink. In May this year, when a

new operating franchise was awarded to Serco – a company

already operating luxury sleeper trains across Australia –

the Scottish transport secretary was sufficiently moved to

declare the new service would ‘transform this iconic rail

service’ and offer passengers ‘a unique, valued and high

profile overnight service between Scotland and London’.

Serco plans to invest £100m in building a new fleet of 72

carriages, which will boast en-suite cabins, ‘pod flatbeds’

and a brasserie-style club car. Part-funded with £60m from

the Scottish Government, the new rolling stock will be

operational by 2018 and benefit from a collaboration with

Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux to provide a ‘hotel-style

service and an improved all-round travelling experience’.

2018, however, is still four years away; the four carriages in

which the pre-Congress party will be sleeping on Wednesday

night will be some of the oldest British railway stock still in

regular fare-paying use. But that’s not to say it won’t be

comfortable, nor memorable, for despite its shortcomings the

sleeper retains a cult following and is held in great affection by

a true cross-section of society. Oil workers, peers, academics,

walkers, landowners and politicians all regularly use the service.

So board with an open mind and an open heart, for there

are no strangers aboard this train; its camaraderie is famous.

Enjoy a drink in the bar and get your appetite prepared for

Scottish food; whisky and haggis sell in abundance.

Journalists love it too, for it’s said that staying a while in the

lounge car and keeping an open ear can reveal more about

what’s going on in the corridors of power than an entire

week spent in the Lobby Bar at the Houses of Parliament…

caledonian cribsheet When this train was built, a ‘smart phone’ was probably

just a funky colour. Don’t expect to be able to charge

yours onboard.

The lounge car holds the dubious distinction of being

the only British railway carriages with freestanding seats

and sofas.

The train is effectively three-in-one – during the night, it

splits into three separate sections, heading for Aberdeen,

Fort William and Inverness. Make sure you’re in the right

section when it divides…

If you wake early, it’s well worth heading to the lounge

car to enjoy the morning scenery – and the crossing of

the famous Forth Bridge, a famous symbol of Scotland

and despite its 124-years, still the world’s second-longest

single cantilever bridge span. ‘Painting the Forth Bridge’

is a well-known British colloquial expression for a never-

ending task.

IMA

GE

.N M

CN

AB

32 InnovaTIons from a small Island: pre-congress Tour

Massey Ferguson extends a warm welcome to members

of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists

here in London and looks forward to hosting you during the

‘Innovations From A Small Island’ Congress.

“The UK was the home of Harry Ferguson, one of the founding

fathers of Massey Ferguson, who created one of the most

important innovations in farm machinery - the very first three-

point linkage system, which is used on every tractor today,”

says Campbell Scott, Director, Sales Engineering and MF

Brand Development.

Ever since this was introduced on the Ferguson-Brown in 1936,

Massey Ferguson has remained at the forefront of agricultural

machinery innovations. More than 75 years ago Massey Harris

introduced the first self-propelled combine harvester and in the

1990s, pioneered yield mapping on combines - paving the way

for today’s precision farming developments.

“We are a leader in the design and manufacture of tractor

transmissions and, more recently, the first to introduce

Selective Catalytic Reduction technology on engines in

agriculture. We have just launched a completely new Global

Tractor, which is another original innovation – applying 21st

Century design, technology and engineering specifically for the

sub-100hp sector,” he adds.

Much of this technology is developed thanks to Massey

Ferguson’s longstanding and close relationship with customers.

User opinions help drive innovation and ensure the machines

precisely match their individual needs and expectations.

Massey Ferguson has long played a key role in British farming

and has supported the Red Tractor food assurance scheme since

its inception, more than 12 years ago. Most of the major brands

and supermarkets are now involved. Today more than £12 billion

worth of food and drink carries the ‘little red tractor’ logo.

Massey Ferguson provides tractors for Red Tractor to use at

events across the country to attract consumers’ attention and

help explain the huge efforts farmers put into producing food,

to not only the highest standards of quality and sustainability,

but also with the upmost attention to animal welfare and

environmental care.

“Latest developments, such as mapping, job recording and

data logging also help farms to keep the records needed for

the traceability required for Red Tractor and farm assurance

schemes. Labels not only show that food was produced in the

UK, but often state the actual farm as well,” adds Mr Scott.

“Now wireless transfer and telemetry make it much easier for

farms to gather, store and process records, not only improving

accuracy, but reducing the workload.”

massey Ferguson

Contact your local dealer today or contact us on 01628 488 441 or uk.sales@AGCOCorp.com masseyfergusonglobal @mf_eame MasseyFergusonVideo blog.agcocorp.comBmasseyfergusonglobal @mf_eame MasseyFergusonVideo blog.agcocorp.com

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Half-page A4 for Congress 2014.indd 1 13/08/2014 17:01

If you’re visiting London, you can’t fail to notice the ubiquitous

London taxi. Traditionally only one colour, although

increasingly appearing in any hue, the black cab, or ‘hackney

carriage’, is an institution that dates back to 1662 when horse-

drawn carriages were first licensed as vehicles for hire.

Long before the era of satellite navigation, the London

‘cabbie’ always knew the best way around the streets of

the capital. That’s because before they can acquire their

licence, they must pass a test called ‘The Knowledge’.

This demonstrates an intimate understanding of London’s

geography; a driver must be able to respond to a

passenger’s route request immediately, without looking at a

map, relying on sat-nav, or asking a controller by radio.

It is the world’s most demanding training course for taxi

drivers; some 25,000 streets within a six-mile radius of

Charing Cross are covered. Added to that, a driver must

also know the thousands of ‘points of interest’ along those

routes, such as clubs, hotels, theatres, railway stations and

so on. It even requires the applicant to know the specific

order of theatres along Shaftesbury Avenue. It’s no surprise

that applicants usually need at least 12 ‘appearances’

(attempts ) before passing.

All this knowledge makes a black cab one of the easiest,

as well as the safest, ways to get around above ground in

London. So the pre-Congress committee is delighted to bring

you a special offer from Hailo – a free smartphone app which

puts you just two taps away from a licensed London taxi.

Hailo has offered pre-congress delegates a £15

‘e-voucher’ to use with the app. to take advantage of

it, all you have to do is download Hailo from your app

store, and then use the code ‘iFaj14’ before

5 september. there are only 50 codes available,

so be quick!

HaiLo: a special offer for pre-congress delegates

Last Name First Name Title Company Country Email

Anderson Keith Anderson & Associates United States krand88@sbcglobal.net

Andreasen Gudrun Freelance journalist Fagbladsgruppen Denmark gudrun.andreasen@gmail.com

Baylor Anderson Barb Anderson & Associates United States anderagcom@sbcglobal.net

Behringer Sally MustangRED Communications United States sally@mustangred.com

*Bell Adrian Director Whisper.pr United Kingdom adrian.bell@whisper.pr

Bowman Rachel Director Seedbed Media Australia rachelb@seedbedmedia.com.au

Bratberg Even dr./Freelance Norwegian University of Life Sciences Norway even.bratberg@nmbu.no

Cadogan Stephen Farming Editor Irish Examiner Ireland stephen.cadogan@examiner.ie

Daynard Kelly Communications Manager Farm & Food Care Canada kelly@farmfoodcare.org

Finnamore Allison Canadian Farm Writers’ Federation Canada allison@finnamore.ca

Frans Ida Assistant Micas & Editions Belgium Ida.Frans@telenet.be

Gaeta Gabriel Farm Journal Media United States gabe396@yahoo.com

Gattermayer Fritz Member of Board AGRANA Beteiligungs AG Austria Fritz.Gattermayer@agrana.com

Gordea Liviu Ferma Romania lgordea@yahoo.com

Hansen Per Henrik Freelance journalist Danish Food and Agricultural Journalists Denmark ph@perhenrik.dk

Hillyer Gregg Editor In Chief DTN/The Progressive Farmer United States gregg.hillyer@progressivefarmer.com

Hillyer Julia DTN/The Progressive Farmer United States hogs2gregg@aol.com

Hinze Guenther VDAJ Germany hicomm@web.de

Horstmeier Greg Editor-in-chief DTN/The Progressive Farmer United States greg.horstmeier@dtn.com

Hough Cassandra Rural Reporter Australian Broadcast Corporation Australia cassiejhough@gmail.com

Ishii Hayato Senior Writer Kyodo News Japan ishii.hayato@kyodonews.jp

Johansson Lena Editor Federation of Swedish Farmers Sweden lena.johansson@lrf.se

Jonkheer Egbert Freelance agricultural journalist SE The Netherlands egbertjonkheer@gmail.com

Knapp Katherine Goldsmiths, University of London United States katie.knapp1@gmail.com

Lamp Greg Editor CHS Inc. United States greg.lamp@chsinc.com

Leigh Tamara Shiny Bird Communications Canada tamara@shinybird.ca

Lewis Pete Rural & Regional Reporter ABC TV News & Current Affairs Australia petelewisabc@gmail.com

Martin Carolyn Communications Manager Communications & Marketing Australia Australia carolynjanemartin@gmail.com

Merlo Catherine Western & Online Editor Farm Journal Media/Dairy Today United States cmerlo@farmjournal.com

Moore Suzi Communications Manager CANEGROWERS Australia gypsy_suzi@hotmail.com

Mueller Hans Freelance Freelance Switzerland hans.mueller7@thurweb.ch

Nieder Christel Büro für Information und Kommunikation Germany chnieder@web.de

Nieder Helmut Büro für Information und Kommunikation Germany h.nieder@t-online.de

Persinger Harlen Freelancer hlensphotos United States hlensphotos@wi.rr.com

Rediger Markus Managing Editor IFAJ /LID Switzerland rediger@lid.ch

Rediger Marianne LID Switzerland m.rediger@bluewin.ch

Schaer Lilian Freelance journalist Agri-Food Project Services Ltd Canada lilianschaer@agrifoodprojects.ca

Schmid Colette Federal Office for Agriculture FOAG Switzerland colette.schmid@sunrise.ch

Schmidt Gerhard International Consulting Freelancer Germany imsgschmidt@hotmail.com

Schmidt Heidi Freelancer Freelancer Germany imsgschmidt@hotmail.com

Schulz-Willecke Renate VDAJ Germany dghinze@web.de

Schwerdtfeger Rolf act Gmbh/VDAJ Germany r.schwerdtfeger@actgmbh.de

Scott Jessica Innovations Editor Successful Farming United States jessica.scott@meredith.com

Shearon Dolores DTN United States dmshearon@gmail.com

Stringleman Hugh NZ Guild of Agricultural Journalists and Communicators New Zealand stringleman@internet.co.nz

Townsend Samantha Journalist NSW Farm Writers Association Australia samantha.williams@news.com.au

Van Outryve Jacques Boer&Tuinder Belgium jacques.van.outryve@boerenbond.be

*Venters Howard Publisher Shepherd Publishing Limited United Kingdom howard.venters@gmail.com

Verhaeren Jozef Journalist MICAS & Editions Belgium jef.verhaeren@telenet.be

Wallace Carolyn Partner John Wallace Communications United States cskwallace@hotmail.com

Wallace John Partner John Wallace Communications United States jwallacecom@sbcglobal.net

Werblow Steve Freelance Journalist Steve Werblow Communications United States steve@stevewerblow.com

delegate list and contact details

*Pre-Congress committee members

Science to Secure the Future of UK AgricultureEach year, BBSRC invests over £90M on agricultural research and training on behalf of UK tax payers. This funding helps to underpin the agricultural industry by:

- Supporting major strategic, long-term research programmes in top UK institutions

The new £100M+ BBSRC National Virology Centre will build on research and disease surveillance programmes at The Pirbright Institute, which helped save UK farming an estimated £485M by keeping Britain bluetongue-free in 2008. Inset: Precise rainfall data collected at the North

Wyke Farm Platform in Devon are being used to trial new grasses that may help reduce flooding.

- Maintaining and developing unique national facilities and resources

- Strengthening the UK’s internationally-respected skills base

A postgraduate training course at Harper Adams University College was named ‘Meat Course Training Scheme of the Year’. The course is supported by BBSRC’s AgriFood Advanced Training Partnership – one of four partnerships totalling £13M. Inset: Over the past 6 years, BBSRC has funded over 500

agri-food PhD studentships.

- Working with partners to accelerate the translation of research into practice

New technologies to optimise broiler genetic stocks are being developed by Cobb Europe together with researchers at The Roslin Institute as part of the £18M TSB/BBSRC Agri-tech Catalyst. Inset: BBSRC leads a number of public-private partnerships, such as the

£7M Crop Improvement Research Club, that help to direct funding into areas that meet industry needs.

The world’s longest-running agronomic experiments at Rothamsted Research continue to be an invaluable resource today. Inset: The discovery, by John Innes Centre researchers, of ‘synteny’ in cereals – whereby the location of blocks of genes can be located in similar positions within the genomes

of different species – has been at the heart of wheat breeding research for the past 20 years.

For more information visit: www.bbsrc.ac.uk or email: press.office@bbsrc.ac.uk

Follow us on Twitter @BBSRC

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