Show time
This year the show celebrated 140 years, the weather was hot and record numbers, we’re told, attended yet another successful couple of days.
91²Ö¿âstand was busy with members coming to meet NFU Vice-president Rachel Hallos and our team of guest NFU specialist advisers. They also enjoyed a free, locally sourced ploughman’s lunch and cakes as well as catching up with each other and the local team.
Day one of the show saw Robbie Moore MP and our newly elected Mayor, Dame Andrea Jenkyns, join us and, the following day, we also received visits from Lincolnshire MPs Dr Caroline Johnson and Sir Edward Leigh, shadow Defra minister Victoria Atkins and the leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch. The Lincolnshire Show is the perfect venue to showcase what we do best for our members as well as offer them somewhere to catch up and engage with political representatives.
Shadowing RCAT
The week after the show I had the most amazing opportunity to spend a day with Lincolnshire Police’s Rural Crime Action Team. Not only did this show me the amount of back office work that is involved in dealing with reported rural crime, but it also flagged up areas where we could all do more to help.
Firstly, and most importantly, is to actually report crime. I understand that it can be frustrating being on hold waiting to give the call handler the details, however, did you know that the police’s resource numbers not only factor the number of people living in the county but also the recorded data of crime incidents? We all know, including the criminals who target our county, that Lincolnshire is vast, but the actual head count of population and police is low for its size. This makes reporting crimes that have taken or are taking place even more important when justifying or requesting Police resource.
Another area we are exploring is around preventative measures on-farm, for example marking all farm kit so that when it is recovered, it isn’t possible for the person to be able to say 'it was purchased from Facebook Marketplace.' If the strimmer, leaf blower, mower etc. has an identifying mark, such as a name and postcode, it has been reported as stolen and you have been able to provide a serial number as well as the identification information, anyone in possession of such items can be charged with handling stolen goods. This would, I think, act as a deterrent and help the police when tracking individuals’ criminality.
We are currently exploring options of marking smaller farm equipment with a laser stamp or marker and will update you on this. We are also looking at how we can get funding or discount on trackers for larger items.
Finally, with an early harvest on the cards, despite the success rates of Operation Galileo, we will be expecting hare coursing activity in parts of the county. It would be really helpful if we could work together to produce a map of farms with names and contact numbers to assist the police. If you would like to help us do this, please let your Group Secretary know or email me: [email protected]