Andrew Heskin, Partner at Moore Thomson and Chair of the UK200’s Agriculture Group, attended the IAgSA Conference last weekend in Edinburgh, an event which the group are proud to sponsor.
Much like the UK200Group Annual Conference, IAgSA take their yearly event around the country, and on this occasion, we couldn’t wish for a better location than the Peebles Hydro Hotel in Peebles, Scotland.
We were delighted to provide notebooks for the delegates, as well as sponsoring a table at the Gala Dinner, and it was fantastic to meet so many lovely people at the conference.
Inspiring speakers
We were engrossed by various speakers from all walks of farming backgrounds, particularly by an entrepreneur who started her own business working from her tenant farm, supplying ‘Supernature Cold Pressed Rapeseed Oils’ – winning 10 national awards in the process!
There was a fantastic array of speakers, with a farmer who is a strong advocate of utilising technology and precision farm methods overseeing the installation of two robotic units to undertake the milking of her heard, being a prime example of this. This innovative technological advance cost £300,000 but has been priceless in the fact that it has allowed her to spend more time with her family.
It was a delight to meet Jim, a fifth-generation farmer who has overcome the generation gap of parents ‘stuck in their ways’, with the farm now a hub of innovation and diversification, producing food and energy that is fit for the 21st century.
We were also amazed by the capers of the organised crime scene in Scotland! Alan, a Rural Crime Co-ordinator with Police Scotland, enlightened us on how the scams of crime function in the borders, from stealing tractors and quad bikes to the sad organised crime of drugs and how gangs attempt to hide them.
An eventful trip
The event also included free time to explore the beautiful village of Peebles, before heading back to the hotel for a very untimely fire alarm and evacuation! Thankfully, it was a false alarm. It was then time for the Gala Dinner, which of course included the ‘piping in’ of the haggis and the obligatory thankyous and speeches. This was followed by Hamish Dyke, a local celebrity from the BBC series ‘Lambing Live’, as the after-dinner speaker.
The fantastic after-dinner entertainment was provided by Stuart Anderson, who was our ‘caller’ for the 90 minutes of Ceilidh (Scottish barn dancing).
Overall, it was a great conference, and we were delighted to make new friends and contacts. We are proud to sponsor the event, as well as other events like these, to build on our external relationships and promote the UK200Group.