< Previous90 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFARM & COUNTRY LINK - EDDISONS CJM Q&ATell us more about the mergerbetween the two companies andwhat that means for the industrygoing forward.We were approached by Eddisons,which has a plant and machinery arm,mainly involved in the insolvency fieldand mainly working in this country.They have been looking to partner witha company like CJM that operates on aninternational basis, primarily handling thedisposal of plant machinery andequipment in situations in whichcompanies are re-organising andreequipping rather than simplyinsolvencies.We’ve done valuation and disposalwork for major national and internationalcompanies including Dyson, ARLA, DocMartin, Siemens and Timken bearings andwe have been involved in multi-millionpound deals literally all over the world.The two businesses fit together verywell. Eddisons gets a much larger, lesscyclical, valuation, disposal and industrialauctioneering division. For CJM, beingpart of a wider property group offersgreat expansion possibilities.Talk us through the process of anauction. CJM was one of the first assetmanagement firms to take all of itsauctions exclusively online. It hasrevolutionised the operation, meaningthat people selling assets now have aworldwide audience.In situations where there are a greatmany assets to go under the hammer . . .or the plant, machinery and equipment isvery large or very heavy or abroad . . .the auction will be centred on the sitewhere it is located.Smaller quantities of equipment arebrought to the Auction Centre inScunthorpe for specialist sales or forinclusion in monthly collective auctions.Catalogues are published andcirculated ahead of auctions. Marketing ison an international basis and can betargeted very accurately thanks to a clientdatabase that has been developed overalmost two decades.Auctions use the Bidspotter onlineauction platform, which is rather like theEbay system, with the importantimprovement that if the bidding iscontinuing at the scheduled closing timethe auction is extended. So it isn’t a caseof trying to hit the button in the lastfraction of a second before the closingtime.Eddisons CJM offers a number ofservices from helping business sellsurplus assets to offering valuations.Can you tell us more about that?Whilst we are most well known asindustrial auctioneers, most of the reallyhigh-value work that we do never actuallycomes to auction. We are Europe’sleading specialist asset managementQ&A Paul Cooper, Director at Eddisons CJM90-91.qxp_Layout 1 22/05/2018 09:09 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY91FARM & COUNTRY LINK - EDDISONS CJM Q&Aadvisor in the steel and metals industrysector. That involves the disposal of hugeand valuable specialist equipment forwhich there may be only two or threepotential buyers in the entire world.Those deals are achieved throughnegotiation. We also do a huge amountof formal asset valuation work insituations in which companies aremerging or being taken over by largergroups. We’ve worked on a number ofmulti-million pound valuations nationallyin the past 12 months.From your memory, what was themost unusual item you’ve ever beenasked to auction?We sell lots of really weird stuff butperhaps the most memorable thing oflate was not the sale of a particular itembut a chain of events: After two years ofnegotiations we achieved the sale of theassets of the Outokumpu stainless steelfactory at Langshyttan in Sweden to aconsortium of steel companies inVietnam. It was hard going at times buthaving got that multi-million pound dealover the line, one of the Vietnamesecompanies involved was so impressedthat they asked us to sell a plate mill ontheir behalf. That we sold that to anIranian Steel company . . . and so it goeson!All that said, our antiques and fine artdepartment has the most unusual itemsand stories all the time. At the momentthey’re preparing to auction thecollection of a First World War hero thatincludes the almost full box of chocolatethat he was sent on the Western Front atChristmas in 1914. Amazingly the 103-year-old bars of chocolate still look okay.So what does the future hold for thenewly merged business? As I mentioned, we believe that thetwo businesses fit together very well.The merger will result in the creationone of the largest industrialauctioneering and valuation companybased in the UK. The headquarters ofthis part of the group is to be at theAuction Centre in Scunthorpe. We arealready seeing a significant increase inthe volume and value of goods passingthrough the centre. Staff numbers arebeing increased and we are alreadyconsidering how we can expand ourfacilities in the town to handle thegrowth.For more information, visit www.eddisonscjm.com, email sales@eddisonscjm.com, or call 01724 334411.90-91.qxp_Layout 1 22/05/2018 09:09 Page 2Q&ATristran Russell, Partner at Dexter & Sharpe 92 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFARM & COUNTRY LINK - DEXTER AND SHARPE Q&ATo what effect have you noticedBrexit is having on the agriculturalsector here in Lincolnshire?I don’t believe that the full force ofBrexit has yet hit the agricultural sector.There was some price correction forcereals and pulses not long after theBrexit vote, however, these were onlyminor changes. The prices of machineryalso had a price correction ifmanufactured outside of the country.Some of our clients have, rightly orwrongly, decided not to invest inmachinery or property until further detailsof the Brexit deal is sorted out. Othershave kept to machinery replacementplans as the norm. We have also seen that our clients areinvesting in technology and buyingmachines that either replace twomachines for one or replace humaninput. Robotics are certainly becomingmore prevalent were the human elementwas necessary. Certainly, those sectorswhere human input was from non-Britishnational, vegetable and poultry sectors,robotics are increasingly being lookedupon to replace the human element. Ourclients are reading their accounts more indepth. Michael Gove has said thatsubsidies for just growing crops or themere factor you hold an interest in landare on their way out and that a paymentwill be made for environmental benefithas given the agricultural sector a wake-up call. Small farmers are worried thatthey will not qualify for any help post thetransition period. More have noticed thatthey cannot survive without someGovernment intervention.Dexter & Sharpe has an in-depthunderstanding of the issues facingthe agricultural sector and 130 yearsof expertise on its side. How doesthis differentiate it from otherfirms?We have an understanding thatagriculture is not just a 9 to 5occupation. Our partners and managershave been co-operating with the agri-business sector for a number years andwe do not expect that our farming clientswould to hold meetings just in our officesduring office hours. I have seen myfarming clients for various issues at thetimes that suit them and in a place to suitthem, so if it’s 7am in the grain store inbetween loading lorries then so be it. Iwould rather meet a farmer in his officethan mine! Seeing farmers in their ownenvironment, on their own farms brings awealth of knowledge that helps with theaccounts preparation and understand ofthe agri-business. I come from farming stock, mixedfarming with dairy and combinable crops,so that first-hand knowledge is invaluablewhen discussing the accounts and taxreturns. Understanding what is done ineach season and the challenges of thatseason also help with that accountdiscussion. We also put on for our clientsan agricultural seminar in October, afterthe clock go back, when most of thewinter drilling is done and before thepush for Christmas.Obviously, Lincolnshire is thenation’s fruit and vegetable basket,so ensuring that farmers are in goodhealth is paramount. How is Dexter& Sharpe helping? We are helping in a number of ways.Firstly, financial health by helping ourclients with good financial decisions sothat our farmers can continue with theirtrading. If a particular crop ordiversification is not being profitable wehelp identify that for our clients andassist them in what they need to do toturnaround that enterprise. The financialhealth of a business is something that weare often asked to assist in.We are also at the end of the phone.We recognise that agriculture for oursmallest producers can be a lonely place,some clients contact us just to chat.We’re not always there just to talkbusiness and numbers. Sometimes thatquick impromptu call can make the worldof a difference to someone.British weather is temperamental atbest, so how does the firm helpfarmers cope with the effects of theweather? The British weather is definitely amajor factor in our farmers businesses.No two years are the same and that canbe a problem. If one year is a glutton92-93.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2018 14:33 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY93FARM & COUNTRY LINK - DEXTER AND SHARPE Q&Aand the subsequent year is a write-offthan the first impact will be on ourclient’s cashflow. We can help ourfarmers find solutions to their cashflowproblems. Something as simple as askingfor time to pay on tax payments or helpwith cashflow reports for banks andlending institutions so that cashflow canbe re-aligned. As well as agriculture, you alsospecialise in transport,manufacturing and veterinary,among other sectors. Can you tellus a bit more about those?At Dexter & Sharpe we have a numberof specialisms. Transport covers the usualsuspects such as haulage and storagefirms, taxi firms, coach and buscompanies plus the ancillary servicessuch as repair and servicing, fuel, etc. Wecan assist with, fuel rebate claims, how tocalculate TOMS, the Tour operatorsmargin scheme, general bookkeepingand VAT for this sector. For a number oftransport firms we assist with the monthlyreporting to directors, shareholders andlending institutions. Lincolnshire and the Humber has astrong manufacturing base. We have ateam to help manufacturers claimResearch and Development Tax credits, alittle underused tax credit that will helpcompanies cover the costs of theirResearch and Development and more. Anumber of our clients have claimed in thepast and it’s a great way of helping thecompany. Dexter & Sharpe have a strong historyin agriculture and the sectors supportingit. The Veterinary team are one suchteam that has built up a diverseknowledge of that sector, be it soletraders, partnerships or limitedcompanies. Each Vets practice is asdifferent as it is diverse. We can providesupport for all ancillary functions such aspayroll, VAT under MTD, capitalallowance claims, accounts etc. to helpthe vet with their business day to dayneeds and provide them with theinformation they require for planning forthe future.Tristran Russell PartnerFor more information, visit www.dextersharpe.co.uk, email Info@dextersharpelincoln.co.uk,or call 01522 533588.92-93.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2018 14:33 Page 294 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFARM & COUNTRY LINK - MACHINERYWith a great many suppliers spread across the vastrolling fields and farms of Lincolnshire, it’s safe to say thatthe county is the nation’s fruit and vegetable basket. Notonly that, but we can lay claim to some of the UK’s bestand most delicious produce. Our food sector contributes amassive £2.5 billion to the area’s economy, but we’re notresting on our laurels. The Lincolnshire Local EnterprisePartnership has, on numerous occasions, expressed itsdesire to double this figure by 2030. Though we are indeed singing the county’s praises, thesector doesn’t exist in a vacuum and is vulnerable to avariety of challenges and setbacks – from theunpredictability of British weather, to crop disease andcrises in the economy. Despite rhetoric to the contrary,supermarkets are continuing to squeeze local suppliers,often leaving them out of pocket or going under.Increased competition from discounters is only serving toexacerbate the issue. The agricultural sector has always had something of areputation for being conservative and steadfast, adaptingslowly to changes, much like the crops they harvest. Put anew piece of machinery on the market, especially one thatcan make the job more efficient, and farmers will,ironically, snap it up at a moment’s notice. It’s that pro-active attitude towards making things work moreeffectively that ensures the UK market can still competewith our European neighbours, who often pay less interms of wages and other associated costs.Cultivation equipment can range from ploughs to powerharrows, or from rollers to strip-till drills, while harvestmachinery can include anything from combines to chaserbins, or trailers to grain dryers. Sprayers can be mounted,trailed or self-propelled, or any equipment related tothem such as nozzles, bowsers and nurse tanks. It’s neverTheright toolMachinery and equipment is a critical part of agriculture. You wouldn’texpect a construction company to erect a building with subpar materials,so it’s in everyone’s best interest that the farming sector have access tomodern and reliable machinery and equipment. 94-96.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2018 15:32 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY95FARM & COUNTRY LINK - MACHINERYPEACOCK & BINNINGTONPREMIER AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY DEALERSVISIT US AT LINCOLNSHIRE SHOW ON STAND 3-31WWW.PEACOCK.CO.UKa single piece of kit and the costs can spiral out of controlif you’re not careful. And that is a very real problem in the market right now,mostly as a result of how much supermarkets are payingfarmers. The constant price squeezes, which are likelyworsening due to the national living wage, do put adamper on the market as a whole. At least, that is how itseems on the surface. More difficult farming economieswill force people to find efficiencies wherever they can,and there’s nothing more efficient than agriculturalmachinery. No number of men or women can work thesame land faster, nor more accurately. It may be that theonly way to survive is to do what we can to squeeze everylast bit of efficiency out of the system and that’s going torequire some high quality machinery.This demand hasn’t gone unnoticed by farmers,manufacturers or criminals. One recent fraudulent scamwas highlighted in which farm machinery was sold at halfor less the market value online. While the adverts claimthe price cuts are due to cheaper manufacturing outside© Shutterstock / Rihardzz96 ÁSKIPS - HOUSEHOLD & COMMERCIALMINIS MIDIS BUILDERS & ROROFAST RELIABLE SERVICELICENSED WASTE TRANSFER STATION & TIPPING FACILITYSKIP HIRE/WASTE TRANSFER STATION:Tel:01472 241342Email: waste@brianplant.comPLANT/HAULAGE/AGGREGATES/EARTHWORKS:Tel: 01472 341499Email:info@brianplant.com www.brianplant.comSKIPS - HOUSEHOLD & COMMERCIALMINIS MIDIS BUILDERS & ROROFAST RELIABLE SERVICELICENSED WASTE TRANSFER STATION & TIPPING FACILITY94-96.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2018 15:32 Page 296 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFARM & COUNTRY LINK - MACHINERYDIRECT GASKETSLIMITEDContact us today on 01482 219655or visit our website www.direct-gaskets.co.ukSince 1989 we have beenmarket leaders in themanufacture of Gaskets.Having been established for over twodecades and based in Hull, we play animportant role in the city’smanufacturing sector.Whilst doing this we have also built up a strong reputation forsupplying high quality products at very competitive prices and anunbeatable service.Oil Fired Boiler EngineerOFTEC RegisteredSteve Russell Plumbing• Oil Tank Replacement Service • Installation • Commissioning • Repairs • 24 Hour Call Out • Servicing & General PlumbingCall Steve on07840 531403of the country, the reality is that no products are sold andthe thousands of pounds in cost are soon squirrelledaway by criminal gangs. Advice from the police and theindustry itself is to never consider a purchase unless youcan inspect the equipment yourself, often by visiting thepremises and confirming its existence in person. The truth of the matter is often that the margins onfarm machinery, particularly from sellers, is not as high assome farmers might feel. The difficulties faced by those inthe agricultural sector are felt by all, even when it’s thefarmers themselves who are out of pocket. Less moneyfor farmers means less profit for farm machinery sellers,which means a drop in prices. While now might not be aconvenient time to invest in farm machinery, it certainly isone of the best. Once the industry recovers, and it mustbecause the country itself cannot survive without foodgrown, the price of farm machinery could very wellincrease. Better perhaps to invest now with a view to not onlyimproving efficiency in a lean and difficult environment, butalso to giving a farm the cutting edge when the marketeases up.Though challenges for farmers lie ahead, not least of allthe loss of migrant workers due to Brexit, the agriculturalsector can help strengthen itself by keeping abreast of thelatest machinery and equipment available. AI and otherdigital solutions are beginning to become commonplace infarms as even agriculture gets smarter. These are ways oftempering the coming challenges in the present. If there’sone thing the agricultural sector is it is resilient. © Shutterstock / bbernard94-96.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2018 15:32 Page 3LINCOLNSHIRETODAY97FARM & COUNTRY LINK - RENEWABLESRenewable energy may be the way forward, but investinghas not always been easy for a financially-squeezedagricultural sector. While farmers will be acutely aware ofthe effects of the environment on their crops and herds,they will also be more aware of the crippling pricessupermarkets impose on their produce, and the difficultythey often face in turning a profit. The problem is the cost and complexity around therenewables industry. How affordable is it, how long is itgoing to take to pay itself back, how much is it going tointerfere, will it provide enough energy? The answer to allof the above hasn’t ever been clear, and that hasn’t exactlyendeared farmers towards it. But the times are changing. Countryside areas like Lincolnshire are a good fit forrenewable energy for a variety of reasons. Rural homes,particularly those on farmland, almost always come withgood garden space, which means technology like groundsource heat pumps can be installed. You can’t easily do thesame in a city, where there’s little ground space to put it, butout here where we have more room it’s an attractive optionfor reducing energy bills. The process is a fairly simple one.Temperature is taken from the ground outside your home,usually from the sun heating the grass and soil, and then istransferred into energy that helps to power your home. One of the more common agricultural methods ofrenewable energy is anaerobic digestion (AD). This works toconvert food waste, either rejected or damaged crops (oreven manure) into energy through anaerobic digestion. Thisrequires a bit more of an initial investment but is perfect forfarmers who have a lot of waste they need to get rid of.Why not turn it into profit?Anaerobic digestion does require some space, as it isessentially a process which takes place in silos or a smallplant, though the process isn’t one that requires employeesor any huge technical expertise. There is an initial capitalinvestment in the building of the plant, but there are manysuppliers across Lincolnshire who can provide the service,so there is clearly a demand for it - meaning that it mustproduce some level of return on investment. But biogas andAD solutions are becoming much more commonplace acrossout region, indicating the growing strength and interest.Solar panels and wind turbines are also seeing increasinguse on farmland. Sometimes it’s in the use of convertingentire fields into solar farms, though that practice hasbecome a little more difficult to source approval for. Inmore low-key examples there are solar panels appearingatop barns and farm buildings, these being particularlygood locations due to the lack of any taller buildingslimiting access to sunlight. Individual turbines have alsostarted to appear nearby, less to power an entire site, butmore to take the edge off the energy bill. You can expect to see many renewables suppliers at theLincolnshire Show this month, plying their wares to thefarming market. We’d advise giving them the time for aconversation. You might be surprised at how much theprices have changed and just what they can offer yourbusiness. The renewablesolution Lincolnshire is a bright beacon of renewable energy, shining the way for the rest of thenation to follow. Though Grimsby, Hull and the aptly-named “Energy Estuary” oftenattract most of the attention, the contribution of farmers increasingly adopting renewablesolutions is also having a major impact. © Shutterstock / Rudmer Zwerver97.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2018 14:39 Page 198 LINCOLNSHIRETODAYFARM & 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 LtdCounty shows are a great place for horses are ridersalike, but it’s important to remember that there’s a lotgoing on, from cars, pedestrians, loud noises and, ofcourse, other horses. The various shows are committed tosafety and operate to the highest standards, but it’s stillpossible to have your showing season cut short by injuryby taking unnecessary risks. If you’re planning to organisea show, on the other hand, it’s important to make sure youfollow all the necessary steps. Bringing together dozensof horses can sometimes be fraught with difficulty if you’renot prepared.There may be more than one person who holds a dutyof care to those at shows. It is not only the organisers, butcan also be the stewards, the judges, the owner of theland the show is held on, the individual contractors andstall holders and, of course, the riders and handlersthemselves. The duties can overlap. So if you’reorganising a show, you should be as clear as possible whois responsible for what.If this is your first season showing, it’s well worth takingtime to train your horse at home as much as you can in© Shutterstock / CatwalkPhotosBest inshowOne of the biggest draws to county showsacross the area is, undoubtedly, horses. Be thatin showing them in competitions, dressage orsimply to enjoy a ride, there’s certainly a specialrelationship between people and these elegantanimals. There is, however, an etiquette to beobserved when it comes to horses, especiallyat shows, as Lincolnshire Today explores. 98-99.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2018 14:40 Page 1LINCOLNSHIRETODAY99Your Ifor Williams Trailer Distributorof Walcott LincolnSCOTT TRAILERS LTDTrailers from Camping to 3500kg grossSales • Repairs • Servicing • SparesSole Distributors in Lincolnshire & NottinghamshirePickup canopies also availableYou are welcome to view our stock of TrailersTel: 01526 860317website: www.scott-trailers.co.uke-mail: office@scott-trailers.co.ukOpening hours: Mon to Fri 8am-5pm Sat 9am-12 noonOther times by appointmentringcraft. No matter how placidyour horse is when you’re ridingtogether, the rules and regulations ofshowing are often a step up and requirefurther study.Horses, especially younger ones, will beallowed some leeway for high spirits in astrange place, but bad behaviour that can’tor won’t be controlled by the rider orhandler will usually be penalised. In the ring,leave yourself plenty of space either goinground or in the line-up. Then, if your horsemisbehaves, the chances are he will be kickingout at nothing rather than the next rider’s thigh.Case law shows us that if you know your horse kicksand you don’t take precautions, you could be liable forany injury. But the same case – the case of Jones vsBaldwin in 2010 – also warns that if other riders knowinglyget too close, then there may be a defence to a claim,particularly if the other horse is not known to kick outnormally.This does depend on enough space being providedspace for the class size. It’s the duty of those organisingthe show to ensure that collecting rings have sufficientspace for warm-ups, which may include jumping and thatring stewards are aware of their duties in controlling ringsand other spaces. Many stewards are now sent on trainingcourses. Judges should also be aware that they do have acertain responsibility for the behaviour of those in the ringunder their control.One of the great joys of showing is to illustrate yourskills to the public, but there are obvious pitfalls whenpeople not used to being around horses on a regularbasis get too close. The job for the show organiser is toidentify and clearly define areas where the public areallowed and where they aren’t. One ‘hot spot’ for this isthe horsebox park. Try and keep the public out. In thesame space, never leave horses or boxes unattended –and this avoids injury and thefts too.Properly organised shows will also have appropriateand adequate medical cover and, if it’s required, theMedical Equestrian Association advises on this and cansometimes provide volunteer medics from contacts.Showing can be a great pleasure but it’s worth makingsure things run smoothly to avoid potential problems.© Shutterstock / Anastasija Popova98-99.qxp_Layout 1 21/05/2018 14:40 Page 2Next >