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Expect the unexpected

We held our latest Initiative meeting at Bath Racecourse, which I should mention is a terrific venue for everything from a small meeting right through to a major dinner or conference, so if you’re planning something give Simon Tonge a call and I’m sure he’d be happy to help.

 

There was talk about the need for more affordable housing and we heard about the importance of horse racing to the nation’s economy, but probably the most thought provoking session was all about food security, perhaps not the most obvious topic for a business group.

 

But when you think about it, resilience and finding a way to keep going is a fundamental part of running a successful business. Just look at how the Pandemic impacted the whole economy. It de-railed some companies, but others, particularly those who had some planning in place, were able to get back on track more quickly.

 

Nick Green from Lye Cross Farm, the major North Somerset cheese maker, explained about the inherent risks in taking food security for granted. Normally we can pop out to the local supermarket pretty well at any hour of day or night and pick up exactly what we need. However, it doesn’t take very much to change all that. He told us about a major electricity failure in Canada some years ago which resulted in empty shelves within a few days. More recently we have seen the consequences of the war in Ukraine which has impacted supplies and raised prices of various goods.

 

He said that Governments of differing political hues have assumed we could always import food as and when we needed it, but that relied on supplies being available and affordable. That has led to a strange arrangement where farmers can now apparently make more money not by growing food, but rather managing the countryside in an environmentally friendly manner.

 

How does this tale of food security apply to business in general ? Well, it suggests we need to think about resilience in the widest sense. Do we have plans in place to cope with major infrastructure breakdowns ? Are our supply chains really robust, or are we just hoping for the best ? These are awkward and difficult questions and consequently the sort of things that it’s all too easy to push to the backs of our minds, but if the unexpected did happen, it’s as well to be prepared.

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