A major new White Paper published today is calling for a fundamental reset in how UK farming treats, develops and leads its people.

Written by Paul Harris, Founder and Managing Director of REAL Success, it warns that the industry's biggest threat is no longer a labour shortage, but a failure of leadership, culture and people management.

Titled Facing the Future: Why UK Farming Must Put People First argues that unless farming urgently improves working conditions, leadership capability and career development, it will continue to struggle to attract and retain the next generation of workers.

"If we want new people to enter farming, we must first change how we treat, develop and lead the people already in it," says Paul.

"Farming has upgraded heavily in technology, genetics and systems, but it has failed to invest at the same level in its people. That gap is now threatening the future of the industry."

 The paper challenges the long-held belief that 'people don't want to work in farming,' presenting evidence that the real issue is that too many farm businesses have not evolved as workplaces.

While UK farming has made rapid progress on sustainability, animal welfare, automation and environmental standards, leadership skills, staff well-being, working hours, facilities and career pathways have often been left behind.

The result is an industry that unintentionally exhausts, discourages and loses good people, while relying on a shrinking recruitment pool to mask deeper structural problems, says the paper.

"The issue is not that people don't want to work in farming," says Paul. "The issue is that we have not created farms where they can see themselves having a future."

Drawing on real farm examples from across the UK, the paper shows that businesses which invest in leadership, communication and working conditions are already seeing tangible benefits. These include higher productivity, lower staff turnover and improved well-being for both owners and employees.

Crucially, Facing the Future does not simply diagnose the problem. It sets out two practical 10-point action plans - one for industry leaders and one for individual farmers - designed to deliver immediate and long-term change.

Key recommendations include:

• Creating a National People Standard for farming, setting clear expectations for working conditions, leadership and staff development
• Putting people welfare on the same footing as animal welfare, recognising its impact on safety, productivity and performance
• Embedding people management metrics into supply chain assurance schemes, with retailers and processors playing a leading role
• Launching a positive national Careers in Farming campaign that reflects the reality and potential of modern agriculture
• Investing in leadership and people management training, not just machinery and technology
• Improving basic but vital on-farm facilities, working hours and communication
• Recruiting for values and attitude and supporting new entrants with proper induction and development.

REAL Success has already worked with major organisations including Marks & Spencer and Müller to embed people standards into supply chains; initiatives the paper highlights as proof that change is both possible and commercially viable.

Following the findings of the white paper, REAL Success will step back from providing traditional recruitment agency services and refocus its efforts on retention, talent development, building internal capability, as well as HR and succession planning.

The White Paper concludes with a clear call to action not only to farmers, but to processors, retailers, educators and policymakers.

"If farming is to thrive in the next decade, it must become a career of choice for the next generation and for people currently working outside our sector," says Paul.  "This means moving beyond slogans, subsidies and outside agencies, towards practical leadership, fair employment practices, and a shared pride in what farming stands for.

"The UK doesn't just need more people in farming. It requires more people-centred farms. This White Paper offers a starting point for the transformation the industry needs and can no longer ignore."

·       For more information and to read the whitepaper visit: https://real-success.co.uk/