Promoting Excellence and Friendship in Hampshire Farming

Club Rules

  1. The Association shall be called the Hampshire Farmers’ Club It shall be non-party political, and its objectives shall be the promotion of interest in Agriculture, both in the country and the town, the advancement of the prosperity of the agricultural industry by the organisation of an Annual Farms Competition, the assistance of agricultural students and any other undertaking likely to achieve these objectives.
  2. The governing body of the Club shall be a Council comprising the President, the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Immediate Past Chairman of the Council, the Honorary Treasurer and not more than 21 ordinary members.
    1. The President and Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Council shall be elected annually at the Annual General Meeting and shall be eligible for re-election. Should the President die while in office the vacancy shall be filled by the Council, subject to the confirmation of the Club at the next Annual General Meeting.
    2. The Ordinary Members of the Council shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting and one third of their number shall retire annually and shall be eligible for re-election. In addition to the one-third of the Members of the Council due to retire under this rule any other Member of the Council who has not, on the certificate of the Secretary, attended one-third of the meetings of the Council to which he was summoned, shall also retire, but shall be eligible for re-election for the balance of his original term of office. If he shall not seek or be proposed for re-election then the occasional vacancy so created shall be filled under the provisions of this Rule. Occasional vacancies arising from death, resignation or any other cause, shall also be filled at the Annual General Meeting, the Members elected to fill such vacancies retiring when the Members whose place they take would have retired.
    3. The Honorary Treasurer shall be elected at the Annual General Meeting, and shall be eligible for re-election.
    4. The Secretary shall be appointed by the Council and shall be subject to three months’ notice on either side, determinable on the 1st day of January in any year. An Assistant Secretary may also be appointed at the discretion of the Council on the same terms of engagement as those of the Secretary.
      A Sub-Committee comprising the President, Chairman, Vice-Chairman and the Honorary Treasurer for the time being shall formally review the remuneration of the Secretariat every three years commencing in the year 2010 and report their conclusions to the Council at the normal Autumn Meeting with a view to implementation of any revision in annual remuneration with effect from the 1st day of January next succeeding the triennial review after the approval by the Council and acceptance by the Secretariat. Such remuneration shall be payable quarterly in arrear.
  4. The Council shall meet as often as is necessary, but in any case not less than twice in each year. It shall be responsible for:
    1. The general conduct of the Club including its finances.
    2. The fixing of the dates of all Club functions and its own meetings.
    3. The appointment of all sub Committees.
    4. The appointment of any special Committee for a purpose not covered by a sub Committee.
    5. The appointment of Auditors, Accountants and other persons required for the proper carrying out of the functions of the Club.
    6. The appointment of the Club Bankers.
    7. The appointment of five of its members as Trustees of the Club.
  5. The Sub Committees
    Any Sub-Committee shall consist of not more than 6 Members of the Club and not less than 3, of whom not less than half the number shall be Members of the Council. Each Sub Committee shall have the power to co-opt not more than 3 additional persons for the purpose of assisting them, in addition to the laid down maximum number hereinbefore stated. The Council shall appoint the Chairman of each Sub Committee from among its own Members serving on that Committee. At the first meeting of a Sub Committee a Vice-Chairman shall be appointed by its Members. Each Sub Committee or any special Committee whose duties extend for more than one year shall be re-appointed annually at the first meeting of the Council called after the Annual General Meeting, such meeting being held not more than 60 days after the Annual General Meeting. The President, Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Council shall be ex-officio Members of all Committees.
  6. The Chairman of the Council shall in the case of urgency have power to deal with any business relating to the Council, except that he shall not incur an expenditure exceeding £250.
  7. All cheques for ordinary expenditure of the Club shall be signed by the Secretary or, in the absence of the Secretary, by not less than two of the Trustees. The investment of surplus funds, and any change in the existing securities shall be carried out only with the sanction of the Council.
  8. All sub Committees shall make all arrangements necessary for carrying out any of the functions for the ensuing year, which will normally take place after the date of the reappointment of the Committee and the newly-elected Committee shall be bound thereby as if the arrangements had been made by them.
  9. The President, or in his absence, the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Council, shall preside at the Annual General Meeting and any Special General Meeting. In the absence of all these three, the meeting shall elect its own Chairman for this meeting only. In all cases of even voting the Chairman shall have a casting vote whether he shall have previously voted or not.
  10. The Annual General Meeting shall be held at a convenient place within the County of Hampshire on a date to be fixed by the Council, not earlier than the 14th day of January or later than the 25th day of March in each year, when the Council shall present an Annual Report and Statement of Accounts for the year ending the previous 31st December, duly audited by an auditor appointed as before provided.
  11. The Annual Subscription shall be such a sum as shall be fixed at an Annual General Meeting and shall remain unchanged until due notice has been given on the agenda calling a subsequent Annual General Meeting that such subscription shall be changed. Provision may be made for varying rates of subscription for those Junior members under 30 years on the 1st January in any year. New Members elected after the 31st August shall not be charged for any subscription for the proportion of the year unexpired.
  12. New Members will be considered for election at any Council Meeting and shall be proposed and seconded by a Member The Council may delegate to the Chairman of the Council for the time being and the Secretary the acceptance of new Members subject to such election being confirmed by the Council.
  13. The Council only, by due notice appearing on the Agenda, may recommend to an Annual General Meeting the election of persons who, in their opinion, have rendered great service to the Club or to Agriculture in general, as Honorary Life Members. They may also recommend persons who they consider worthy of the distinction for election as Honorary Members. Honorary Members shall be re-elected annually.
  14. The quorums shall be: Annual General Meeting 15, General Meetings 10, Council Meetings 8, Standing Committees 5 and other Committees 3.
  15. As a general rule all voting shall be by show of hands, but if the majority present so decide, the voting on any particular subject, or matter, shall be by ballot.
  16. Any Member wishing to bring forward any matter or subject at any Meeting, shall give notice to the Secretary in time for such matter or subject to be placed on the Agenda attached to the notice convening the Meeting at which it is desired such matter or subject shall be discussed, but it shall be at the discretion of the Chairman to permit any matter or subject of which notice has not yet been given in the notice convening the Meeting to be discussed and voted upon, provided that under no circumstances shall the expenditure of any sum exceeding £250 be voted without such notice except with the approval of the Council.
  17. Visitors may be present at any General Meeting by permission of the Chairman, and may speak by like permission but shall not vote.
  18. Any Member who has not paid the subscription due by 1st October in the subscription year in question will be given a final written warning. Furthermore if the subscription remains unpaid by the January of the following year they will be reported to the Council, who shall have the power to instruct the Secretary, after sending 14 days’ written notice to such Member to remove such Member’s name from the list of Members. and they will cease to be a Member of the Club.
  19. The Secretary, or duly appointed Deputy, shall attend the Meetings of the Club and its Committees, keep the Accounts, conduct the Correspondence, and make a record of the proceedings in suitable books kept for the purpose. The Secretary shall receive all monies and with all due and convenient speed pay the same into the relevant bank account.
  20. The Minutes of General Meetings, and all papers relating thereto, shall be open to the inspection of Members at all reasonable times. In like manner the Minutes of the Council and of all Committees shall be open to Members of the Council, and the Minutes of Committees to the inspection of the Members thereof respectively, and the Books of Account shall be open to the inspection of the Council. Any Member wishing to inspect any book or document, which he may not be entitled to under this rule, shall obtain the permission of the Council to do so.
  21. The property of the Club shall be vested in its five Trustees. The Trustees shall deal with any property as may be directed by the Council of the Club and shall be indemnified against risk and expense out of the property of the Club. They shall make all proper disbursements on behalf of the Club by cheque signed by any two of their members or by the hand of the Secretary if authorised by them in writing so to do. The Trustees shall be appointed by the Council of the Club and shall hold office until death or resignation or until removed by the Council.
  22. Upon a requisition in writing, signed by any ten Members of the Club, and stating the object, a Special Meeting shall be called by the Secretary, and shall be held within 28 days of the receipt of the requisition.
  23. Notices of Annual General Meetings and General Meetings shall be posted not less than 14 clear days, and Council meetings and Committee Meetings not less than 7 clear days before the date on which the Meeting is to be held.
  24. Any Member wishing to resign shall give notice to that effect in writing to the Secretary, not later than the 31st December in any year.
  25. A Member can be expelled or excluded from the Club upon the recommendation of the Council, confirmed by a General Meeting, provided it is stated in the notice convening the Meeting of the Council and the General Meeting that such recommendation is to be moved.
  26. These Rules shall not be altered except by resolution passed by the Council and confirmed by a General Meeting.

By Order of the Council Secretary.

ANNUAL REPORT

Download the 2023 Annual Reports and Accounts.

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Events

The Club holds its AGM in March with a guest speaker, a technical evening in May, a Farm Walk for over 260 people in June and an Autumn event. A Ball is held approximately every 4 years and a Study Tour every other year. In addition the Ladies Club arranges visits during the year.

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Farm Competition

The Competition is one of the largest in the country and very well supported by farmers in Hampshire. It has been running for many years and became known as the Hampshire Farms and Conservation Competition when the Fareham and Hants Farmers’ Club (now known as the Hampshire Farmers’ Club) and the Romsey Agricultural and Horse Show Society amalgamated their individual competitions in 2000. The Competition is fiercely contested and the winners held in high esteem!

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