In this HighGround episode, hosts Tom Constable and Jamie Crisp speak with Dr Charles Trotman, Senior Economics and Rural Business Advisor at the Country Land & Business Association (CLA). Charles sets the scene with statistics: predominantly rural areas contributed about £315 billion (16.2% of England’s economy) in 2022 lordslibrary.parliament.uk, yet agriculture makes up only 3% of rural GVAlordslibrary.parliament.uk.
Rural England hosts around 590 businesses per 10 000 people, more than urban areaslordslibrary.parliament.uk, and roughly 102 400 farm holdings operate across Englandgov.uk. Despite this diversity, many rural businesses face acute labour shortages. Recognising the untapped potential of service‑leavers and veterans, the CLA has signed the Armed Forces Covenant—a national promise to ensure that those who serve or have served are treated fairlyarmedforcescovenant.gov.uk and is pursuing the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme.
Charles explains how the CLA’s veterans initiative pledges to: 1) encourage rural employers to consider veterans; 2) provide information to employers on the benefits of hiring ex‑military personnel; and 3) collaborate with existing veteran‑support networks like HighGround. He outlines the skills veterans bring: leadership, discipline, logistics, digital competence and crisis management and emphasises that employing veterans is about adding value, not cheap labour. The discussion ends with a call for greater collaboration across sector bodies to connect veterans with meaningful careers in farming, land management, tourism and agri‑tech.
Episode chapters & key moments:
00:00 Introduction: Tom & Jamie recap the podcast’s aim and tease a conversation that moves away from a specific job to look at sector‑wide issues.
03:06 Meet Dr Charles Trotman: Senior Economist at the CLA describes the breadth of the rural economy (£315 bn GVAlordslibrary.parliament.uk, 3.8 m employees) and notes that agriculture represents just 3% of rural outputlordslibrary.parliament.uk.
04:28 What is the CLA? The Country Land & Business Association has existed for over 100 years, representing 26 000 members across England and Wales. Nearly half of members farm less than 150 acres and are asset‑rich but cash‑poor; their businesses span more than 250 income streams, from farming to tourism and renewable energy.
06:41 Armed Forces Covenant & pledges: The CLA signed the Covenant in 2023, committing to three pledges: encouraging members to employ veterans, disseminating information about veterans’ skills, and linking with support networks. The Covenant is a national promise to treat those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces fairlyarmedforcescovenant.gov.uk.
09:01 Why veterans? Charles explains that rural businesses face severe labour shortages. Veterans offer transferable skills—leadership, teamwork, technical and digital proficiency, crisis management and logistic planning—that add value beyond manual labour.
11:23 Defining the initiative: The CLA’s veterans initiative aims to create sustainable careers and business opportunities for veterans, rather than providing cheap labour. It also seeks to enrich rural communities and support social inclusion.
13:20 Skills & benefits: Charles highlights six categories of skills veterans bring: leadership & discipline; technical and mechanical abilities; communication; planning & logistics; digital & cyber skills; and critical decision‑making.
15:24 Rural economy challenges: Discussion of productivity gaps, labour shortages and digital connectivity problems in rural areaslordslibrary.parliament.uk. The initiative seeks to address these by connecting employers with a skilled workforce.
17:52 Overcoming misconceptions: Charles addresses myths about veterans being “mad, bad or sad” and stresses that most service‑leavers are adaptable, trainable and eager to learn.
20:10 Case for collaboration: The conversation turns to COVID‑19’s impact on agricultural labour and why a coordinated approach—bringing together the CLA, NFU, HighGround, Scottish Land & Estates and others—is essential.
21:58 Veterans Rural Skills Partnership: Charles describes a new coalition of rural bodies, skills providers and charities aimed at matching veterans with rural employers, creating clear pathways into land‑based work.
23:30 Communication & brand: Charles emphasises the need for a clear, consistent message to both veterans and employers about opportunities in rural sectors—so each group understands the other’s needs and values.
24:18 Giving back: The initiative is framed as a way for landowners to give something back to those who have served, aligning with the CLA’s long‑standing commitment to stewardship.
25:19 Closing reflections: Hosts summarise key takeaways, including the importance of strategic collaboration and treating veterans as individuals rather than statistics.
About our guest:
Dr Charles Trotman is the Senior Economics and Rural Business Advisor at the Country Land & Business Association. An economist by training, Charles joined the CLA in 2002 after working for the National Farmers Union and spending six years in Brussels.
He advises 26 000 CLA members on economic and business issues, conducts research and lobbies government on policies affecting rural businesses. He currently leads the CLA’s veterans initiative, which aims to connect service‑leavers with land‑based careers and tackle labour shortages.
Charles is passionate about sustainable rural development, digital connectivity and ensuring that the rural economy—worth around £315 bn GVA in 2022 lordslibrary.parliament.uk—has the workforce and resources it needs to thrive.
Resources & links:
- Country Land & Business Association (CLA) – Learn more about the CLA’s work and membership at cla.org.uk.
- Armed Forces Covenant – The Covenant is a national promise that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, will be treated fairlyarmedforcescovenant.gov.uk. Businesses can pledge support through the Ministry of Defence’s Employer Recognition Scheme.
- Rural economy statistics – Rural areas in England contributed £315 bn of gross value added in 2022lordslibrary.parliament.uk; agriculture, forestry and fishing accounted for 3% of rural GVAlordslibrary.parliament.uk; and businesses in rural areas employed 3.8 million peoplelordslibrary.parliament.uk. England had about 102 400 farm holdings in 2023gov.uk.
- Challenges & opportunities – Rural businesses have higher business density (590 per 10 000 population) than urban areaslordslibrary.parliament.uk but face productivity gaps and labour shortageslordslibrary.parliament.uk. Improving digital connectivity and transport is keylordslibrary.parliament.uk.
- HighGround – Explore Rural Weeks and other programmes that help service‑leavers transition into land‑based careers at highground-uk.org.
Call to action
If you’ve been inspired by this episode, share it with other service‑leavers, reservists and employers who could benefit from understanding the rural economy. Consider signing the Armed Forces Covenant or engaging with the CLA’s veterans initiative if you’re an employer. Veterans and service‑leavers can explore opportunities in land‑based sectors through HighGround’s Rural Weeks and connect with organisations like the CLA for guidance and support.
