Local farmers lead the way (From Western Telegraph)

Local farmers lead the way

Farmers in England are set to follow the lead of a pioneering group of Pembrokeshire farmers.

Dairy Horizons, formed by members of the Pembrokeshire-based grassland discussion groups, Grasshoppers and Grazing Dragons, are the first farmers in Wales to sign up for Investor in People status. The pioneering idea now looks set to be embraced by other farmers in England, reports Janice Williams, Carmarthenshire District Council's business development officer.

"I have had a telephone call from a discussion group in Wiltshire who had heard about Dairy Horizons and were very keen to know more about the Investor in People programme,'' said Mrs Williams, who is the group's lead officer on the route to full accreditation.

She described the group as crusaders who had opted to become Investors in People because many of the programme's requirements mirrored existing aspects of their businesses.

"These are not your average farmers,'' she admitted. "I have been very impressed with their knowledge and understanding of best practice, their total commitment to the task.''

"Investor in People is about employers developing themselves and their staff. It is about having clear aims and objectives for the business, evaluating, monitoring and measuring.''

Others members of the Grasshoppers and Grazing Dragons have expressed an interest in joining the programme at a later stage. The Investor in People programme tailored for farmers is regarded as important at a time when more people are leaving the countryside in search of alternative careers. A shortage of farm labour is becoming a major issue.

"We want to keep people, particularly the young, in rural areas. The only way we can do that is by developing ourselves as employers,'' she said. The journey towards Investor in People was as important as the final accreditation, Mrs Williams believed. "It is necessary for an employer to put in place thoughts and a system that allows them to continually develop and improve. It is only farmers who can do that who will survive and offer good quality, interesting jobs to the young people.''

All nine Dairy Horizons members have had to formulate an action plan and will implement this plan over the next nine months with the aim of achieving full accreditation next August.