Somehow in the 2005 to 2015 era, relations between the Army, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) and the licensees and tenants on Salisbury Plain had reached a low point. No Tenants' Lunch, no formal and few informal meetings and very much an "us and them" mentality in place. Government cuts and reorganisations had made life challenging for DIO.
The Plain became a lawless place with only two wardens patrolling nearly 100,000 acres. Theft, hare coursing and drug infused raves became routine.

In the summer of 2015, two local luminaires made a move. 
Neil Harley is a member of the Harley family who have been substantial farmers on Salisbury Plain for three generations. Lindsay Bray was National Farmers Union (NFU) Secretary for the Warminster area running the local NFU branch. They asked Salisbury Plain farmer, Richard Guy (right), if he could establish a farmers group to represent Plain farmers' interests to the Army and the DIO.
Richard consulted then DIO Senior Land Agent, Anna Rogers, who thought it was a great idea. Anything to help restore communication and trust. 
She suggested a fixed biennial meeting between this farmers group and army/DIO - a critical institution still in place.
All farmers on Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) were invited to a meeting in December 2015 to establish level of support. The meeting voted overwhelmingly to proceed.