I have just been sent a link through to the below from DEFRA. In their words ‘the Future of Farming Review is an industry led initiative, in partnership with Government, that aims to assess the workforce that will be needed by a sustainable, productive and resilient agriculture sector now and in the future.’
The form can be accessed here: http://www.defra.gov.uk/consult/files/ffr-call-for-views-130307.pdf
I believe that this step is a necessary one and I hope that the response is wide and something positive comes out of it. The agricultural sector faces the prospect of struggling for a generation if not enough skilled workers enter the industry in the coming years. There are, as with any career path, a number of fences that have to be hurdled to enter the industry and this survey is all about finding solutions to the problems that people, real people, are facing at the moment.
I would be interested to hear if there are other similar schemes taking place in other countries.
thinkingcountry.com 