Agriculture in the UK is in a state of uncertainty, with more and more farmers and agribusinesses having to rethink their strategies in order to best meet the challenges facing the industry.
For many British farmers, circumstances mean they’ve had to focus on “surviving” rather than “thriving”. But is this the right approach?
CPM takes a look at The AF Group recent report on the agricultural sector and what farmers can do to promote a profitable business and ensure a plentiful supply chain
By Charlotte Cunningham
More than three years since the referendum, it’s fair to say we’re all a bit fed up of the B-word.
Things don’t appear to have progressed much since June 2016 and the industry remains on edge for what potentially is to come and how this may affect businesses.
However, while it’s true that there’s a large amount of uncertainty, a new report from Anglia farmers has suggested actions that can be taken now by farmers in order to increase productivity and efficiently.
“What’s needed is a change of perspective,” says Jon Duffy, AF chief executive. “By investing in robust supply chain relationships and partnerships, British farmers can still — despite turbulent times — position themselves to grow their businesses.”
The AF group believe a key driver in this could be forging better relations with supply chains and thinking of them as partners, not providers. As a result, it has recently published a new report, outlining the attitude and actions needed for successful and fruitful supply chain partnerships.
The report, Stronger Links in Farming, offers an analysis of the agriculture sector and addresses head on the need to shift thinking and operations.
In particular, the report focused on five key ideas including:
- ▪ The State of UK Agriculture – A look at the current UK farming sector and the potential business environment it faces in the near term.
- ▪ Supply chain partnership – How treating supply chain businesses as partners – rather than mere suppliers – opens the door to greater resources and more intricate solutions.
- ▪ Brexit and its consequences – Even as uncertainty continues, what can we say for sure about Britain leaving the EU?
- ▪ Partnership in action – A close look at how one business adjusted its strategy and reaped the rewards of supply chain partnership.
- ▪ Opportunities – A combined offering of simpler transactions and better services offer genuine long-term value to customers.
To survive — and thrive — the paper is designed to get farmers thinking about these points and the relevance they have to their own business, as well as how they can use the ideas to create certainty and growth, adds Jon.
“Stronger links in the supply chain are possible without sacrificing individual business identity,” he says. “British agriculture is in a changing state, but that does not necessarily have to be a bad thing.
“Farmers who consider their position and forge new partnerships in the supply chain to strengthen their position will ultimately fair better than those who don’t.”
To read the full report click here
