Podcasts about nfu mutual

A Scottish abattoir has closed with the loss of 90 jobs. Scotbeef at Inverurie has been shut. The company says an operational review concluded it was necessary to protect the long-term future of the business amid industry challenges. Earlier this year the number of cattle in Scotland fell to its lowest for a decade and farming groups called for government support to rebuild the national herd, warning that some abattoirs might close because they'd become uneconomic. All this week, we'll be talking about seaweed. At the Holkham estate in north Norfolk, a trial funded by the WWF and the Co-op foundation has been trying to prove that the use of seaweed based biostimulant can reduce the need for artificial nitrogen fertiliser, without affecting yields. If successful it could present a way for farms to reduce costs, and minimise the negative side effects of overusing fertilisers.The cost of rural crime has fallen. New figures from the insurers NFU Mutual show a 16.5% fall last year - the costs are put at £44 million in comparison with £53 million the year before. The biggest fall is in the theft of agricultural vehicles, and the number of animals killed or injured in dog attacks was also down, by a quarter, but livestock theft remained high. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

In this episode of Careers Unwrapped, host Mark Fawcett is joined by Nick Turner, Group Chief Executive Officer at NFU Mutual, to discuss his journey from stacking shelves to leading one of the UK's major insurers, his philosophy of kind and commercial leadership, and why insurance is far more exciting than people think.

Rhodri Davies sy'n sgwrsio ac yn cael cyngor ar stormydd gan Aled Griffiths o NFU Mutual.

In this episode of The Journal Podcast, we explore the vital role of insurance in UK farming and agriculture. We'll be talking about the importance of the farming sector to the UK's economy and environment, the risks involved in farming, and how insurance plays a vital role in supporting farming and agriculture, as well as what the future could hold for British farms. We are joined by Adam Henson, one of the best known farmers in the UK, and author and television Presenter, and David Harrison, Farming Development Manager for NFU Mutual.

Fe welwyd cynnydd o 7% yng nghost troseddau gwledig yma yng Nghymru llynedd yn ôl adroddiad diweddar gan NFU Mutual. Megan Williams sy'n trafod cynnwys yr adroddiad gydag Aled Griffiths, Asiant hefo NFU Mutual yn y Canolbarth, ac yn gofyn iddo am gyngor ar sut i gadw offer ac anifeiliaid fferm yn ddiogel.

On the podcast this week, we are joined by Welsh farmer Clive Jones, Wales' Rural Affairs Secretary Huw Irranca-Davies (@huw4ogmore) and Wales' Wildlife and Rural Crime Coordinator Rob Taylor (@rural_wales), to discuss livestock worrying.@WGRuralLivestock worrying, when a dog chases or attacks livestock on agricultural land can have costly consequences on the health, well-being and finances of farmers across the UK. In most cases, farmers are witnessing first-hand the devastation a dog can have on livestock, leaving farmers to pick up the pieces afterwards. Tavistock farmer Chris Dawe said 49 sheep were killed after being attacked by dogs on farm back in January.Last week, Farmers Guardian reported on the devastating livestock worrying attack at Liz Nutting's farm in Lampeter, Ceredigion, which killed 10 of her Ryeland flock. Following numerous bids to seek justice, the dog owner only received a £75 fine despite his dogs causing £6,500 in damages. Cheshire farmer Phil Latham was left disgusted and heartbroken after loose dogs savaged 18 calves in a pen. And you will hear about the impacts of livestock worrying Mr Jones has had to face as well. In its latest annual ‘Rural Crime Report', NFU Mutual said livestock worrying had cost farmers £2.4 million, with animals being severely injured or killed in dog attacks, up nearly 30% compared to the previous year. Incidents keep on taking place on what seems like a weekly basis. But why? Is the law outdated? The Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act was created 71 years-ago in 1953. The new Labour Government has yet to confirm whether a private members' bill, tabled by former Defra Secretary Therese Coffey in December to amend the law and provide police with greater powers, will be progressed or notPolice in Scotland have the powers to impose fines of up to £40,000 for owners found worrying livestock, alongside receiving a potential 12 month prison sentence. Is it a lack of respect from dog owners? Incidents can often take place when a dog is not on a lead. And an attitude of ‘my dog could never hurt anyone' still persists. Is education the answer? The Welsh Government has worked hand-in-hand with animal charity Blue Cross and Mr Taylor regarding an optional educational course if dog owners are found worrying livestock. You will hear more about the course in this podcast.Farmers Guardian has been supporting the ‘Take the Lead' campaign, alongside the National Sheep Association to raise awareness of keeping dogs on lead when near livestock. We can provide you with free signs to place around your farm warning dog owners to keep their dogs on a lead near livestock. To request yours, send a stamped self-addressed A4 envelope to: FG Take the Lead, Farmers Guardian, Unit 4, Fulwood Business Park, Preston, Lancashire, PR2 9NZ. We will be able to send up to 25 signs. Alternatively, you can contact reporter Chris Brayford if you have been a victim of a livestock worrying incident and if you wish to share your story at chris.brayford@farmersguardian.com. But for now, enjoy the pod!Message us

Ondo InsurTech PLC CEO Craig Foster speaks to Proactive's Stephen Gunnion about the company's latest contract win with with NFU Mutual, marking it as the biggest deal Ondo InsurTech has done in the UK to date. The contract includes an initial roll-out of 17,000 LeakBots by the end of the year, targeting mid to high-net-worth customers. Foster explained, "It's a significant commitment out of the gate from them, and it's a really good brand for us to partner with." He also shared the company's strategy of structuring contracts with initial commitments that expand based on results, similar to their other 18 insurance partners. Additionally, Foster discussed Ondo InsurTech's invitation to join the IoT Insurance Observatory in the United States. This initiative, founded by Matteo Carbone, connects insurers interested in IoT technologies. Foster noted, "It's a really good chance for us within that forum to share some of the results that we're seeing." Foster expressed optimism about the opportunities this membership could unlock, particularly with major US insurers like State Farm and Allstate. He cited the successful adoption of the Ting fire sensor product as a positive precedent for LeakBot. Visit Proactive's YouTube channel for more videos, and don't forget to give the video a like, subscribe to the channel, and enable notifications for future content. #OndoInsurTech #CraigFoster #NFUMutual #IoTInsurance #InsuranceTech #LeakBot #InsuranceIndustry #ProactiveInvestors #TechNews #InsurTech #invest #investing #investment #investor #stockmarket #stocks #stock #stockmarketnews

They're everywhere but do you know how to spot them? According to recent research online scams are on the rise and tradespeople could be disproportionally targetted. So today Clive is asking how we can keep ourselves safe.He was joined by Simon Williams from RAC and Jonny Bonell from NFU Mutual.There's also the pub lunch quiz for your chance to grab yourself 6 points as well as the very best messages that we received - enjoy!

Rural crime - the cost of crime in the countryside has jumped by 7 percent in Wales according to the latest figures from the rural insurer NFU Mutual. Fluttered away - Butterfly Conservation reports alarmingly low numbers of butterflies, with the weather a significant factor in the decline.Lime Kilns - the Llanymynech Limeworks, closed over a hundred years ago calls for volunteers to help with the restoration work, wildlife surveys and keeping the site open to the public.Mushrooming success in Gwynedd - the grower who's pioneered a method for raising a range of exotic, Lions Mane mushroomsand how a pop-up pastaria, called Pasta a Mano, has quickly gained a cult following for offering authentic Italian Street Food will be competing in next month's British Street food Awards.

Many rural people are feeling 'vulnerable and intimidated' because of crime according to the National Farmers Union. Figures out this week from the insurers NFU Mutual put the cost at just under £53 million last year - up from 50 million in 2022.The new Labour government is putting renewable energy at the heart of its plans - it wants to double the power from onshore wind farms and triple solar power - both on buildings and in fields.One farm is benefitting from the rain we've endured over recent months, because they want their farm to be more sustainable. So as well as reducing inputs of bought-in feed, fertiliser and fuel and creating new habitats, they are producing hydro-electric power. It keeps their bills down and they can sell electricity back into the grid.A survey by the NFU has shown that while there has been some improvement in the provision of superfast broadband, only 34% of farmers who responded have a fibre connection. And the combines are out at last, one farmer reflects on the joys of a little sunshine.Presented by Charlotte SmithProduced by Alun Beach

The latest figures out today from the insurers NFU Mutual put the cost of rural crime at just under 53 million pounds last year - up from 50 million in 2022. The renewable energy options open to farmers are various, and the one that would seem to be tailor made for agriculture is anaerobic digestion - or AD.This is the process where silage and slurry are processed in a sealed tank to produce gas that is then used as a fuel to power the farm and possibly put energy back into the grid.And according to the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board - AHDB - 440 farmers got out of dairy between April 2023 and this April.However the total number of dairy cows is about the same - suggesting that the trend towards bigger farms continues - there are now 7,130 dairy farms in England, Scotland and Wales. Presented by Charlotte SmithProduced by Alun Beach

Rhodri Davies sy'n clywed cyngor gan Aled Griffiths o gwmni NFU Mutual.

We're talking about vets all this week and one of the most difficult and unpleasant jobs they face is dealing with serious illness and disease in livestock, like the devastating foot and mouth outbreak in 2001. Breaking the painful news to a farmer that their whole livelihood is under threat is something no one wants on their job description. The threat of bovine TB can take a heavy toll on the mental wellbeing of both farmers and vets. We meet a dairy farmer in Derbyshire who's lived under the shadow of TB all her life, and also the farm vet who runs the TB Advisory Service which supports farmers and vets.As the general election campaigning continues, party manifestos are coming out, thick and fast. We're going to be taking a detailed look at all of the main manifestos with key party spokes-people, the week before the election on 4th July, but we're also hearing from a range of campaign groups and organisations that live and breath farming, rural life, wildlife and the environment to find out what they would like from the next government. Today it's the Wildlife Trusts, the organisation that campaigns for wildlife and wild places.Ten police forces across the country are to trial new forensic technology to help identify dogs involved in livestock attacks. It involves collecting canine DNA at the scene. The South West of England has more dog attacks of this kind than anywhere else in the country – last year, farm animals worth hundreds of thousands of pounds were severely injured or killed by dogs, according to NFU Mutual. The hope is these new DNA test kits will recue the number of dog attacks. Presenter = Caz Graham Producer = Rebecca Rooney

The Food and Drink Federation says new labelling rules will cost food companies million of pounds. From October dairy and meat products for sale in Great Britain will have to have "not for EU" on the packaging, just as products on sale in Northern Ireland have had since last year. The Government says the aim is to make sure that Northern Irish consumers have access to the same goods. The FDF says that's unnecessary could have "grave and unintended consequences" for the UK food and drink sector. We hear from the boss of a dairy company who says it will cost them at least £300,000 to make the change.According to new figures from the insurers NFU Mutual, more than £900,000 worth of farm animals were injured or killed by dogs last year in Wales alone. It's not a new problem. So what's the solution?At this time of year farmers should be putting their cattle out to graze, but in many parts of the UK it hasn't stopped raining long enough for the fields to dry out. Farmers trying to plant crops are also being delayed by the weather as it's too wet to get machinery onto the fields. We look at how much the wet weather is costing the industry.Presented by Charlotte Smith Produced for BBC Audio in Bristol by Heather Simons

This week we talk to Matt Byrne, Head of Actuarial Function at NFU Mutual, about AI and what practical next steps insurers should be looking to take. We discuss: • What tools and products are available to help you utilise AI and machine learning • How actuaries are well placed to help with the implementation of AI across the business • Key learnings from using AI and some of the current limitations • Tips for being a great mentor and a mentee.

Ex-SAS military adviser Mick Hawkes and his daughter have launched a new business specialising in improving farm security and preventing rural crime. After 22 years working in corporate security following 24 years in the military, Mick Hawkes returned to rural Herefordshire and realised how much of an issue rural crime was. Rural theft across the UK cost an estimated £40.5m in 2021, according to NFU Mutual's annual report, with thieves targeting fuel, livestock and machinery. And, the cost increased by over 40% in the first quarter of 2022. Mick offers advice on farm safety as well as personal safety training for farmers and farm workers. www.hawkesandco.uk Make sure to check us out at RuralPod Media. You can follow Rural Business Focus and contact Ben on Twitter @ruralbf_pod or on Instagram @ruralbusinessfocusHave you thought about the benefits of podcasting for your business? If you  want to find out more or work with Ben to make your own podcast or to organise some podcast training for your business visit ruralpodmedia.co.uk Our podcast disclaimer can be found here. 

Every police force in the UK should have a dedicated rural crime team - the call comes from the National Rural Crime Network which comprises rural and farming groups and Crimestoppers. As we reported last month, the cost of rural crime went up by 22% last year, that's according to the insurers NFU Mutual. They put the cost of thefts and damage of things like tractors, GPS systems and power tools at nearly £50 million in 2022, up from £40 million in 2021. It's harvest time for British hop growers - but they say that it's not a great time to be in the business. With the popularity of craft beer, you might think that hop growers would have a good market, but they say work force costs, fuel inflation and brewers holding stockpiles of hops since the pandemic mean the industry is struggling to survive.  The world sheep dog trials have been taking place in Northern Ireland - 240 dogs and their handlers were competing in the hopes of becoming World Champion at Gill Hall country estate in Dromore. Presenter = Charlotte Smith Producer = Rebecca Rooney

In this podcast, we discuss HSE's agriculture campaign Your Farm Your Future, focusing on the risks of transport on farms with moving vehicles being are the highest cause of deaths in British farming. Adrian Hodkinson, Agriculture Sector Lead, at HSE and Brian Rees, Farmer and Safety Trainer discuss some of the most common issues and what farmers can do to make small changes to protect them, their families and workers. For more information on the campaign visit Work Right Agriculture - Work Right to keep Britain safe    PODCAST TRANSCRIPT Mick Ord (Host): If I were to ask you which sector of British industry was responsible for the highest rate of deaths and injuries per 100,000 workers, what would your answer? May the construction sector? No, it's the agriculture sector. My name's Mick Ord, and I'm here today on this HSE podcast to introduce you to some guest experts on the subject of safety in the agriculture sector. HSE has just launched its Work Right Agriculture campaign to encourage everyone who works on the farm to take a little time out and think about how they could improve safety. My word is it needed. Over the past five years, there have been 161 fatal incidents on our farms and 11,000, yes, 11,000 injuries each year. We want to make 2023 a much safer year on our farms, and you can play your part by really engaging with the campaign, looking closely at the way in which you work, and thinking about how you can make it safer for everyone. Joining me today are two people who'll be able to help you to do that. Adrian Hodgkinson is the head of HSE'S Agriculture sector and a Principal Inspector. He has many years' experience and works with all the main agricultural organisations to improve the lives of everyone on farming. Adrian, welcome to the podcast. Adrian Hodkinson: Good afternoon, Mick. Really good to be speaking with you. Mick Ord (Host): And Brian Rees is a farmer in mid Wales and has been a safety instructor for nearly 40 years. Brian keeps sheep and hens on his farm and is involved in the Wales Farm Safety Partnership. Hi Brian. Brian Rees: Hello. Nice to be here. Mick Ord (Host): Adrian, can I start with you? Can we get down to the specifics straightaway? HSE has launched the Work Right Agriculture campaign to try to get those worrying stats down. Do you know what the main causes appear to be? Adrian Hodkinson: In agriculture workplace transport and moving vehicles are the biggest cause of fatal accidents in farming, people being killed in farming. And they account for a huge amount of the major injuries that we also see. Mick Ord (Host): As you say, you've split the campaign into three main sections. Talk to us, if you will, about the first bit: Safe Farms. What areas are you targeting here? Adrian Hodkinson: When we are talking about safe vehicle movements, we're talking about three things, really. It's the Safe Farm, having a Safe Environment, having a Safe Driver, and also a Safe Vehicle. So, in relation to having a safe farm, it's really about the layout of the farm, thinking about how you're segregating people from machinery. Really, really crucial to keep people – pedestrians – away from moving machines. It's a good idea to maybe have a marked route where you've got frequent crossings across a yard, put up barriers or posts when you're opening a barn door and walking out into the yard just to make you stop and think and look around for vehicles, putting up signs, warning people that this is where people are going to be walking. Having mirrors on the corners of building so you can see round and see what's coming. Maybe improving the lighting. Lighting's got a lot better nowadays with LED and all the rest of it, and you can really improve the lighting really effectively on farms and, um, making sure people are visible. At night, or when it's getting dusky, make sure you're wearing that high visibility clothing so you can be seen by drivers coming onto the farm or into the farm yard. Mick Ord (Host): And that's true in the mornings as well. A lot of farmers starting very early , and it's quite often very dark in the mornings. It still is now, isn't it? Adrian Hodkinson: Absolutely, Mick. Yeah. Well, when I say the evenings, I mean anytime when it's getting dusky and dark or just starting to be light in the mornings. So important to have good lighting, um, and make sure people can be seen. Mick Ord (Host): Now you mentioned signage there and that's one of the things when I've been on farms, sometimes something will just appear around the corner, won't it? You know? So, I guess you would say the more signage, the better? Adrian Hodkinson: Well, you don't want to go overboard, but having signs up just before, before you're approaching a busy area where people might be near the farmhouse or where children might be present, just to slow the driver down and think about what might be just around that corner, just putting up where it's needed. It really makes a difference. Mick Ord (Host): Now, as a Principal Inspector, you've obviously visited farms of all sizes over the years. Generally, what would you say is the standard, like in terms of safe farms? Adrian Hodkinson: Well, all farms are different. They do a fantastic job bringing in the food this country needs. We see a wide variety of different standards, so we, we see the huge farms that are really big commercial enterprises, and you get really good traffic arrangements in those sorts of places. And then you get the smaller farm might be one man and his wife and small family running a smaller farm. And the standards can be equally as good, but they're much simpler usually. But it's so important to make sure that when people are coming on with deliveries, when vehicles are moving around in a hurry, at silaging time or at harvest time, that um, people are kept away from all that moving activity. Mick Ord (Host): And you've got lots of walkers and hikers, haven't you? Everywhere. And it's quite easy, and I've done it myself to wander onto a bit of land that's private land, not knowing it necessarily, and all of a sudden you're on a private farm. Adrian Hodkinson: Yeah, and we're coming up to Easter holidays, so it's a really good point, Mick. We're coming up to Easter holidays. There'll be a lot more people out enjoying the, the great British countryside. There will be more people around. Um, some parts of the country are much busier than others. If you're in the Peak District or in South Wales, uh, in the Brecon Beacons or wherever it might be, there's going to be lots and lots of people around at that time of year. So, looking after members of the public and keeping them away from moving vehicles is a really, really good point. Mick Ord (Host): Now, Brian Rees, as I mentioned before, in addition to running your own farm and being a safety inspector for 40 years or so, you're also involved in the Wales Farms Safety Partnership. Have you got a real life example from one of the farms that you visited where there's been an accident as a result of poor safety procedure? Brian Rees: I could keep you going for two hours on these. Yeah, it's amazing. You may go into a farm to do some training and you, if it's a lift truck course, you're usually there a couple of days and some take it very seriously and some almost consider it, you know, proud of it. I know one friend of mine, a family who know very well, the son rolled a quad on an open hill and it rolled for about 150 meters and smashed up down by the side of the main road. That really sort of, uh, gets to me a little bit, a lot of accidents on farms and there's a variety of reasons really. Farmers are rushing around. When a farmer needs something that needs doing, they only have one thing on their mind, and that's to get that job done and they don't necessarily think of what's happening around them. A very good friend of mine, two years to now, he was calving. And one morning he went into his shed, the cow had calved, and there she was in the pen. They were lambing as well. So, they were busy doing other things. He went back by this cow in about an hour's time. The calf was looking a little bit hollow and he thought it hadn't sucked. So he gets his wife when they get a jug of water, and you know when a calf hasn't sucked you have to put a tube down his throat into his stomach to get him going. So, he went into the cow, and she was fine. He actually milked about a couple of litres of colostrum off the cow, and he just turned his back on the cow and he caught hold of the calf and he was just opening his mouth, and the calf makes a little, "urrrghh" sort of sound and this cow just went berserk! Now his wife was facing the cow. She could see what happened. So, she tried to throw the jug of milk that she was holding at the cow, and she managed to escape. But Rob got really, she really mangled him. Now then, he's still alive, and I keep telling him regularly, he's very lucky to be alive. The son appeared from somewhere fairly quickly and he's a fairly big lad, and he literally manhandled this cow off him. It was amazing. Now, Rob used to be six foot two, he's now six foot and half an inch, because it smashed one complete vertebrae out of his back and they pinned him all back together. He's okay. But uh, you speak to him on a cold morning and he can hardly move, you know. And that's just an example where it could have been cured so simply, you know, We actually filmed Rob on the farm and although his system was in place really, he had really quite good calving pens, the secret is you never get between the calf and the cow. Whatever you're doing, you've got to always be behind the barrier. Little things like that. But all that was on Rob's mind at that time, was getting milk into that cow's belly. Everything else goes out the window, and I think that happens with a lot of farm accidents. Another one not far from here in North Wales, where a chap pulled a tractor on a steep slope. Top quality farmer, you know, involved in the Royal Welsh Show and amazing bloke. But I know, I can just imagine all he would have in mind was putting fertiliser down on a steep slope. He wouldn't have thought it necessary perhaps to put his twin wheels on the tractor. He may not have thought to check the tire pressures. He may not have thought to put his seatbelt on, and if he'd done any of those three things, he'd probably still be alive. And that's the problem we have. Just making people stop for a few minutes and just think about what they're doing. Mick Ord (Host): And of course, if somebody has been working in the industry for many years, and this is true of any industry really, isn't it? Uh, Adrian, it sounds arrogant. It's not meant to me, but you think you know it all, don't you? Adrian Hodkinson: You get a bit complacent, don't you? You've been doing the same thing day in, day out. You've always done it that way. It's always worked out for you, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's the right way of doing things. And what we're finding is certainly with vehicles and drivers, if you're not doing things routinely correctly, you're going to get caught out. Something's going to go wrong. 60% of all the run over accidents on farms where you get run over, 60% of those could have been stopped by either the handbrake being on or the handbrake working. So many times, the handbrake just doesn't get maintained and doesn't actually work. One example I can think of is that a guy was unhitching an implement off the back of the tractor. The handbrake didn't work, it wasn't maintained as he was trying to undo the various bits and pieces at the back on the linkages, the tractor just slowly started moving towards him. He, he didn't know, he had no idea this was happening. Ian, most careful person going thinking, "oh, I'm okay.". Just squashed between the machine and the implement, and it's just a slow, creeping, silent way of dying. Is horrible. Really, really awful way. And that could be prevented so easily by maintaining the handbrake and putting the handbrake on. I'm sure Brian's got similar stories like that. Brian Rees: Yeah, yeah. He knows. It's so simple. So simple. Back to your point of saying that farmers think they know it all and we are a little bit, we are jack of all trades, aren't we? Some people would say you're jack of all trades and master of none. But I wouldn't go quite that far. But we do tend to think, and you have, people that may have been driving tractors for 30 years, no problem. Then they go out and buy a really nice posh telehandler. Oh, this is a nice type. Oh, similar to a tractor or, but they don't realise it's an entirely different piece of equipment. A few years ago, HSE did some visits through mid Wales and naturally they were going on to farms. And these are the sort of people I'm thinking about. People in their forties, fifties, sixties, probably never done the days training in their life. They'd been brought up on the farm and kept their skills going. They got improvement notices then, for training. And I went along to this one farm. There was this chap and these two neighbours had come in for two days to do the course. And the first thing I do, especially with people like that, the first person on the machine at the start of a course is always me. I always demonstrate what I want to see. Gives me a bit of cred because farmers are used to people coming onto their farms, telling them how to do their job when they've never done it themselves. So, the first thing I do is give a little 10-minute demonstration. And this one chap , he's had a telehandler for 20 years, and I got off after my demo and he said "how did you see to get those forks in the pallet?" And I said, well, you lined the pallets up and then you line them up and drive in. He said, "I've never been able to do that. I've always got to ask the lottery driver to guide me in." And anyway, in the conversation it came out that he didn't know that the telehandler had a self-levelling device on the forks. Basic stuff like that. Well, that's the first thing I do. Within half an hour I had him driving in the pallets on the lorry and it made his two days. You know, we think we can do everything, but little simple things like that. That could cause an accident. There was about 12 people altogether. I did over about eight days, and four of them actually rang the training provider up a few days after and said, "I like this training job. What else can we do?" And one group of them did a quad, then the following week. Quad training. They weren't asked to do that, but they'd never experienced training, you know, and when we compare us with other industries, say construction, they are training for everything really. You could dream of. And what is it? Adrian will know the figures better than me, but they kill something like 1.5 or 1.3 per hundred thousand, and we kill something like eight or nine per hundred thousand. So that's where the figure comes. You're seven times more likely to be killed on a farm than you are on a building site. Mick Ord (Host): Scary stuff. Brian. Safe driver. That's the second bit of the HSE campaign. And that's your particular area? That's your specialty. You've mentioned handbrakes. What other stuff are high on your list? Brian Rees: Well, yeah, the big thing is, training is a biggie and they say, well, you would say that because that's what you do. But I am so convinced that training and the safe stop whenever you stop the machine, as Adrian said, the machine has got to be maintained properly. But it's handbrake on, out of gear, key off, and out. If you look at people whenever you pull up in your car, you do safe stop religiously every time because the large majority of people were trained to drive a car when they were 17, and it's always stayed with them. But for some strange reason, when those very same people get out of their car and sit on a tractor or combine, whatever it might be, or telehandler, that safe stop goes out of the window. And I don't know why. And training is a really big one for that, to make them safe. If the machine isn't moving, it's not going to crash anybody and putting everything in neutral. No one's ever been injured in a PTO shaft when the tractor engine is stopped. It's never happened. So if, if you're doing anything to a machine, that engine has got to be stopped before you go anywhere near the machine. Mick Ord (Host): Adrian, this campaign, we're particularly aiming at younger farmers and farm workers, aren't we, from the age of 18 to say 44. Why are you particularly concerned about people that age or people that might be new to farming? Adrian Hodkinson: Well, we're concerned about everybody who's, uh, working on farmers and we, we really want to work with all the different stakeholders to make sure that we're helping people live long and healthy lives. This campaign has really been quite orientated towards social media and towards some of the, um, electronic means of communication. So we've been sending out , a lot of messages and a lot of information and films and things like that, which we know younger farmers will pick upon, perhaps more than the older farmers. Older farmers are still really, really important. In fact, a huge amount of older farmers suffer awful injuries and are killed. But if we get people younger, as Brian says, if we're educating people and training people earlier, the messages tend to stick a little bit more. It's a bit like, um, young children and, and grandparents. If you can get the younger people talking to the, the grandfather or the grandmother about, why are you doing it like that? I have not seen it being done like that for years. It gets, granddad gets granny thinking about it and maybe changing their ways if the younger person is saying it. The campaigns for everyone. We're concentrating on safe farm, safe drivers, safe vehicle. It's just that we're using social media and electronic means of communication and we just know that younger people are more likely to see that. Simple as that. Mick Ord (Host): Brian, from your experience, would you be able to sort of explain a differentiation between the various age groups? Because as Adrian has said, we are targeting younger and newer additions to the farming industry, as well as older. It's everybody. And you mentioned before how in some of the farms that you visit, the culture of safety isn't quite ingrained. Brian Rees: No, it's the culture that we want to try and instil into the, the movement a bit. You know, I've got two sons. One has basically worked most of his life in construction, and my other younger son is basically farming. Both went to college, but my eldest son in construction, he wouldn't ever dream of jumping out of a machine forwards. He always uses handles. And I think that's one thing where agricultural lack a little bit and where say, construction are safer, they do get supervised more. And there's someone keeping an eye on them. For instance, now in construction, you know, it's now the green light on the top of all their machines. And um, I passed , a site the other day and I could only see about half the green lights on. So it meant half those people didn't have their seatbelt on because that's what the green light tells you. Well, a farmer wouldn't dream of thinking about anything like that and very often the telehandler they buy wouldn't be up to construction specs or they probably didn't have a green light. So, it's that type of thing. What we want to instil in people, this training element. I was in America about three years ago, touring round California. We were looking at farms and different things, and we went to Sacramento and we had an hour with the, the local environmental minister. I mentioned safety to her and she said, "oh, it's not a problem here." and when I told her our figure, she couldn't believe it .Anyway during the week then we went to a few farms and the standard was really good. Anyway, I asked one of the farmers one day, what training do you do? He said, oh, they've all got their tickets in their machine, he said, but every month everybody on the farm has a one day health and safety course. One week, it may be machinery. The next month it may be CAT handling, the next month it may be medicine, so on and so on. And he said they have a touchscreen test at the end of each course and they've got to pass that before they can go back to work. And I said, God, that's amazing. He said, well, we wouldn't be able to insure the farm if we didn't do that in this state. It happens in this country with factories because uh, back in the nineties I was in factories more than I was on farms and they were doing it then because they could do their training and they could get half my feedback off the insurance company on the employee liability insurance. But I'm afraid that the agricultural insurers in this country don't want to know. I've been campaigning that one now for quite a while. So, I think there could something come in from that way to instil that culture into the industry if we could. Mick Ord (Host): Is that something that you would be able to comment on Adrian? Adrian Hodkinson: Training's so, so important. I mean, the major insurers in farming, like NFU Mutual and AXXA and some of the other ones are always looking to, uh, improve the risk management on farms and training is part of that risk management. Brian mentioned safe stop. It's really, really important part of this campaign, making sure that people are stopping things properly. Got the handbrake on, take the key out, stopping everything before you go around the back to try and adjust something, or before you attempted to stick your hand into something to try and pull something out. So many people have lost arms or had really awful injuries that have stopped them farming because they just haven't turned things off. And that's part of the training. It's part of making sure that, um, when you're operating machinery, that you stay inside the cab because that cab protects you should the tractor or whatever machine it is, roll over into the ditch. That cab stops you falling out and getting squashed by the tractor or by the machine. And it's so important to have that seatbelt on that Brian's mentioned and uh, Brian's right in construction the flashing green light on the top that shows the seatbelts being worn. I'd love to see that sort of thing in agriculture that shows that you're wearing the seatbelt and that you're going to stay inside that safety cab., because that's what it is. It's a safety cab, so that's all part of safe driver. And I think safe vehicle is part of that. Machines regularly maintained that you've got the safety features working properly. That you've got the, um, mirrors clean and not broken, that you can see where you're going and that you're wearing that seatbelt and, uh, it's keeping you in that safety cab. Mick Ord (Host): Brian, I can see you're nodding your head vigorously. Brian Rees: Just one thing on leading on to the vehicle thing now, as you might appreciate, it's about 10 years now since, there was an addition come into telehandlers. They've always had a warning light to tell you when they were becoming unstable. But about 10 years ago, 2012, I think it came in that they locked the hydraulics. When the track is potentially becoming unstable, it locks the hydraulics off. So the only thing you can do is retract the boom. Now, when this first came in, there was quite a lot of dissatisfaction, if you could say from the industry, because we were doing the SHAD events then, and we used to get a bit of flack back off farmers and the answer we had for them: if you don't overload your machine, you are never going to have a problem. And that seems to satisfy them now. And people have accepted that now, that if they want to do a three-ton job, they've got to buy a three ton machine. They don't buy a two and a half ton machine and try and make that do it. So making people buy things that are fit for purpose is crucial. But when you talk about safety devices, we had that one 10, 12 years ago, and I think I'm right in thinking that some of the telehandler accidents over the last, now three or four years, have reduced slightly. And I'm just wondering, those machines are all coming through the system now, aren't they? Now about five years ago it came in that if you get off the seat in a tractor now the PTO automatically stops unless you keep it going for some reason. So it'll be really interesting to see now in the next two or three years whether the entanglement, accidents start to reduce a bit because those tractors are now coming through the system. They've had that in horticulture for years. When you got up off the seat, they even stopped the machines. This only stops the PTO, but that is the one that kills people, naturally. Mick Ord (Host): Adrian in terms of ensuring safer vehicles. I guess now that spring's here, it's as good a time as any to ensure that all the farm vehicles are fully maintained and working particularly after the fairly long and cold winter we've just had. Adrian Hodkinson: Yeah, I mean, uh, farm vehicles have a, have a tough life. They need to be regularly maintained. They need to be properly checked, and they need to be working in decent condition. The obvious things I look for, I, I make sure that, um, farmers have got the windows clean on the cabs that the mirrors are in, are clean and, uh, aren't broken and they're actually fitted. Sometimes it's not even there. So how can you hope of, of keeping anybody safe around you if you can't see anything around the machine whatsoever. And, um, it's so important to make sure things like the brakes are working properly. We get a lot of incidents with quad bikes. Quad bikes rolling over and, uh, training's really important to make sure that you know how to stop a quad bike from rolling over, and obviously wearing a helmet reduces the risk of you getting a brain injury should the quad bike roll over. What I'm mentioning quads about is it's important to maintain them as well because they get used for everything. They don't get looked after particularly well. The brakes don't get checked, the tire pressures don't get checked, and they rely on quite low tire pressures. And if you've got the wrong tire pressure in one wheel, it really makes the machine unstable. And we've seen so many times where one of these has gone over and squashed somebody, and that person can't get out from underneath it, and they die! Because they haven't been trained, they're not wearing a helmet and they've not maintained their quad bike and so, so sad that we're still seeing that. One example I can think of, he was a work experience trainee and he, he suffered head injuries, awful head injuries after coming off his quad. He wasn't wearing any head protection and he hadn't been given any training. We prosecuted the farming business and they got a pretty hefty fine. I often hear that there isn't a law about helmets on quads in agriculture. That's nonsense. Everybody using a farm quad bike should be wearing head protection of some sort, whether it's a proper quad helmet or whether it's even a riding helmet, motorcycle helmet. Just make sure you are wearing a helmet whenever you're driving one of these things. So, so important. Mick Ord (Host): I guess you echo all that, Brian. Yeah? Brian Rees: I would agree with that. We used to use one on the SHAD events years ago. There was one year when 12 people got killed on a quad and the HSE did a bit more research into it and they got all the coroner's reports back from the 12 fatal accidents, and it worked out that if those 12 people had been wearing helmets, 10 of them would still be alive. We keep telling people it's the law to wear a helmet. And I think everybody knows , who uses a quad. They all know they should be wearing an helmet, but for some reason they can't be bothered. So, I, I tell that tale quite often. About 10 out of the 12 would've still been alive. And you can tell people, start to think a little bit then. Just a little bit, you know. Mick Ord (Host): Well, I mean, let, let's face it, that's the whole point of the campaign, isn't it? I read a powerful line on the WorkRight Agriculture website that for me, kind of encapsulates what the campaign is all about. Let me read it to you: "Take a moment to think about what would happen to you and your family if you were seriously injured and unable to work.".  And that kind of says it all, doesn't it? Brian Rees: It does. It really does. Because people think it's never going to happen to us. And I've heard that so many times. Adrian Hodkinson: Brian, you're so right. It's not just yourself that's going to get hurt. If you, for whatever reason, can't work, how's the family going to cope? Your whole world is thrown upside down. It means you're going to have to get help from friends, from colleagues. You're going to have to work out different ways of farming, and it might really affect your livelihood. It might actually stop you from farming. And that's so, so sad. And, um, these instances are so, so preventable. And usually by something really simple. So concentrate on safe farm, safe driver, safe vehicle. Things where you can really make a difference. And stop those really awful incidents from happening that are either going to affect you, going to have a massive impact on the family, going to have a massive impact on the local community as well. Bottom line is it could stop you farming. It's going to cost you that much. Mick Ord (Host): Many thanks to Adrian Hodgkinson, the head of HSE'S Agriculture Sector for joining us today and to farmer and safety instructor, Brian Rees. Thanks to you too for listening to this podcast. I hope it's encouraged you to think some more about safety on your farm and maybe act to make sure that it's a safe place to work for you, your family, and your workers. There are some really useful tips and checks on the website and some short and practical videos on farm safety. Just google "WorkRight Agriculture" and it'll take you to the campaign page. Or log on to workright.campaign.gov.uk, and both links of course will be included in our episode notes. So until next time, this is Mick Ord signing off on this HSE podcast. Have a safe and prosperous year.

A farmer who's lost two bulls believes thieves targeted his farm, in an attempt to take the animals for meat, for the black market. NFU Mutual says livestock theft has cost around £2.5 million over the past 12 months. They say the cost of living crisis is pushing up crime, and theft of diesel has more than doubled in the past year. The importance of fertiliser around the world has been highlighted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Russia is a top exporter of fertilisers and the chemicals used to make them. But the war has caused supply issues and driven up the price of natural gas, which is a key part of fertiliser production. The head of one of the world's biggest fertiliser firms, YARA, has accused Vladimir Putin of 'weaponising food'. Synthetic fertilisers emit greenhouse gases, so the industry is searching for new technologies that will make low-carbon fertiliser which is affordable. One of the companies which has received government backing is N2 Applied. They take manure, and process it into a nitrogen rich fertiliser, whilst also reducing ammonia and methane emissions. The company says this can be done on-farm and claim their process will reduce a farm's overall greenhouse gas emissions by up to 30 per cent. Presenter = Anna Hill Producer = Rebecca Rooney

David Wilkinson has worked in the financial services market for 40 years, the last 30 of which have seen him and his family based on the Isle of Man. He joined NFU Mutual in 2012 to lead the Isle of Man office going forward and personally provide and ensure the team continues to offer the highest level of service possible to new and existing clients alike for their personal and commercial queries. He reminisces about life growing up in Singapore and the North East of England and shares how he ended up settling on the island and raising a family. David's great passions are football and golf. Do listen to this week's conversation with David Wilkinson in episode 79 of Island Influencers!

In a time of economic recession, customers are becoming more price-sensitive and wary of their relationships with brands. This creates a formidable challenge for companies seeking to maintain trust and loyalty with their customers, especially in the insurance industry. Hear Piers Watson, Head of Customer Experience at NFU Mutual, discuss how this hurdle can be overcome, with unmissable perspectives on customer relationships and how to do things right before doing the right thing. Connect with Piers - https://www.linkedin.com/in/piers-watson-a6862b1/  Join our community - https://www.linkedin.com/company/cx-insider/ 

Rhodri Davies sy'n sgwrsio gydag Aled Griffiths, Asiant ac Ysgrifennydd Grŵp NFU Mutual.

Welcome back to Machinery Matters, joining host Matt Tilt are guests Rebecca Davidson from NFU Mutual discussing the latest farm crime statistics and James Dalke of Can-AM discussing safety on UTV and side by side machinery in light of the recent Farm Safety Week. Head to https://www.farmcontractormagazine.com/ for more latest news and hot topics in the industry.

As drought is declared across several parts of England, fires have been breaking out on arable farms where the harvest is well underway. Farm insurer NFU Mutual says so far this month it's already received more than 150 reports. We speak to some affected farmers - including one who says she could not call 999 when she first spotted a fire because there was no signal on her mobile phone. The hot weather is also a challenge for livestock farmers - who need to keep animals cool and fed when grass is parched. The British Poultry Council says the extreme temperatures have "led to very high mortality events in some poultry flocks". The campaign group Compassion in World Farming is warning farmers to take extra measures to protect livestock, and is calling on the Government to suspend journeys for farmed animals unless absolutely necessary. And away from worries about the hot dry weather, it's full steam ahead for farm and country shows at the moment. Caz Graham visits the 118th Vale of Rydal Sheepdog Trials & Hound in the heart of the Lake District to see what was happening there. Presented by Caz Graham Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

With tinder-dry conditions in many parts of country, fires in farm machinery are at record levels. The insurer NFU Mutual is recording two a day on average - which means that numbers are up by 35%. We hear from a farmer in Buckinghamshire who experienced a combine harvester fire first-hand this week. Caz Graham asks the Farm Safety Foundation what farmers can do to reduce the risk of a blaze. As temperatures rise and our climate changes, experts are warning that the way we grow our food will have to change too. We visit the Allerton Project - a demonstration farm in Leicestershire, where they're researching what that might look like. Continuing a week-long look at this year's harvest, we're out in Lincolnshire with the pea viners. Presented by Caz Graham and produced by Emma Campbell

The British Growers' Association, which represents the horticulture and fresh produce industries, is warning of a potential crisis in the sector, as input costs spiral and the price they are paid is kept stubbornly low. They've just carried out research into carrot and broccoli production and say unless farmers get paid more for their veg, they'll be forced to stop growing it. As the drought continues in parts of the UK, some farmers are keeping a close eye on their valuable irrigation systems. They're fast becoming a target for thieves - joining other farm essentials like quad bikes, diesel, GPS systems and machinery parts. This year's report by the rural insurer NFU Mutual, published this week, says the cost of rural crime is now back up to pre-pandemic levels. We join one farmer in Cambridgeshire who regularly patrols his fields. All week we've been looking at the issues facing tenant farmers. Today we meet a couple who - despite multiple applications - have had no luck finding a new tenancy. They currently rent a farm but the landlord has decided to sell. Gooseberries are often seen as a rather old-fashioned fruit, but they do make good pies! And if you want to find the best gooseberries, Egton Bridge near Whitby is the place to be this week. It's the home to the UK's oldest gooseberry show which has taken place in the first week in August for 222 years. It attracts gooseberry fans from across the UK. The presenter is Caz Graham.

Twins who doused themselves in petrol on an Esso forecourt in Canterbury have been jailed. A court's been told how Brittany and Bethany Lee tried to ignite a lighter during a stand off with police. Hear from our reporter Sean Axtell who was in court to hear the case. Also on today's podcast, people moving to new homes planned for part of Medway could be banned from having cats in a bid to try and protect wildlife. 68 properties are due to be built off Cliffe Woods, not far from an important nature reserve and Nightingale habitat. Hear from a councillor and people living nearby. Kent is still one of the worst-affected areas in the country when it comes to rural crime according to new figures. The theft of things like quad bikes, trailers, and Land Rovers from farms cost the county nearly £1.4million last year. We've got reaction from NFU Mutual and a farmer from Dartford. There's some confusion today after a large restaurant in Maidstone suddenly closed. Madisons on Gabriel's Hill shut without warning and people who had meal's booked up until Christmas have had their deposits returned. We bring you the details we know so far.

Brands powered by data and insight are 3x more likely to report significant improvements in the quality of their decision making. But how do you build trust and engagement with stakeholders to create a culture of insight? In this episode, we speak Andy Smith from NFU Mutual about how research professionals can begin on that journey. Across 10 minutes, we discuss the role of a planned approach to communications, the importance of credibility, growing into a business leadership role and the challenges that often stand in our way. --- Presented by: Chris Martin, CMO @ FlexMR (CJ_24K) Featuring: Andy Smith, Insight Manager (LinkedIn) For more info on NFU Mutual, visit https://www.nfumutual.co.uk For more info on FlexMR, visit www.flexmr.net Or connect via LinkedIn / Twitter / Facebook

In our May Broadcast, we are delighted to have on Stephanie Berkeley from the great Yellow Wellies initiative, part of the UK Farm Safety Foundation. About the Farm Safety Foundation: Rising concern over the continuing high level of fatal and life-changing injury accidents on farms prompted leading rural insurer NFU Mutual to set up a charitable foundation in 2014 to help farmers work safely (Registered Charity No. 1159000). The Foundation works closely with partners in the industry to engage, educate and communicate strong and relatable farm safety messages. Over the past eight years, the FSF has developed and delivered farm safety training for 16,000 young farmers in 44 land-based colleges and universities throughout the UK and through the Young Farmers' Club network. Through national campaigns such as Farm Safety Week and Mind Your Head, the Farm Safety Foundation is preserving and protecting the physical and mental wellbeing of the next generation of farmers and equipping them with smart strategies and specific skills to live well and farm well. Hailing from Donegal in Ireland, Stephanie's friends were either farmers or fishermen; equally dangerous industries. After studying European Business Studies and spending time living and studying in Asturias and Barcelona, Stephanie began a career in journalism at Belfast's Newsletter, working in the business section of the newspaper before joining publishing house Greer Publications with Ulster Business magazine. After various roles in the Greer Publications group with Specify magazine and Ulster Business, Stephanie was appointed Editor of the award-winning Northern Woman magazine as well as editing the lifestyle section of Ulster Business. From 2006-2014 she was Marketing & PR Manager for W5, Ireland's only science centre and a charity with educational aims before her move, in 2014, to Stratford-upon-Avon where she has developed and grown the Farm Safety Foundation, its education programme and award-winning campaigns. Stephanie is a qualified Mental Health First Aider, author of The Little Book of Minding Your Head, a member of ISASH (International Society of Agricultural Safety & Health) and represents the UK on Safety Culture and Risk Management in Agriculture (SACURIMA) – Cost Action CA16123.

FOLLOW UP: MORGAN HINTS AT FUTURE DESIGNSRecently the chaps discussed the new appointment of Matthew Hole as CTO and idly wondered what that would mean for future designs. Seems Morgan heard, well, okay, they probably didn't, but let's not dwell on that as they have teased out some sketch designs of how future Morgan's could look. To find out more, click the Morgan article here. NEW CAR REGISTRATION FIGURES NOVEMBER 2021 The SMMT has published their monthly new car registration figures, for November, which shows a continued issue due to supply. To read more, click the SMMT link here. SHARP RISE IN CYCLIST DEATHS ON RURAL ROADS89 people lost their life on English rural roads, whilst cycling, in 2020, Department for Transport figures confirm. A campaign from NFU Mutual, British Cycling and British Horse Society has begun to raise awareness in driving to the conditions and dangers of rural roads. For more information, click here for the BBC News article. 1 IN 50 CARS UNINSURED ON UK ROADSThe Government has revealed that it estimates 1 in 50 vehicles on the road, is uninsured, costing approximately £119 million in lost revenue. The suggestion is a mix of affordability and lack of enforcement, as two of the major contributing factors. To read about this, click the Autocar article linked here. RIVIAN APPARENTLY OFFERED SWEETENERS FOR UK FACTORYThe UK Government is, a report states, offering incentives to Rivian so they open a factory in the UK. The sweeteners include changes to the local road infrastructure, dust off a shuttered railway line and develop training facilities. The hope is Rivian invests around £1 billion for the facility near Bristol. In order to learn more about this, click this link here to the Autocar story.VW MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE IN DISCUSSION Reports suggest that Volkswagen CEO, Herbert Diess's future is under discussion after the Unions raised concern over the job losses touted. We will have to wait to see if this ends up with the departure or lessening of the powers Diess has. In the meantime, you can read more about the matter by clicking this Autocar link. FORD JOINS VW UK CO2 POOL To meet the rules on CO2 limits across a company's fleet, Ford has joined the Volkswagen Group pool, that also includes SAIC, which is mainly MG Motors. To read more about this move, for 2021, click the Schmidt Automotive Research article link here. ——————————————————————————-If you like what we do, on this show, and think it is worth a £1.00, please consider supporting us via Patreon. Here is the link to that CLICK HERE TO SUPPORT THE PODCAST——————————————————————————-WRC: ADAMO LEAVES HYUNDAI WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECTThe surprise news, on the day of recording, was released that Andrea Adamo has left Hyundai WRC with immediate effect, although it is “mutually agreed”. Hyundai President Scott Not will take charge for the foreseeable future. This adds further weight to the question if Hyundai will be ready for Monte Carlo. To read more, click the DirtFish article here. To read the official statement from Hyundai, click the link here. NEW NEW CAR NEWSMazda2This is not quite New New Car News, but Mazda has stated that they will be using the Toyota Yaris as the basis for their 2022 Mazda2. They will take advantage of the hybrid and petrol versions. The cars will be available from April. No confirmation of when the current 2 will be taken off sale. For more information, click on the link to the Autocar article here. KIA SportageThe next generation KIA Sportage will go on sale from 15 December 2021, starting at £26, 745, topping out at £43, 495 at the top of the range. The SUV has been designed and engineered with European tastes in mind. There is, for cars in the WLTP era, a wide range of powertrains available, starting with 1.6l petrol and diesels, through mild hybrids and onto plug-in hybrids. For more information, on this very important model in KIA's lineup, click the Autocar article link here. Suzuki SX4 S-CrossThe 2022 SX4 S-Cross has been revealed by Suzuki. The second generation car has been redesigned and had more bells and whistles thrown at it. Not only has equipment and trim improved but there is more space inside. Prices start at £24,999 and rise to £29,799 for the top of the range Ultra. There is one engine choice, a mild-hybrid 1.4l petrol engine producing 127bhp. To see the upgrades over the outgoing model, click here for the Autocar article. LUNCHTIME READ: THE YOUTUBERS MAKING CLASSIC MOTORING FUN FOR ALL Hagerty are the providers of this week's Lunchtime Read, talking about three very good options for your viewing pleasure if you fancy something a bit more classic as your motoring pleasure. To read through the article and then visit the channels, click the link here. LIST OF THE WEEK: 12 GIFTS OF PETROLHEAD CHRISTMASStewart Longhurst has compiled a list of 12 gift ideas for the petrolhead in your life, covering a wide range of options and ideas. Click through on the All Torque Digital link here and see if you agree with the chaps and their choice for the number one present. AND FINALLY: PANDAMONIUM M-Sport has got hold of a Mk1 4x4 Panda and breathed some of their magic on it, click the link here to see the video and enjoy their fabulous work. AND AND FINALLY: #AUTOADVENT2021 IS HEREJon Male is back with his two-pronged Auto Advent quiz, where he produces a fiendishly difficult option and a quite difficult version. To jump on board the fun follow Jon on Twitter by clicking the link here. For #AutoAdvent21, click this link here. For #AutoAdventLite21, click here for the link.

A Sheppey United footballer has spoken about his decision to come out to his teammates as bisexual. Jahmal Howlett-Mundal was given a round of applause after gathering the squad before a game. He's been telling the KentOnline Podcast why he felt he had to be open with them and how he hopes others in the game will be inspired. Also in today's episode, a farmer speaks about their on going battle with criminals as stats show Kent is one of the worst affected places for rural crime. We're also joined by a Matt Wilson from NFU Mutual who compiled the data. A former councillor who sprayed graffiti over public buildings in Broadstairs has spoken after being given a conditional discharge. And, there's been heartbreak in Tokyo for Kent sprinter Adam Gemili - we have the details from our sports editor Matthew Panting.

There’s been a worrying spike in incidents of ‘Livestock Worrying’. To understand this better and talk about what’s being done to combat it Will talks to Rob Taylor from North Wales Police rural crime team, Debs Roberts, a Scottish farmer and co-founder of ‘Ladies who Lamb’ and NFU Mutual farming specialist, David Harrison.

There’s been a worrying spike in incidents of ‘Livestock Worrying’. To understand this better and talk about what’s being done to combat it Will talks to Rob Taylor from North Wales Police rural crime team, Debs Roberts, a Scottish farmer and co-founder of ‘Ladies who Lamb’ and NFU Mutual farming specialist, David Harrison. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Many of us will be out walking in our local countryside this weekend. It's one of the few joys of lockdown, but it's causing problems for some farmers. Olly Harrison farms on Merseyside and has footpaths across the farm. At at the moment they’re very muddy, so people are avoiding the mud by walking across his crops, which, as he explains, isn’t ideal. But Miles King from the conservation charity, People Need Nature, says we're looking at this all wrong. Eels from the River Severn have been exported all over Europe. Some to end up on people’s plates, others to rivers and lakes where the eel is under threat. But no longer. The company which exports the fish is warning that changes in the rules since Brexit mean that it may not survive. The cost of dog attacks on sheep has been rising across England. The insurer NFU Mutual said the cost of claims in the South East of the country rose by 87% in 2019. A farmer describes his distress at finding 50 of his sheep half dead and mutilated, just before Christmas. And we hear about a new project which aims to help vets cut antibiotics used on farm, and a survey looking into racism and mental health experienced by vets. Presented by Charlotte Smith and produced by Beatrice Fenton.

 Thank you for listening to The Farming Country Podcast.This new series is produced by Craven Cattle Marts Ltd, alongside the professionals, specialist suppliers and customers of their Lingfields site at Skipton in North Yorkshire including NFU Mutual and WBW Land Agents and Surveyors.The Farming Country Podcast hopes to bring you a range of interesting and informative rural topics; from market reports to local businesses and industry news to tales from the Dales.In today's episode, auctioneers Jeremy Eaton and Ted Ogden discuss a great start to the new year sales and chew the cud on post-Brexit predictions moving forward into Spring.From his uplands farm in Buckden, Garry Schofield discusses the importance of BPS payments with WBW's new trainee land agent, Megan, and NFU Representative Sam Bradley catches up with Jeremy to discuss exciting new developments at CCM.Enjoy! Please send all enquires to Danielle at thefarmingcountrypodcast@gmail.com Links: https://www.facebook.com/ccm.auctionshttps://www.ccmauctions.comhttps://www.wbwsurveyors.co.uk/https://www.nfuonline.com/  The Farming Country Podcast - Presented by: Sam Bradley Edited by: Danielle DaggettProduced by: Jeremy Eaton, Ted Ogden, Danielle Daggett Contributors: Megan Schofield, Garry Schofield. 

More than fifty lorries from fishing companies in Scotland and South West England paraded up and down Whitehall yesterday, to draw attention to the difficulty they are having exporting their goods into the EU. Delays at ports and extra paperwork since 1st January have meant time-sensitive goods have been at risk of perishing. We speak to the Dartmouth Crab Company about what impact they think the protest had. The cost of dog attacks on sheep has been rising across England according to insurers NFU Mutual - and recently there have been a number of attacks involving large numbers of sheep, including 50 at the weekend in North Monmouthshire. We speak to a farmer from Suffolk who lost 50 sheep in an attack just before Christmas, and also The Welsh Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, Janet Finch-Saunders, who is calling for a National Rural Crime Taskforce in Wales to be set up to deal with the problem. Plus as we take a look at the work being done by vets this week, we speak to the developers of new software that allows vets and farmers to access data in real time. The project called "Remedy" or REal tiME DairY has been given £1.7 million in funding from Innovate UK. Presented by Anna Hill Produced in Bristol by Natalie Donovan

As we start the year Will talks to four recipients of NFU Mutual awards for those studying to go in to agriculture. Ed Chaplin, Ben Chilman, Chloe Dunn, and Craig Simpson all talk about their experiences to date, their future career plans and how they see the industry going.

As we start the year Will talks to four recipients of NFU Mutual awards for those studying to go in to agriculture. Ed Chaplin, Ben Chilman, Chloe Dunn, and Craig Simpson all talk about their experiences to date, their future career plans and how they see the industry going. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NFU Mutual is the UK's largest farming insurer, and wanted to create fascinating content on a topic that many farmers are super-keen to explore - diversification. In recruiting farmer/podcaster/influencer Will Evans and recording on locations all over the country, we created a series that brings a wealth of information, experience and insight to the farming community. It won a Corporate Content Award for best Use of Audio, as well as Best Corporate Storytellers, and also got us all out recording 'in the field', which was great fun. Neil is joined by Charlie Greenwood of NFU Mutual, Presenter Will Evans and Producer Geoff Bird.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 14th episode of the Agri Food Comms-Cast focuses on two topics in the food and farming supply chain that chime with the autumn season, where the temperatures drop and the nights draw in. First up is Rebecca Davidson, rural affairs specialist at NFU Mutual, who has the task of communicating why crime on farms should mean something to anyone who consumes food. Rebecca explains the challenges of communicating the contents of the annual Rural Crime Report to different media channels, including broadcast and the broadsheets, and the wider public year-on-year. Then just in time for the Halloween festivities, we have Tessa Tricks from the environmental charity, Hubbub, that's behind the annual pumpkin rescue campaign #EatYourPumpkin. She explains how through a consumer survey, they found the best way to help people use leftover pumpkins and reduce food waste after Halloween was to provide tasty recipes, particularly from celebrity chefs. The charity also promotes pumpkin festivals to collect and eat delicious food from leftover pumpkins along with lobbying the government with their Greenprint; a series of policy asks to encourage a nationwide reduction in food waste across the supply chain.

As the clocks go back Will talks to Robin Till from NFU Mutual's Risk Management Services and PC Steven Kaminski from Cheshire Police to talk about the security challenges at this time of year, and to offer practical advice for the farming community.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will is joined by Milly  Fyfe,  who  farms  in  Northamptonshire  and  has  been  through  the  succession planning process  with  her  own  family,  Heather  Wildman  from  Saviour  Associates,  who  specializes  in  facilitating  succession  planning,  and  Sean  McCann,  a  chartered  financial  planner  from  NFU  Mutual. Together they discuss this challenging subject and offer their thoughts and advice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joining us on the show this week is Brian Duffin OBE, former Chief Executive of Scottish Life. He is currently Chairman of the GEC Pension Scheme,the Aviva With Profits Committee, the Church of Scotland Investments Trust and he is also a NED for NFU Mutual as well as other insurance companies and pension funds. Brian discusses with Nick the achievement he is most proud of during his time as Chief Executive at Scottish Life and shares how Insurance Business Leaders can transition from Executive to NED roles. His advice to executives seeking to move into NED roles is "make an honest appraisal of what you are good at and what you are not good at" before deciding which appointments and companies would be a good fit for you. Brian believes that planning ahead is one key to his success and he invites listeners to reach out to via his linkedin page https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-duffin-a462293/ for advice or any NED opportunities. This episode is hosted by Nick Hoadley, CEO of Insurance Search the international executive search consultancy for the Insurance and Insurtech sectors. If you would like to contact Nick about the podcast or to discuss executive search assignments, please reach out via linkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-hoadley-78a498143/ , go to our website http://www.insurance-search.com (www.insurance-search.com) or email directly at info@insurance-search.com .

Will is joined by Ian Maddever, an agricultural contracting expert, and Charlie Yorke from NFU Mutual to talk about agricultural contracting, how the industry has changed and the role it now plays in the farming industry.

Will is joined by Ian Maddever, an agricultural contracting expert, and Charlie Yorke from NFU Mutual to talk about agricultural contracting, how the industry has changed and the role it now plays in the farming industry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will is joined by Matthew Bennett and Martin Ansell from NFU Mutual, to talk about things farmers should consider and be aware of in terms of investments and pensions. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Will is joined by Matthew Bennett and Martin Ansell from NFU Mutual, to talk about things farmers should consider and be aware of in terms of investments and pensions.  

Brian interviews Tony Cash (President of the Rail Industry Fire Association) in relation to several key topics, among them how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted fire safety regimes on the railway network and the main changes to those safety regimes since the findings of the Kings Cross fire that occurred in 1987 were made public. In addition, Mark chats with Tim Barker (UK Account Manager at FSi Ltd, the specialist fire protection systems manufacturer renowned for its expertise in fire stopping and compartmentation solutions) about the importance of using suitable passive fire protection systems and the new Building Safety Bill recently unveiled by the Government. Major news stories analysed include insurer NFU Mutual urging commercial property owners not to neglect fire risk assessments during the pandemic and the 20% increase in smoking-related fires since the start of lockdown reported by the London Fire Brigade.

This week on Over the Farm Gate...24 Hours in Farming, supported by Morrisons, hit new heights this year as members of the farming industry tapped into the breadth of social media platforms to give the public a glimpse into farming life and showcase the dedication and passion which goes into producing food for the nation. We bring you some of the highlights but find more at fginsight.com/farm24.Don't miss Alfonso the operatic vet for Buitelaar - watch here!Rural criminals cost the farming industry £54 million last year, with rural insurer NFU Mutual highlighting a spike in crime during the coronavirus lockdown. We look at how partnership organisations are working to stop how criminals getting away with it and what farmers can do to keep their homes and businesses safe.Farmer and Countryfile presenter Adam Henson talks candidly about the effects of coronavirus on his business, if he feels a sense of pressure being one of the most recognisable faces of UK farming and how he deals with social media trolls.Links:24 Hours in Farming - fginsight.com/farm24fginsight.com/farm24 - fginsight.com/farm24watch here! - https://twitter.com/StraightLBeef/status/1291400207909957632NFU Mutual - https://www.nfuonline.com/cross-sector/rural-affairs/rural-crime/Adam Henson - https://cotswoldfarmpark.co.uk/adam/ See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the cost of rural crime in Cambridgeshire rises to a staggering £2 million, Julian & Lucy hear from insurer NFU Mutual’s Chris Walsh.

Will is joined by Rebecca Davidson, NFU Mutual’s Rural Affairs Specialist, to talk through the results of the report and Detective Constable Chris Piggott from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service to talk about the latest trends. Rebecca and Chris talk about crime under Coronavirus, what is being done to tackle the problem, and offer tips and advice to prevent rural crime.  See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

Will is joined by Rebecca Davidson, NFU Mutual’s Rural Affairs Specialist, to talk through the results of the report and Detective Constable Chris Piggott from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service to talk about the latest trends. Rebecca and Chris talk about crime under Coronavirus, what is being done to tackle the problem, and offer tips and advice to prevent rural crime.   

Will talks to Ruth Poulten from NFU Mutual, Jan Welch from RSABI, Mark Thomas from the Farming Community Network and Jason Alexandra from the Samaritans. They discuss how the farming community has been affected over the last few months and what is being done by charities to help. See omnystudio.com/policies/listener for privacy information.

In association with NFU Mutual, I talked to Ruth Poulten from NFU Mutual, Jan Welch from RSABI, Mark Thomas from the Farming Community Network and Jason Alexandra from the Samaritans about how the farming community has been affected over the last few months and what's being done by charities to help.  

As the farming community gears up for harvest this year, Will speaks to one of NFU Mutual’s experts on rural affairs, David Harrison, on how to keep yourself, your employees and friends and family safe

This week on Over The Farm Gate we're talking dog attacks.Since lockdown, rural insurer NFU Mutual estimates a 15 per cent increase in claims relating to dog attacks. We speak to South Downs sheep farmer Caroline Harriott, who has lost 100 sheep in the last 10 years. She talks about her own experience and how farmers in her area are adapting.We also hear from Rob Taylor, a former police sergeant in North Wales, who is chairman of the Livestock Offences Group on the National Police Chief's Council. Rob talks about why he's trying to get the law on livestock worrying changed, and what rights farmers have. As the lockdown eases and the public descend on the countryside in their droves, Sophie Dwerryhouse, national access adviser at the CLA explains the process of temporarily diverting rights of way in order to keep walkers and livestock safe. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

In this episode of the podcast we are talking about ways to maintain trust during the coronavirus pandemic, and we are joined by Sian Fisher, Chief executive at the CII, and Nick Turner, Sales and Agency Director at NFU Mutual, and current President of the CII.

DESCRIPTION: Will records an interview with Evita Van Gestel from NFU Mutual Risk Management Services, to understand what the health and safety challenges are for farmers as a result of Coronavirus and find out about NFU Mutual’s new, free health and safety service  

Will records an interview with Evita Van Gestel from NFU Mutual Risk Management Services, to understand what the health and safety challenges are for farmers as a result of Coronavirus and find out about NFU Mutual’s new, free health and safety service

Will records an interview with Jim McLaren, farmer and NFU Mutual President, to get his perspective on the Coronavirus situation, and find out more about how NFU Mutual are supporting the farming community

NFU Mutual has pledged its support for farmers and rural communities as part of a £32m Coronavirus support package.   The package includes donating millions to local and national charities, as well as rural and mental health causes, to help support the countryside through the pandemic.  I talked to NFU Mutual's Chairman, Jim McLaren, to find out more.      

Livestock worrying by dog has seen a significant increase in the last five years, Will speaks with one of NFU Mutual’s experts on rural affairs, David Harrison to find out more.

In this episode of CII Radio, we talk about the new knowledge range for the personal lines sector; what it is and how it's intended to help the sector meet its talent challenges. We're joined by Sian Fisher, CEO of the CII, and Clair Atkinson, Head of Learning and Organisational Development Partnering at NFU Mutual. The CII has been working with personal lines insurers and brokers over the past 18 months to understand what it takes to build a profession in their sector. Earlier this year, we launched a suite of new learning materials which includes free online courses through to formal qualifications. all designed to meet the needs of motor, home, pet and travel insurance customers. To find out more about CII Radio, and for useful links, visit thejournal.cii.co.uk/podcasts.

Will heads to East Sussex to learn how an historic sheep farm survived foot and mouth by diversifying into growing vines and making award-winning wine. He goes through the whole viticulture process and also finds out how the new business co-exists in harmony with sheep herd, as well as harnessing the power of the local community.

Will heads to East Sussex to learn how an historic sheep farm survived foot and mouth by diversifying into growing vines and making award-winning wine. He goes through the whole viticulture process and also finds out how the new business co-exists in harmony with sheep herd, as well as harnessing the power of the local community.

With winter approaching, advice on what farmers can do to prepare for extreme weather and limit the damage – Will records this bonus episode with David Harrison – one of NFU Mutual’s experts on rural affairs.

With winter approaching, advice on what farmers can do to prepare for extreme weather and limit the damage – Will records this bonus episode with David Harrison – one of NFU Mutual’s experts on rural affairs.

Advice on what farmers can try and do to prevent arson attacks on hay and stray stacks - Will Evans recorded this short bonus episode with Tim Price - one of NFU Mutual's experts on rural affairs.

Catherine Cunningham set herself the challenge of creating an online business from the family farm in County Antrim with a small initial investment. 5 years later, The Present Tree sells thousands of tree gifts every year, and are planning further expansion. Will Evans is in Northern Ireland to discover the secrets behind Catherine's success, and explore the benefits and challenges of diversifying without potential customers coming onto the farm.  

Drones are fun to play with, but can they have a significant impact on our everyday work on the farm? What real-life farming problems can they solve? And how do you make sure you’re not breaking any laws or regulations? Will Evans visits Hampton House Farm in Warwickshire, talking to enthusiasts, experts, the Civil Aviation Authority and even the police, to bring you all the details.    

Rock & Roll Farming is proud to present the fourth NFU Mutual 'Ahead of the Field' podcast.  We visited the stunningly located Portnellan organic farm on the banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland, where they've diversified to welcome holiday makers and tourists with 4 star cottages, glamping AND speedboat tours! I talked to Chris Scott-Park and his father David, all about how they've breathed new life into their family business.    To find other podcasts in the series, or to subscribe, search for 'NFU Mutual' in your podcast app. 

How could your pension help your plans to diversify your farming business? Will Evans talks to Sean McCann, a Chartered Financial Planner with NFU Mutual.

Rock & Roll Farming is proud to present the third NFU Mutual 'Ahead of the Field' podcast.  We visited the Rhug Estate, near Corwen, to look at Lord Newborough's hugely impressive business, which includes a farm shop stocking a huge range of home-grown products, a take away food stop, and a recently opened drive-through restaurant.  To find other podcasts in the series, or to subscribe, search for 'NFU Mutual' in your podcast app. 

Insurance is an important factor to consider when diversifying your farming business. Whilst visiting the Ramsbury Estate, Will Evans recorded this short bonus episode with Chris Walsh - one of NFU Mutual's experts on Rural Affairs.

Rock & Roll Farming is proud to present the second NFU Mutual 'Ahead of the Field' podcast.  We visited Ramsbury Estates in Wiltshire to look at their various diversified enterprises, including brewing, gin & vodka distillery, and a smokehouse.  To find other podcasts in the series, or to subscribe, search for 'NFU Mutual' in your podcast app.   

Rock & Roll Farming is proud to present the first NFU Mutual 'Ahead of the Field' podcast.  We visited Lyndon Farms in Leicestershire to look at their diversification into Agri-Contracting.  To find other podcasts in the series, or to subscribe, search for 'NFU Mutual' in your podcast app.       

The pea harvest is over…but it’s fair to say our farmers are from far peased…err PLEASED…with it! Find out why. Also...in the week NFU Mutual released its latest rural crime report, we hear from two farmers who’ve come face to face with criminals on their farms.

Rural crime is rising at its fastest rate since 2010, according to the latest annual report by UK rural insurer NFU Mutual. But crime in the countryside is about much more than thieves stealing tractors and other machine from farms – although that is a major problem too. This podcast speaks to a farmer whose family has been repeatedly threatened by a criminal gang of hare coursers – and asks are police getting the resources needed to catch those responsible? As well as farm theft and hare coursing, other offences taking their toll on farmers and rural communities include fly-tipping, dog attacks on sheep and livestock rustling. With police finances under pressure – calls are growing for fairer funding to ensure that the fight against rural crime is properly resourced. With Tim Price (NFU Mutual), Richard Beechener (Farmers & Mercantile), Jamie Burrows (Hertfordshire farmer and agricultural contractor), Deputy Chief Constable Craig Naylor (Lincolnshire Police and the National Police Chiefs Council), North Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan (National Rural Crime Network), and Sam Durham (National Farmers Union).

Sean's talking rural crime on the programme this week...as NFU Mutual reports just how much crime is costing farmers in our part of the world. We'll hear from one Lincolnshire farmer who's been the victim of crime 13 times in the last 5 years!