United Kingdom
January 8, 2014

Farmers from the South West have been personally invited by Pearce Seeds to an audience with two of the Arable Sector’s leading voices, David Caffall ( CEO of Agricultural Industries Confederation) and Jonathan Tipples ( Chairman of Home Grown Cereals Authority) at the Inaugural Pearce Seeds Winter Conference at the Haynes Motor Museum, Sparkford on 20 January 2014. The theme for this year’s conference is the Current Threats and Future Opportunities in UK Agriculture.


“After two challenging years with little respite from the weather it is time to look to the future. “The Conference will examine pesticide revocations, reduction in fertiliser use due to legislation and regulations, impacts on food supply and what we can do to alleviate these issues” Said Paul Taylor, Group Manager for the Pearce Group of Companies. “We want to see the agricultural industry moving forward to produce more food and become more profitable. “

Mr Caffall and Mr Tipples are well qualified to speak on the subject matter with David being heavily involved in the Agrochemical Industry with various companies prior to his appointment at the AIC and Jonathan a farmer from Kent who has also spent time on the NFU Board.

This is the first year Pearce Seeds have hosted a winter conference, and their securing of two heavy weights of the industry to speak on such sensitive topics shows their willingness to develop the arable farming sector. Pearce Seeds traditionally specialists in mixed farming enterprises have been expanding their area over the last 10 years and are now engaging with larger arable units within the South West and have been working hard at marketing the South West as an arable region to plant breeders, industry bodies and national companies who have traditionally focussed on the Eastern Counties.

“The arable acreages in the South West as part of a rotation with grassland and maize is significant” said Pearce Seed’s Managing Director Ken Tuffin. “We have a different climate, and crop rotation than the East, and therefore have different selection criteria for varieties”. To that end Pearce Seeds, are now in their 5th year of running their own Trials Facilities at Plumber Farm near Sturminster Newton, a facility that is now gaining the attention of NIAB, agrochemical manufacturers and plant breeders looking for data driven in the South West.
The presence of the head of both the AIC and the HGCA at this Inaugural conference in Somerset indicates that the Pearce Seeds and the Southwest are serious about arable farming and its future.

Website: http://www.pearceseeds.co.uk

Published: January 8, 2014