The Farmers Mart Oct/Nov 2016 - Issue 48

Farm News COMMUNITY MESSAGING GOES MOBILE An innovative community messaging system in North Yorkshire has got even better with the launch of a new smartphone app. »»NORTH YORKSHIRE Community Messaging is a free system that lets people register to receive the latest crime notifications and community news in their neighbourhoods. The new app, now available to download for iOS and Android devices, takes advantage of geolocation technology, allowing users to receive important alerts that are relevant to them – wherever they are in North Yorkshire. More than 15,000 people are already signed up to receive alerts. In the last four months alone, 832 messages have been sent out to the public, businesses, and Rural and Neighbourhood Watch groups across York and North Yorkshire. As North Yorkshire Police is geographically England’s largest single county force, the community messaging system is the biggest of its kind in the country. Members of the public can choose to receive messages via email, text message, social media or voice call. The app means users can now receive push notifications straight to their smartphones and tablets. They can also receive alerts based on their current geographical location – crucial for avoiding road closures, helping to find missing people and even staying safe during a large-scale emergency. North Yorkshire Police became the first police force in the UK to launch a smartphone app back in March 2011. More than five years on, the community messaging app is designed to take advantage of the latest mobile technology. Geolocation is a particularly useful tool in rural areas, where alerts can be shared to an audience across a wide area very quickly. Assistant Chief Constable Lisa Winward, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “We want to be the most responsive police service in England, and our new community messaging app is a great way to help us achieve that. “Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams are already using community messaging to raise awareness of recent crime trends, highlight the availability of property marking sessions, and inform the public about upcoming crime prevention operations. The new app opens up new possibilities for us to use notifications and geolocation technology to make the system even more effective. “The information and intelligence that we receive from community messaging users is crucial in preventing and detecting crime and antisocial behaviour, so the more people that join Community Messaging, the safer North Yorkshire will be.” www.nycm.co.uk Farming unions unanimous on brexit priorities »»WHEN REPRESENTATIVES OF THE industry from all four UK farming unions met at the end of August to discuss the potential affects Brexit will have on the beef and lamb sectors, topics of discussion included access to the EU market, regulatory burden and an agricultural policy that delivers confidence. And all four unions came to a unanimous conclusion on what priorities must be for the beef and lamb sectors. “It is vital that the UK unions work closely throughout the Brexit process,” said National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Scotland livestock committee chairman and Aberdeenshire farmer, Charlie Adam. “We share many challenges and all want the best out of the situation for farmers. We are working on solutions for top three topics – trade, regulation and farm support. “On trade, our livestock farmers, particularly sheep, need access to European markets to 18 Oct/Nov 2016 www.farmers-mart.co.uk support our production and price while the quality of our beef merits trade arrangements that recognise existing and potential markets. We need to use Brexit as an opportunity to focus support and policy on those doing the farming and to see a move towards more sensible regulations and proportionate policing.” NFU livestock chairman Charles Sercombe added that it is important that discussions continue to ensure that access to new international markets are secured. “Agreements that allow access to the UK market must take into account the sensitive status of UK produced beef and lamb in future free trade of WTO (World Trade Organisation) discussions. “Like other farming sectors, access to nonUK labour is a key issue. We are acutely aware that the meat processing sector is reliant on a secure labour supply, and without it we could see costs rising in the supply chain and which would have a knock on effect to our ability to compete in a world market.” Sercombe said that regulatory burdens remain a sensitive issue for livestock producers. “We recognise that any significant change could impact on our ability to trade within the single market. Therefore, our challenge to government is to ensure regulation is proportionate, is not ‘gold plated’ but encourages compliance. “We want an agricultural policy that helps deliver long term food security, stability and confidence for the livestock sector that reflect geographical and devolved government differences. “The UK livestock sector has an opportunity to come up with a template for a productive and profitable sector, this is the start of a new era and we want to be part of that discussion.”

The Farmers Mart Oct/Nov 2016 - Issue 48 | Page 18