On May 1st the Feed Adviser Register (FAR), run by AIC (Agricultural Industries Confederation), enters its second year and is going from strength to strength, according to AIC Services Managing Director John Kelley.
With over 1,000 registered advisers, FAR is being very well supported by the livestock industry and is working effectively as a central register that recognises existing skills within the industry and is a stimulus for their development. FAR is working on providing a range of continuing professional development measures to maintain advisers’ FAR status.
“We have been very pleased by the success of FAR to date,” says John, “There was a clear need to provide a register for feed advisers, in particular to demonstrate the sector’s actions in support of the Government’s Greenhouse Gas Action Plan (GHGAP) for agriculture. As the scheme matures we believe that it will deliver even greater benefits for the industry, for customers and for feed advisers themselves.”
By the end of the second year of the scheme members will have to complete a number of actions to maintain their FAR Status. These include:
• Completing a self-declaration letter, which declares that the adviser has maintained his FAR status
• Completing a FAR core competency template, which demonstrates how the advisers has met these core competencies
• Completing an online interactive learning tool, which is based around the core competencies
Once these actions are complete, advisers will be issued with new FAR ID Cards to use on farm or with customers to demonstrate that they are fully compliant with the FAR.
A new on-line interactive learning tool will provide an easily accessible learning tool for feed advisers to demonstrate that they have met their core competencies. Further information is on the FAR website www.feedadviserregister.org.uk
John continues: “For the first time feed advisers have a professional register which promotes professional industry standards. It will provide access to a range of tools that will be easy-to-use via the website. For customers it provides assurance of the standard of advice they receive from a registered feed adviser. It also provides a clear channel for information to reach producers and to help the industry meet GHGAP targets.”
The website also gives detailed information about the demographic split of advisers by age and gender and also the livestock sectors that they advise. Over 10% of advisers are from the independent sector which proves the wide appeal and uptake of FAR.
Further information on the scheme can be found on the FAR website at www.feedadviserregister.org.uk
