Farmer Focus: All goes smoothly with three farm audits
Annabel Hamilton © Angus Findlay How on earth is it December already? I love December for many different reasons.
Not only is it because of Christmas, the delicious turkey and the festive gatherings, but it brings time to reflect, recharge and relax in what is usually a quiet month work wise.
In the past three weeks I have had three auditors on the farm, all from different schemes. I am pleased to say all the audits went smoothly.
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About the author
Farm audits are like Marmite, you either like them or you don’t.
I fully support that, as food producers, where our end product enters the food chain we should be inspected and must show that our record keeping, grain stores, livestock and machinery are in good order, and that we provide a safe working environment.
But we seem to be missing some joined up thinking along the way.
Do local authorities and end-user businesses not recognise the Scottish Quality Crop accreditation?
Our chemical store has never been more organised and my spray records are dizzy with all the passing around, but in a market where crop premiums are essential we do what we must.
Role model
At our local Agricultural Discussion Society we were very privileged to have gold medallist Paralympian Sammi Kinghorn come and speak to us for our December meeting.
Sammi grew up in the Scottish Borders and when she was a teenager had an accident on a farm which left her paralysed below the waist.
I have never known a speaker hold an audience as well as Sammi did. She gave us an honest account of her accident, how it affected her and her family and her journey to where she is now.
Her commitment to her sport was inspiring and how she responded so positively to her farm accident was quite incredible.
Sammi is the fastest female 100m wheelchair racer in the world, and continues to chase those gold medals. She is my definition of a role model who has a pure passion to drive for success.
Her story is a stark reminder of safety on farms, and importantly the demonstration of mental strength and what can be achieved if you put your mind to it.
Wishing all Farmers Weekly readers a merry Christmas and a happy new year.
