Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ

Livestock market management students graduate

Posted 11 January 2017

The new year got off to an excellent start at Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ with an event to celebrate the graduation of seven students from a course in Livestock Market Operations and Management.

The graduating students were joined by continuing students on the course together with representatives from the Livestock Auctioneers Association, the Institute of Auctioneers in Appraisers in Scotland along with staff from the University.

The presentations were made by Î÷¹ÏÊÓƵ Vice-Chancellor Dr David Llewellyn, who said: “I congratulate all those graduating and collecting prizes today.

“You should not underestimate the significance of what you have achieved by completing this course, whilst working, and how vital the skills you have acquired will be in helping to steer your business and the wider livestock marketing industry through the challenges it faces particularly those arising from negotiating new trading relationships and the reforms to the Basic Payment Scheme in the face of Brexit.

“Never will it be more important to be able to plan for the future and so your graduation today is very timely.

“Livestock market businesses are now significant organisations to run and administer and you will now appreciate the wider role that the Livestock Market Operator has in making that business a success.

“Livestock markets are about procuring and selling livestock but they are also organisations that have to employ and manage people, they have to manage their property, they have to account to HMRC for their activities, they have to turn a profit, they have to manage their cash flows, they have to comply with company law, they need to influence policy makers and they play a significant role in the local economy.

“We hope that you are now ready for that challenge and Harper Adams is very proud to have been able to able to work with you as you start this journey.”

Course Manager Mark Simcock told graduating students: “Today represents the culmination of one journey but also represents the start of another journey. The journey you have been on I know has tested your resolve and in the dead of night as you have completed your assignments, whilst working full time, I am sure you have questioned your sanity as to why you are putting yourselves through this process.

“I hope, now that you are at the end of this journey, you feel it has all been worthwhile. You now have not only a wealth of personal experience of working in a livestock market but I hope that you also now have a wider range of skills that will serve you well to move on and progress in this great industry. You are, in my view, a very employable commodity and you should all be very proud of what you have achieved."

The MJ Thomson Award for the top graduating student from Scotland was awarded to Rory Livesey and the LAA gavel for the top graduating student from England and Wales was awarded to Hywel Evans.

Graduating students also received their awards of fellowship from either the Livestock Auctioneers Association or the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland.