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businessupdate News…


Legally speaking


Dietetic Services Manager at Tillery Valley, Anne Donelan, is retiring after 17 years with the award-winning prepared meals manufacturer. Anne joined Tillery Valley in 1996 after


spending 25 years within the NHS, culminating in the roles of Head Dietitian and Therapy Services Manager. Tillery Valley produces and provides


almost one million meals per week to hospitals, care homes and home delivery services across the UK. Anne and fellow


dietitian, Julie Lardie, are instrumental in ensuring menus meet the necessary nutritional requirements. During the course of her career Anne has


written extensively on the ‘critical relationship’ between caterers and dietitians, and her in- depth knowledge has been invaluable in the close working relationship between Tillery Valley’s Product Development and Dietetics teams. Working together ensures Tillery Valley’s products meet specific dietary needs, while taking into account the very latest


Tuesday May 15, 2012 Sayinggoodbyetoawardwinner


Government legislation. Throughout her career Anne has been


actively involved with numerous professional groups including the British Dietetic Association (BDA), who have marked Anne’s commitment and contribution to the profession by making her aFellow of the BDA, the highest accolade she could receive. Anne has also been invited to co-host a


workshop at the International Congress of Dietetics in Sydney, Australia, this September.


By Shona MacKenzie, solicitor, RDPLawyers


Businesses renting property have a statutory right to renew their lease at the end of the contractual period. However, landlords usually


exclude this automatic entitlement from the terms of the lease to give themselves more flexibility. Even so, problems can occur if


the tenant does not vacate the property when the term expires or if negotiations for anew lease are not concluded in time. Landlords should take care to


ensure that an implied periodic tenancy is not created before either the removal of the tenant or the preparation of anew lease. This might make it difficult for them to regain possession. Alandlord can take various steps


to protect his or her position. Firstly, he or she should contact tenants early –atleast six months before the lease expires –toascertain their intentions. This also allows sufficient time to


instruct lawyers to deal with the legal requirements. Secondly, if the term has expired,


the landlord should immediately stop collecting or demanding rent (profits accruing during his/her rightful exclusion from the property can be claimed later). The tenant should be served with


aletter demanding possession. Also, if the lease is being negotiated, a ‘without prejudice’ letter can be served on the tenant, confirming that possession proceedings will not be instigated until aspecified date. This allows negotiations to continue. As indicated, the law surrounding


business leases is complicated. Landlords should seek legal


advice at an early stage to avoid potential pitfalls.


Kit set toshowfood firms recipe forsuccess O


rganic Centre Wales has launched anew sustainability toolkit for food businesses in a drive to help producers and manufacturers manage costs and


reduce Wales’ carbon footprint. The Sustainability Toolkit for Organic


Businesses, which has been sent to more than 300 organic organisations across Wales including Gwent, details astep-by-step approach to creating asustainable business, while tackling increasing energy costs and disruption to overseas supplies. It allows businesses to measure how


sustainable their current operations are and provides atemplate on how to develop a Sustainability Action Plan, with signposts to useful tools they can use to measure and monitor their sustainability. It also encourages businesses to communicate the benefits of their sustainability strategy to the whole supply chain.


Sue Fowler, director of Organic Centre


Wales, said: “Sustainability is ahot topic in the food industry, and with good reason. By improving sustainability performance, businesses are open to opportunities for growth and more robust food supply chains. “This toolkit has been designed for those


who want to know why they should be looking at sustainability within their business, and it provides advice on how businesses can operate more sustainably. “To date, most work on ‘footprints’ has


focussed on carbon because of the importance of oil and climate change, this toolkit takes a much wider view and considers lots of different elements along the supply chain, including water, energy and waste. “Sustainability is not just abuzz word, it


means building arobust, strong business now and for the future.” The Sustainability Toolkit for Organic


Businesses has been developed by Organic Centre Wales in partnership with Weir Total Supply Chain Sustainability through the Better Organic Business Links project. Stephen Weir, Director of Weir tscs, said:


“Recent research demonstrates that companies that focus on building sustainability into their


Sue Fowler


supply chains out-perform those that don’t. This makes perfect sense, as sustainability is about creating new business models that work within environmental, social and financial boundaries to balance the demand for products and


services against the impacts they create. “Finding ways to reduce material and


energy consumption, eliminate waste, and minimise supply chain risk is not only the ‘right’ thing to do –itisalso sound business sense.”


The Robert Davies Partnership LLP Commercial Lawyers


www.rdplaw.co.uk


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