SP Energy Networks has announced the launch of a new partnership with the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC). The partnership will help to strengthen links between the two organisations, raising awareness amongst the young farming community of SP Energy Networks’ work in rural areas, including promoting career opportunities, working safely around electrical equipment, and helping to deliver potentially life-saving safety tips to SAYFC’s clubs across Scotland.

As part of the year-long sponsorship deal, SP Energy Networks will be joining Scotland’s young farmers at a variety of events, including SAYFC’s annual agricultural and rural affairs conference in November. SP Energy Networks will also be working closely with SAYFC to help raise awareness of employment opportunities including apprenticeship programmes and graduate schemes.

Across Central and Southern Scotland, SP Energy Networks owns and manages more than 58,000km of cables and over 18,000 substations, many of which are located on agricultural land. SP Energy Networks is committed to building and maintaining strong relationships with land owners to ensure that upkeep and management of the network is as efficient and free from disruption as possible.

Over the coming year, SP Energy Networks will also be working with SAYFC’s 3,500 members, aged between 14 and 30, to raise awareness of the hazards of working close to electricity on farmland. SAYFC’s members are the farmers of the future, and therefore SP Energy Networks’ agricultural safety messaging is of vital importance to them.

Guy Jefferson, director of SP Energy Networks, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs. Their members are the future of the farming community in the areas we operate. This is a fantastic opportunity to share our experience and knowledge with this key stakeholder group and broaden our knowledge of the agricultural industry.

“In the last year, 730 incidents were reported to SP Energy Networks on farmland involving electricity across the Central and Southern Scotland regions, an increase of almost 40 per cent on the previous year. Working near power lines can prove fatal if the right precautions are not taken, and with the increasing height of modern farm machinery, the risks of contacting a power are very real. It is vital that young farmers are aware of the danger and that they know how to stay safe.”

Stuart Jamieson, SAYFC national chairman, said: “We are very excited about this new partnership with SP Energy Networks which will provide our members with key information on their services, career opportunities and health and safety. This is a topic that has been prominent within the association over the last two years and through increased engagement with SP Energy Networks we hope to continue to equip our members with valuable information to keep them and their colleagues safe”

“This new relationship will see SAYFC and SP Energy Networks offer events, club meetings, online competitions and key messages via social media as well as challenging the SP Energy Networks team at some of our competitions throughout the next twelve months.”