< PreviousFARM & COUNTRY LINK - EQUINEAs equine specialist Brenda Gilligan,Senior Solicitor of Wilkin Chapman,points out, while we may chuckle atsome of the excesses of health and safetymentioned in the papers, there are manyoccasions where it’s had a real impact.Brenda says, “There do seem to besome rather silly rulings, such as thechildren not allowed to wear frilly socksfor fear of tripping over them. But theequine press recently carried the story ofa lady who died from injuries causedwhile clipping her own home bred fiveyear old, who spooked and kicked out.Her daughter was quoted as saying hermother was in the ‘wrong place at thewrong time’. In this instance, it may wellbe so and a sad and tragic accident. “I’m sure a lot of us will rememberriding ponies in from the field barebackin only a head collar, often leadinganother to save time. What aboutjumping down a grid of poles with ourarms outstretched and then our stirrupstaken away as well – or the Pony Clubfavourite of taking your saddle off whiletrotting round riding your pony! That isprobably hair raising stuff for insurersthese days. These exercises did have theirplace in developing balance and a secure‘seat’, however, which is something a lotof riders may lack these days.“The point is not to put yourself at riskunnecessarily. Remove risks where youcan, minimise those that are left and,with those for which you can do neither,make sure they are known about andthat there’s a safe way of tackling them,with everyone trained in that way.Training doesn’t have to be a formalElvesand safetyDespite some stories in the press, health and safety remainshugely important when looking after your horse60-61_Layout 1 23/02/2015 12:14 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY61FARM & COUNTRY LINK - EQUINEFOR A CARING ANDPROFESSIONAL APPROACHTO ALL YOUR VETERINARY NEEDS•Pre-purchase Examinations •Endoscopy•Stables & Theatre •Tendon Scanning•Reproductive Ultrasound •Mobile Xray Unit.Estate Office, Boston RdSPILSBYTel: 01790 752227Heath Road Trad. Est.SKEGNESSTel: 01754 767444110 High StreetMABLETHORPETel: 01507 478182Fenwold VeterinaryPractice Ltdcourse. It can be half an hour on the yardshowing how to move hay bales correctly,for instance, and ensuring everyone has apractice and can do it correctly. After that,make a note of it being done.“You can do simple risk assessments.Break tasks down into steps and give eachstep a score, say out of three. A score ofover a certain amount would then beconsidered as a high risk activity. As anexample, take bringing a horse in from asfield. A quiet, well behaved horse wouldbe a 1 – low risk, one that might try andbarge would be a 2 - medium risk, and anervous youngster would be a 3 - highrisk.“Add to that, are they out alone –rated 1, another low risk – or in a largegroup with no way to separate them – ahigh risk 3? Is the weather fine and dry,with no mud – a low risk 1 - or stormywith rain and high winds – a high risk 3?Add the scores together and bringing in asole, quiet horse on a fine day would addup to three, and thus be low risk, whereastaking a youngster from a group on awindy day would probably be a nine, sohigh risk. You then decide whether any ofthose risks can be eliminated and if not,set out how to manage the differentcircumstances safely, record what to do,making sure everyone knows where tofind the guidance.”As Brenda says, this kind of riskassessment is common sense, really, andlikely to help horse owners and ridersenjoy the best of health – alongsideinsurance, of course.PHOTOS: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/GORILLAIMAGES60-61_Layout 1 23/02/2015 12:14 Page 262 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFARM & COUNTRY LINK - MANAGEMENTLincolnshire remains one of the mostwell-known farming regions in thecountry, and with the food industryshowing a 3% year-on-year increase indemand for fresh produce, farming looksset to continue its trend of constantgrowth. Within Lincolnshire alone, theagrifood industry employs around 56,000people, and is worth £2.5 billion annuallyto the economy. The farming industry is not without itsown problems, however. Least of all,supermarkets and manufacturers arecontinuing to make demands of farmers,for either cheaper, fresher or moreaesthetically pleasing produce. There arealso fears of a skills shortage within theagrifood industry.There are many thoughts on why thismight be the case. This ranges from thefact that many farmers pass their landsand businesses down through the family,through to a lack of appeal-factor infarming for young children andteenagers. Either way, with demandincreasing, yet the supply of skilled andtrained farmers not doing the same –FarmpowerFarming Minister George Eustice raises the issue ofpromoting agri-technology to the next generation.The Lincolnshire farming industry is worth£2.5 billion to the local economy, annually. But,the industry faces a number of challenges…Farmpower62-64_Layout 1 23/02/2015 12:15 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY63FARM & COUNTRY LINK - MANAGEMENTthere is clearly a problem for the industryas a result. To try and combat this, FarmingMinister George Eustice, the came downto Lincolnshire to launch the GreaterLincolnshire LEP’s Food Board andAgrifood plan 2014-2020. Promotingagri-technology to the next generation isa key concern raised, and emphasis willbe placed on drawing attention to theopportunities within the industry inefforts to build a highly skilled workforce.As part of the efforts to promote theindustry, three projects in Lincolnshirehave been successful in attractingfunding to support pilot schemes fordeveloping Food Enterprise Zones. Thesethree zones will be placed on Europarc inNorth East Lincolnshire, along with azone in South Holland, and another inWest Lindsey. Like other business enterprise zonesspringing up around the country,businesses who operate within theseareas will experience a wide array ofbenefits, both in terms of financial aid,and also business support. This willalmost certainly ensure a wide range ofnew manufacturers come to set up withinLincolnshire, many of whom will ofcourse do business with local farmers. The targeted goal for these zones,along with the other proposals, is todouble the economic value of theagrifoods sector to £5 billion by the year2030. According to Councillor ColinDavies, “There is work to be done beforewe can secure these three importantFood Enterprise Zones, but this pilotfunding is a good start and we’re lookingforward now to building strong cases toenable us to bid subsequently for FoodEnterprise Zone status.” The Council is also doing what theycan to help support local farmers withinLincolnshire, through their SUPPLYLincolnshire programme. A programmein which they seek to develop businesswithin the county by enhancingLincolnshire supply chains. The SUPPLY scheme recently helpedlocal farmers after the Lincoln-based siteof Branston Ltd, one of the leading UKpotato suppliers, used the programme inefforts to find firms that could provideservices to them locally. By utilising theprogramme, the council are able to makesure that any wealth in the food andfarming supply chain remains within theLincolnshire region. This is particularly valuable to largercompanies, such as Branston, as sourcingand contacting a number of localsuppliers themselves would not only takea large amount of time and staff hours.By allowing the council to do the legworkfor them, the company benefits fromhigh-quality local suppliers, withouthaving to dedicate large amounts ofmoney and manpower to the effort. The agrifoods industry might bebooming, but some farmers within theregion are in possession of land that isnot suitable for the agrifoods. With somefarming industries not experiencing thesame economic growth, landowners arelooking for alternative ways to makemoney from their land. The renewablesindustry might be the new industry they64 ÁPHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/ALEKSANDAR DICKOV62-64_Layout 1 23/02/2015 12:15 Page 264 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFARM & COUNTRY LINK - MANAGEMENTare looking towards, after a number ofdevelopments have been taking place withinthe county. Traditionally for farmland, solar panels havebeen the preferred choice, with PV panelsbeing arranged to cover most of the fields tostore energy which can later be sold to thenational grid. However, with the Governmentsuggesting that they might cut some farmingsubsidies for farmers who are using their landin such a manner, the wind industry isbecoming a little more popular.Traditionally wind energy has been themost profitable source of renewable energy,though the initial investment andmaintenance is also higher, and requires amore technical skillset. The initial investmentis, as a result, far higher than solar, but thepotential profit to be made can also be largerover a greater number of years. Lincolnshire,and a few surrounding counties, have as aresult experienced an increase in the numberof onshore wind farms popping up onfarmland. If the trend continues, then farmersmight be able to commission their own, orfailing that, rent their land out for use aswind farms, leaving the capital investmentand maintenance to whichever wind farmmanufacturer uses the land itself. In the Fens, Scrivelsby Farms, has lookedtowards Anaerobic Digestion as theirsolution, after they accessed £3.5 million infunding from HSBC. The Anaerobic Digesterwill be fed with waste from the farm, and isexpected to eventually generate nearly500KW of renewable electricity per day, andany electricity that the farm does not useitself will be exported and sold to the grid forfurther profit. Francis Dymoke, Managing Director ofScrivelsby Farms, says, “The digester we arebeginning to commission will diversify ourbusiness and is a big part of our farm’sfuture. It involved a large investment and thesupport of advice we received from HSBCwas vital. Our ambition is that the renewableenergy the plant produces will generaterevenue for decades to come.” PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/STEPHEN MEESETraditionally, wind energyhas been the mostprofitable source ofrenewable energy, thoughthe initial investment andmaintenance is also higher,and requires a moretechnical skillset62-64_Layout 1 23/02/2015 12:15 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY65FARM & COUNTRY LINK - SHOWGUIDEOne of the best things aboutthe spring is knowing thatmany of Lincolnshire’s topcountryside shows are justaround the corner.It’s something that the county doesspectacularly well and they continue toenjoy huge interest, as there’s alwayssomething to entertain regardless of yourage or tastes. As ever, Lincolnshire Todaywill be present at many of these showsand looks forward to meeting its readersacross the length and breadth of thecounty.As usual, the Lincolnshire Showdominates the calendar with this year’sshow, the 131st, taking place on 24thand 25th June. Jayne Southall, CEO ofthe Lincolnshire Showground, says, “Theshow is always two days of entertainmentfor everyone and this year promises to bethe biggest and most varied LincolnshireShow to date. We have a large variety ofattractions and activities this year whichare suitable for the whole family and trulyhighlight the best that Lincolnshire has tooffer.“Last year we welcomed more thansixty thousand attendees to the show andwe hope to beat that figure this year. Themain ring will be full of a variety ofexciting demonstrations as well as someold favourites. It is really going to be ashowstopper this year so make sure thatyou don’t miss out.”This year’s main headline attractions atGetting theshow onthe roadThe Kangaroo Kid will be rocking the Lincolnshire Showas part of a packed programme of entertainment67 ÁPHOTO: WWW.ADW-MEDIA.COM65-67_Layout 1 23/02/2015 12:16 Page 1 Pre-show tickets available online or by writing to … Derbyshire County Show, 5 Willow Park Way, Aston on Trent, Derby DE72 2DF For further information call 01332 793068 or visit our website www.derbyshirecountyshow.org.uk Pre-show Tickets Adults £ 8.00 Children & Senior citizens £ 6.50 Family Pack £ 27.00 Show-day Tickets Adults £11.00 Children & Senior citizens £ 8.00 Family Pack £ 32.00 Sunday 28th June 2015 The Showground, Elvaston, near Derby (DE72 3EP) - opens at 8am Sat 9 – Sun 10 May 2015 NEWARK SHOWGROUNDSaat ySun0MMaya2020KRNENEWAWAARKSSOGROOCALL FOR ENTRIES!Over 400 classes and qualifiers for Livestock and Equine sections & Show Jumping competitions with total prize monies of over £18,000. ENTRIES CLOSE MARCH/APRIL 2015 Book online or send an A5 SAE with 2 x 1st class stamps to NCS, Newark Showground, Lincoln Road, Newark, Nottinghamshire NG24 2NY.www.nottinghamshirecountyshow.comLooking for agreat gift idea?Lincolnshire Today’s giftsubscription for only £27.55 with free deliveryCall 01472 310301or visit www.lincolnshiretoday.net/3411st 3issues only£165-67_Layout 1 23/02/2015 12:16 Page 2LINCOLNSHIRETODAY67FARM & COUNTRY LINK - SHOWGUIDERIPLEY SHOWRIPLEY CASTLE PARK HARROGATE - 9TH AUGUST 2015Horses, Pigs, Cattle, Sheep, Baking, Horticulture, Gundog Retrieve, Sheep Dog Trials,Terrier Racing, Craft Marquee, Trade Stands.ATKINSONS HIGH SCHOOL STALLIONSTHE SHEEP SHOW Schedules online from May or 5 Bank Parade, Otley, LS21 3DY Tel: 01943 466654Trade Stand’sTel: 07885 668973 or www.ripleyshow.co.ukReg. Charity No 225059the Show include The Kangaroo Kid, astuntman from Brisbane who will berocking the Clydesdale Bank Main Ringwith his quadbike antics by performingsome of the most dangerous stuntspossible. For those heading to thecountryside ring, Lincolnshire Police Dogswill be showing off their clever skills andkeen birdwatchers will be able to enjoyCuerden Falconry – a display of theworld’s most wonderful birds includingowls, hawks and eagles. Crowds will also be amazed bytalented horse riders and their showjumping skills in the main ring and achainsaw sculpture show in thecountryside ring will see woodensculptures created using a chainsaw, in amatter of minutes. If you wantsomething a bit more relaxing, you cantake in some beautiful floral art, flowershow and show gardens, while thoseopting for a bit of retail therapy will beable to enjoy shopping stalls featuringitems from local traders and those fromfurther afield.You’re also invited to visit LincolnshireToday’s marquee at the event! We’ll bethere as ever with a warm welcome.Watch out over the next few months formore information on ourplans for the event.The other countrysideshows include a massive presence by localbusinesses – most devote plenty of spaceto independent companies offering localproduce, traditional and contemporarycrafts, homeware and much else besides.As well as proving a potentially lucrativesales opportunity for local businesses, theshows are also a valuable shop windowand networking opportunity for small,innovative businesses.If you’re planning to travel a littlefurther afield this spring and summerthere are plenty more chances to catchour neighbouring counties at their best –watch out for fantastic events inNottinghamshire, Yorkshire andDerbyshire, while The Great YorkshireShow, which takes place this year on14th to 16th July, ranks alongside theLincolnshire Show as one of the UK’smost famous. Before that at the GreatYorkshire Showground in Harrogate is thesecond outing for Springtime Live, theYorkshire Agricultural Society’s eventaimed particularly at children andfamilies. This takes place on Sunday 22ndMarch and will include plenty of handson activities, farm animals and plenty ofentertainment. As well as these events, a number ofother events focused firmly at theagricultural community help showcasethe county’s prosperity and innovation.The Cereals event has returned from itsexcursion in Cambridgeshire last year andwill bring the arable industry to thecounty again when it takes place inBoothby Graffoe in June. Given its longand successful farming heritage, theseshows attract thousands of visitors toLincolnshire from all over the UK.Watch out for more news on all thissummer’s top shows in LincolnshireToday and on our website over the nextfew months – we’ll see you there!65-67_Layout 1 23/02/2015 12:16 Page 3previous model average 18%.The 2 Series Convertible alsobrings significant improvementsin passenger space and access,acoustic comfort, style,dynamism and equipment, whilethe ConnectedDrive services forthe first time include wirelessupdating of navigation data.Ford Focus STFollowing its dynamic debut atthe Goodwood Festival of Speedcomes the new Ford Focus ST –available with both 250PSEcoBoost and 185PS TDCi 2.0 litreengines. CO2 emissions on the petrolengine sees a reduction of 10g to159g, while the powerful new 2.0-litre diesel emits only 110g CO2/km. 68 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYCOUNTY MOTORINGBMW 2 series convertible First up is the replacement for theworld’s most popular compactpremium convertible. The thirdmodel in its 2 Series portfolio, theBMW 2 Series Convertible will jointhe 2 Series Coupé and 2 SeriesActive Tourer in the line-up.The new model replaces the 1Series Convertible, which has beenthe most successful car in its classwith global sales of more than130,000 units, and the only one withrear-wheel drive. So the 2 Seriesconvertible has plenty to offer.It’s available with a choice of fourengines, including a new 2.0 litrediesel for the 220d and, for the firsttime in a BMW convertible, an MPerformance variant, the M235i. Fueleconomy improvements over theClass of2015The 2015 model year is well under waywith manufacturers all trying to seducebuyers with new models. And, by the looksof things this month, there’s plenty ofreasons to splash out - here’s our pickfrom recently tested models…68-71_Layout 1 23/02/2015 12:24 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY69Auto-Start-Stop technologyimproves fuel efficiency of theEcoBoost model by 6%, and thetop-of-the-range ST-3 specificationis enhanced by upgrades including‘Rock Metallic’ alloys with redbrake callipers, illuminated scuffplates and SYNC 2.Audi RS 3 sportbackAt first glance, this may look likeany ordinary Audi A3 but the newRS 3 Sportback is the latestgeneration Audi highperformance hatchback and takesthe total number of RS modelsoffered by quattro GmbH, toseven. Using the most powerfulproduction five-cylinder enginein Audi RS history with 367PS70 ÁBMW 2 seriesconvertibleand 465Nm from 1,625rpm to5,550rpm, drivers will be able to enjoy0-60mph in under 4.3 seconds and agoverned top speed of 155mph(which can be raised to 174mph onrequest)Lighter, faster and lower weight, afaster-shifting S tronic twin-clutchgearbox and quick-reacting quattrodrive are just some of the manyfeatures on this new flagship of the A3model series, and although deliverieswon’t be available until the summer,the order books are open from thismonth.Mini John Cooper Works The hottest ticket in town, though,comes in the guise of the new MINI68-71_Layout 1 23/02/2015 12:24 Page 2Next >