Potato Review

62 POTATO REVIEW JULY/AUGUST 2021 INDUSTRY UPDATES CROSS-SECTOR farming company Velcourt Ltd has made senior management changes. After 30-years leading the business through substantial growth and changes to agricultural practice, Chairman/CEO James Townshend will move into the role of Executive Chairman where he will further develop the company’s services, partnerships, and the farm businesses Velcourt manages. Nick Shorter will be appointed to the newly-created role of Managing Director of Velcourt Ltd. James said: “Nick’s appointment as Velcourt Ltd’s MD is a deserved promotion given the success he has had throughout his 20-year career with Velcourt, and more recently as the company’s Farms Director in the South of England. is appointment comes at a time when all the signals point to a signi cant upheaval for the UK’s farming industry. Our belief that the newworld for agriculture, post Brexit, needs fresh thinking creating opportunities for those prepared to face into that.” Velcourt, which was founded in 1967, is a cross-sector farming company that provides working capital and shares in the business risk as well as farmmanagement services and agronomy. In addition, Velcourt undertakes research and development. DE Sangosse Ltd, manufacturer of pesticides, complementary chemistry and molluscicides, which is based near Cambridge, has appointed Dr Brett Symonds as its Chemistry Compliance and Technical Manager. His knowledge will be integral to development of the company’s product portfolio and managing its protocols. He gained a BSc in Chemistry from e University of Surrey in 2012 and also a PhD from Reading University in 2016, where his research focused on methods to determine rainfastness of agrochemical adjuvants. Soon after, he was appointed technical advisor at Sumitomo Chemical where he worked across technical and regulatory functions to support the sale of household insecticide active ingredients across the EMEA region. De Sangosse Managing Director, Dr David Cameron, said: “Dr Symonds is a welcome addition to the De Sangosse team, further strengthening the strong chemistry base which has been a key success factor for us.” TEAM Sprayers celebrates 40 years of manufacturing at its Ely factory in Cambridgeshire this year. Team Sprayers was established by Bob Hubbard back in January 1981 after the closure of well-known company Dorman sprayers. A team of sta were recruited from the previous company bringing with them specialist skills and knowledge which were an essential building block for the newly founded company, one member of the original team still works for the business, stores manager Steve Whitehand. Utilising these skills combined with the 40 years’ experience has resulted in Team becoming a respected UK manufacturer supplying the Agricultural and Groundcare industries. Teams agricultural range includes both tractor mounted and trailed sprayers, the mounted range tops out with the latest Arian 2 combining a maximum tank size of 1800L and vertical rear folding booms of up to 27m. e Leader trailed range goes up to 5000L and the latest 36m triple folding spray boom, all with optional GPS mapping combining nozzle control and boom levelling systems. Moulton College is working alongside Farol Ltd to develop a new certi cate in agricultural technology for students to complete alongside their studies. e Certi cate will evidence the extensive skill, knowledge and practical experience acquired by the college’s students in agricultural technologies, to present to employers on entering industry. Louise Fletcher, Head of School for land-based and equine subjects at Moulton said: “Technology plays an important part in the agriculture industry, and this Certi cate will demonstrate the new and emerging ways the industry is optimising this. For students with a keen interest in technology, this Certi cate is a great opportunity to learn more about this evolving eld within agriculture and stand out to prospective employers.” Farol Ltd established as a family business in the 1970s and works closely with agricultural manufacturers. Management team changes to meet new challenges Chemical expert joins UK team New Certificate in Agricultural Technology – college collaboration 40-year celebration