12 November 2009, Council Offices, Kilmory, Lochgilphead, 14..00
Present
Alan Minshaw, SAC; John Forster, SAC; Ross Lilley, SNH; Keith Miller, FCS; Fergus Younger, Agric. Forum; Angus McFadyen, Chair, Agric. Forum; Bill Dundas, SGRPID; Audrey Martin, A & B Council; Lucy Sumsion, NFUS
Meeting Minutes
Agenda Item 1 - Fergus updated the Forum on topical issues for the Forum.
The Argyll Food Producers group have won another award for "The Best Use of Local Food" at the HIE Food & Drink Awards. This was good because it was for a different section to the National Awards which were for their partnership working.
Fergus also circulated details about the Argyll Hill Lamb Project and the current logo being used.
Agenda Item 2 - Agricultural Strategy key focus is going forward.
Fergus circulated the tables for the next steps for the Strategy which highlights the actions. Fergus explained that the key areas going forward were to remain around the area of marketing and food, and the projects within that. Also remain around Rural Skills, Working Farm Woodlands, Renewables, Communication and Lobbying.
Agenda Item 3 - Rural Forum strategy to date.
Fergus circulated a flow diagram which indicated the role of the Development Manager in delivering the Strategy to date. This had followed a time-line but also followed a process. Critically, initially understanding the area issues and the market failures and following these up by responding to opportunities, working with motivated people and inspiring other groups where there was a lack of motivation. This has led to a few dead-ends such as Biogas, but had also led to opportunities and successful projects.
These successful projects usually involved collaboration among farmers and collaboration in supply chains. With these successful projects, the Forum was seeking to build sustainable projects where funding, beyond the support of the Agricultural Forum, is developed, and further linkage is also developed. Building recognition and awareness locally and nationally of the Agricultural Forum, and getting involved in policy through boards and conferences was a route the development manager was also following.
Fergus explained that the key members of the Forum and their organisations tended not to be able to engage so much in the development work in the early stages, but when successful partnerships were formed, they were able to engage at that level and look for funding etc.
Agenda Item 4 - Timing for re-focussing the Strategy?
Agenda Item 5 - Current Forum funding situation.
Fergus explained that the next steps of the Strategy were still very relevant, although some actions were now redundant and past their sell-by date. The Forum members suggested that, rather than re-focus the whole Strategy, they should all go away and come back with a list of 6 key areas that their organisations would want the Forum to pursue and the partners would want to engage in developing. This would then be collated and areas of commonality looked at and this would act as the first step in re-focussing the Agricultural Strategy.
Action Point 1 – Fergus to circulate email asking for 6 key actions from Forum members.
Agenda Item 6 - Is there still a market for area to address? A structure going forward? Funding going forward?
Fergus asked the Steering Group whether they still saw a need for the Agricultural Forum, whether they thought the Forum structure was still appropriate and whether funding going forward was necessary. There was a general concensus that the Forum, if it was to continue, would still need the key centre point of contact role/development role and that was key to the success of the Agricultural Forum.
Fergus explained that within the actions of the next steps of the Agricultural Strategy Section D.1.1 had to commission a base line economic survey of the Forum to establish how much added value the work of the Forum creates. The group agreed that this would be a useful first step to justify the work of the Forum to date and looking for funding going forward.
Action Point 2 – Fergus to research opportunities for funding through the Scottish Government to undertake a review of the work of the Agricultural Forum.
Agenda Item 7 - AOCB.
Fergus explained that he felt that the success of the Forum and a lot of the Development work that had been done had been due to it being a free resource and was keen that the Forum would remain that way. On the other hand he has been approached to undertake work outwith the area which could be paid and, in relation to the experience gained and current projects, was this a route forward to bring funding back into the area?
Similarly, Fergus had been asked to speak at various conferences and sit on a Board for Corporate Development Scotland which was both outside the area and had the potential to influence and raise awareness for the area. There was a general concensus that Fergus should limit his activity outwith the area to activity that will raise the profile of the Agricultural Forum and attempt to limit that to 1-2 days per month.
Date of next meeting – 19th January, 10am in Lochgilphead.
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