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YOUR EXPERTS

GROWING TOGETHER

WHY WE DO IT

We really mean it when we say our values are at the heart of our business. We're all about working together and delivering the best service and knowhow to meet your business goals.

WHAT WE DO

What we do
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AGRONOMY

The team includes BASIS and FACTS qualified agronomists with experience in asparagus, herbs, stone fruit, baby leaf, wildflowers and plant propagation. From crop walking to strategic project consultation, we have packages for all scale of grower.

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COMPLIANCE

We're very proud of our compliance team who bring experience in food safety and audit compliance at the highest level. Talk to us about MRL management, PPU's, EAMU development, quality management systems, HACCP and due diligence compliance.

TRAINING

In 2023 we will be launching our BASIS Commercial Horticulture program - look out for our updates. We're writing the course at the moment and look forward to sharing it soon!

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TRIALS & RESEARCH

We work directly with growers, grower associations and the plant protection product industry to commission, run or undertake trials as most appropriate for the clients aims. 

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TESTIMONIALS

"Claire leads a small professional team with the rare ability to interpret academic plant science into leading edge practical advice for growers. No job is too big nor too small, her knowledge and understanding always shines through."

 

John Chinn – Cobrey Farms

THE TEAM

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CLAIRE DONKIN


Claire is the lead consultant

&

founder of CDonkin Ltd.

Claire is a BASIS and FACTS qualified agronomist with a BSc in Agriculture and an MPhil in Peat replacement; speciality horticulture has been Claire’s passion ever since graduating and she refuses point blank to confess when that was. With expertise in asparagus, herbs, hydroponics, and stone fruit Claire is a keen advocate for knowledge transfer and works at an industry level to build best practice networks. When not supporting the team, she is attempting to manage an increasingly wilful puppy and wrangling her family while training for the latest running challenge. This summer (2022) will be the biggest run yet as she takes on the Petra half marathon in Jordon for Cancer Research UK.

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GEMMA DAVIES

Office manager and accounts

As our office manager and accounts lead Gemma’s skills lie more back at the base than out in fields. Outside of work, family life keeps her busy as well as running with her local running club. This year she completed her first marathon and has further races lined up for the Autumn.

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TIM PETTITT

Plant Pathologist

A plant disease specialist and microbiologist, Tim has close on 40 years’ experience detecting, identifying, researching, and dealing with disease problems across most sectors of horticulture.  Always looking into novel approaches to managing disease in crops, he is particularly interested in using natural disease suppression and enhancing IPM using practical biological systems such as slow sand filtration and soil/growing medium amendments to encourage crop protecting/promoting microbes. Away from plant diseases and fungi, Tim is a passionate woodworker and likes to make furniture using traditional European and Japanese hand tools.

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ANDREW MACDONALD

Trials and Agronomy

Andrew has over 30 years horticultural experience ranging from salads & herbs, to cut flowers & speciality seed crops, a degree of expertise recently recognised in his chairmanship of the Vegetable Consultants Association. Andrew is our leading light in field crop agronomy and manages our trials delivery utilising his wide-ranging agronomic expertise across our crop specialisms. Away from work, can be found restoring & using vintage cars & racing cars!

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ALICE BOURNE

Agronomy Support

Alice joined the CDL team in 2022, already an experienced cereals agronomist when she joined the team Alice also brings a wealth of understanding of regenerative agriculture from her MSc in Sustainable Crop Production from Warwick University. Outside of work Alice enjoys challenging herself as a keen runner, cyclist, and hiker. Alice recently completed a 24-hour endurance event covering 105 miles of running. Amongst her many plans to travel Alice hopes to improve experience of international production systems as she treks South America this Autumn.

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ALISON SQUIRRELL

Compliance Lead

Alison’s background is in supply base technical management of fresh produce to the UK supermarkets.  As a Technical Manager and trained auditor, she has travelled extensively, working with a wide range of crops, auditing to, and implementing good agricultural practise at farm level and good manufacturing practise at packing facilities. Outside of work, Alison can be found growing her own fruit and veg and with some degree of success, turning it into what could loosely be described as wine!

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Crown Cottage

Aymestrey

HR6 9ST

Email:agronomy@cdonkin.com

 

Tel: 0044 7792364661

JOIN US ON THE JOURNEY

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C Donkin Ltd. Registered in England & Wales, registration number: 06867944

Registered address: C Donkin Ltd, Crown Cottage, Aymestrey, HR6 9ST. Like most websites we use cookies to give you the best experience, by using this website you agree to their use. For more information, please read our privacy policy.

© 2022 by Stripy Fig. www.stripyfig.co.uk

The team
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