'YOU must come from a farming family, to work in the farming industry?'

That's a long-used generalisation that generations gone by would have stood fast by, but in this modern day, it is a statement that is far from the truth.

Gemma Cooper has been the agricultural holdings and legal and technical policy manager for NFU Scotland for the past six years and openly admits to coming from a 'farming-free' family background.

Tasked with leading and developing NFUS’s legal and technical policy, Gemma is responsible for the Legal and Technical Committee, Tenants Working Group, Tenancy Working Group, and Crown Estate Tenants Working Group. The policy portfolio for the legal and technical remit includes land reform, agricultural holdings law, Crown Estate, communities, planning, utilities, employment, and renewables – so she truly sees a wide spectrum of the industry.

Back home in East Lothian, after stints in Perthshire and Shropshire, Gemma took time to tell The SF how she got into the industry, and how she feels about working within it.

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I’m originally from East Lothian, but I’m not from a farming background. I would describe my upbringing as rural – I’ve always lived in the countryside and as kids my brother and myself followed typically rural hobbies, such as riding and shooting.

I kept my horses on a local farm and this gave us an insight into how farming worked-and gave us the opportunity to get hands-on at harvest and lambing time. We’ve both ended up working in the industry and I’m sure the two are linked.

When it was time for uni', I ended up down in Shropshire at Harper Adams, and I graduated in 2005, having completed a degree in rural enterprise and land management. I had a brilliant time at Harper and I would really encourage more Scots to make the trip – it is well worth it.

I started my career working in a graduate job in rural estate management on large estates in Perthshire and Angus. Following on from this, I worked as an agricultural and rural business consultant, with a specialism in SRDP and farm diversification.

Six years ago I applied for the job with NFU Scotland, and I’m happy to say I’ve been there ever since.

What is your working day like?

It’s a bit of a cliché, but no two days at NFUS are ever the same. My role is within the policy team and we cover a vast amount of technical issues.

Our job is to represent NFUS members and to ensure that agriculture is at the forefront of discussions on all issues that affect it.

This takes the form of monitoring current issues and looking for upcoming ones and working to shape any regulation or associated legislation to ensure that the interests of agriculture are protected. I think we do a good job, we have an excellent team of staff who are extremely knowledgeable about farming and very passionate about helping NFUS members and representing the industry.

A lot of my remit at NFUS is on issues which are wider than farming, but which have the potential to impact greatly on the industry.

Currently, I spend a lot of time working on issues relating to land reform, which is a hot potato due to the current political climate. There is some real momentum behind some of the more extreme agendas and my job is to make sure that farming, and its practicalities, are accounted for.

I spend a lot of time in meetings, but I’m still allowed to get my feet muddy on occasion and it’s good to remind folk that policy people do ‘get’ farming, and I like to reassure people that we want to fit the policy into farming, not the other way round. A lot of what we do at NFUS is technical and legalistic, so we try and make it digestible for our members – that’s a skill in itself.

How did you get into agriculture as a career path?

Agriculture was not well promoted as a career option when I was at school. I had an inkling that I fancied doing something rural based and really for me it was as simple as finding a decent prospectus in the careers library and then going on a campus visit.

I made great friends and industry contacts during my time at Harper and these have been invaluable. It was also great fun, which obviously isn’t the main thing, but it’s certainly important.

I do think that agriculture needs to make far more of itself as a career option – and that it really needs to make the point that it isn’t just for those brought up on farms or from farming families. There are so many career paths in the industry, and it’s open to all – farmers, non-farmers, males, females.

We need to get better at shouting about the huge variety of careers that are on offer to make sure that we are attracting and retaining the most capable people who can really drive the industry forward.

We need to get it more out there that agriculture is a great industry to work in, it’s got great character, and is interesting and vibrant, and all that needs to be endorsed more.

How do you view the role of women in agriculture?

I think we need to remember that women in agriculture is not a new phenomenon. However, we need to raise the profile of women in the industry and hold them up as examples of what can be achieved – not because they are women, though, but because they are capable.

There’s an unconscious bias in our industry and I would like to see that change. I’m also not saying that that’s the fault of men, either. Women can be as guilty, if not more so, of not pushing themselves forward.

Instilling a bit more self-belief will be the linchpin of progressing on this issue. Huge strides have been made with things like the Women in Agriculture Task Force, and we are starting to see some positive changes start to happen.

I’ve really enjoyed being in the thick of things, and the positivity, inclusiveness and forward-thinking is something that the industry needs to grasp with both hands.

More than 50% of NFUS staff are female – all but one of our regional managers are, so that tells its own story. However, we do have an all-male board, and I won’t shy away from the fact that currently and in the political climate, it looks unfortunate. NFUS has been making real efforts to be inclusive of females in the industry, and I’m keen that we start to see real tangible change.

I would urge any women within NFUS membership to seriously consider how they can become more involved with the union. This is a time of great change for farming, and we need refreshing views and strong voices to help us do our job to best effect.

What do you consider the main issues facing the industry just now?

NFUS deals with a huge array of policy issues, but I’m going to stick to those within my own policy remit, so for me, these all link to land reform.

A lot of contentious issues were brought to the surface during the passage of the Land Reform Act in 2016, and some of the wounds caused by this are still causing issues for the industry. The issue of access to land and tenancies for the next generation is one such problem and it is going to take time to fully address this.

Rural communities feel increasingly that they are entitled to have a say about what goes on in the countryside and government is keen to facilitate this. Farmers are going to have to be much more aware of this and the job for NFUS will be to ensure that business activities are not impeded.

As an industry, we must tie this in with raising public awareness about agriculture and get better at explaining why we do what we do. Some of our arguments relating to future support payments will need to be underpinned by wider justifications around public interest and the public benefits of farming.

The politics of the day mean that there are undercurrents of some quite anti-landowner agendas now, which the industry needs to be careful about.

This links in with what I have said before about shouting about what we are doing, farming is the fabric of our countryside – we look after it, we do a great job and we need to let everybody know.

Is there anything you would say that inspires you in the world of farming?

It’s a great industry – we take a basic raw material, land, and we produce food for people. In the process, we are essentially managing a living landscape, some of the most beautiful countryside in the world and that is inspiring stuff.

Aside from being a huge fan of our countryside, the recent strides made to advance the profile of women in agriculture is inspiring.

I’ve seen an increasing number of motivated and talented individuals come to the fore. It will be interesting to watch things progress and to be a part of it.

What would you say to someone thinking of getting involved in agriculture?

Do it. It is a great industry, and there are so many jobs in agriculture, and people outwith the industry need to realise that – there is massive scope for so many careers.

What are your thoughts on the future of women in farming?

I can see women having a great voice in the future, although I do think this will take time. We need to ride this wave of enthusiasm that there is for women in agriculture just now.

I really do think that we are pushing at an open door and I hope that more people embrace it.

Change is needed, but women shouldn’t be viewed as a threat, it is about making best use of the best people, irrespective of gender or where they have come from.

Do you have a final message?

As an industry, we do a great job of producing some of the best products in the world and we should be very proud of that.

However, the future business landscape is going to look very different. There will be far greater emphasis on environmental and public benefits delivered by farming, and the industry is going to be more accountable than ever before to both the public and politicians.

It is critical that every farming business takes a long hard look at its business and plan accordingly.