The first Gillingham and Shaftesbury Branch Lunch was held at the Kings Arms, East Stour attended by an amazing 21 members. Dirk Russell, former Campaign Manager and Agent, now County Advisor for the NFU gave a real interesting talk about the challenges faced farmers in Dorset today. Dirk talked about the importance of food security in the light of recent international events. He described farmers as risk takers earning a living against a background of rising input costs, the vagaries of the weather and volatile prices for their crops and livestock. Lots of question from members demonstrated their interest and concern for the sector.
