Scotland's Machinery Rings

Machinery Rings are one of Scotland's great co-op success stories and SAOS has been involved right from the very start. SAOS helped establish the individual rings across Scotland, and then the umbrella organisation, the Scottish Machinery Rings Association, in 1990. SAOS continues to play a key role in the running of the Association today.

What are Machinery Rings

Machinery rings have four key business areas: machinery contracting, training, inputs and labour. Machinery contracting was originally the core area of focus, with the rings using a shared IT platform for this, also set up in 1990. As technology and farmer relationships have evolved, the need for this facilitation role has changed and Machinery Rings now also focus on training, labour sharing, and bulk purchasing of farm inputs such as fuel, straw and concrete.

Training is a key focus for Machinery Rings, helping to address the shortfall in labour and skills for the land-based sector. Courses are varied and hugely popular with over 14,000 people per year completing training in areas such agrochemicals , chainsaw use and first aid.   

Why and when?

Several elements were key to the establishment of Machinery Rings in Scotland. In 1986, SAOS, together with Defra’s promotional body, Food from Britain, organised a study tour for interested parties to visit Germany and learn from several machinery rings there (at the time Germany had 260 rings).

In the same year, Sandy Mackay of the East of Scotland College of Agriculture, gave a conference presentation on the potential for rings, prompting Hawick farmer/agricultural contractor, Alastair Cranston, to consider establishing a ring in the Borders.

Another key catalyst was the disastrous harvests of 1985 and 1986, which concentrated the minds of many farmers and, as a result, Borders Machinery Ring started trading in 1987, with other machinery rings following quickly after.

Who did we work with?

After jointly arranging the visit to Germany, SAOS helped with the establishment of BMR and individual rings in turn, and then of the SMRA as their umbrella Association. This helped encourage co-operation between the rings, enabling pooling of resources and helping ring members throughout Scotland become more economically efficient. It also provided a forum for the different rings to discuss common issues and needs.

How did SAOS help?

The initial task for SAOS was to bring people together to a common position and assist with the establishment and structures and co-op registration of the individual Machinery Rings and then of the SMRA.

Initially a key role was helping members navigate government requirements such as RDCO licenses for selling of controlled oils, HMRC employment rules and gangmasters licenses. As the Association has developed, so has SAOS’s role. Today that mostly involves governance, lobbying, and marketing work.

Impact

• The SMRA initially had 12 members. Over recent years, following mergers between several rings, there are now six: Orkney Business Ring, Ringlink Scotland, Rural Services Scotland, Tayforth Machinery Ring, BMR and Tarff Services
• The Machinery Rings have a combined membership of more than 7,000
• The combined turnover of SMRA’s members grew from £95 million in 2021 to £135 million in 2023
• A key partnership, with Case IH, has seen members accumulate machinery rebates worth more than £1m on equipment bought to date
• The pre-apprenticeship programme is a key part of the SMRA’s training activities. This enables young school leavers who are not from an agricultural background to explore a career in agriculture, offering six months of full-time employment supported by a mentor and on the job training. Around 80% of past participants remain working in the industry today.

More info

Find out more about Scotland’s Machinery Rings, and find your nearest Ring at: https://scottishmachineryrings.co.uk/