The NFU is in a unique position to set the agenda and deliver a vision of arable farming that farmers, customers and suppliers, the government and the public could all work towards.
Our vision marks arable farmers' desire for recognition over the positive contribution they can make to the country's future. Farmers are pivotal to society in gaining sustainable products from our land resources because they manage and safeguard what comes out of the British landscape: food, energy, renewable materials, clean water, and diverse habitats.
The board’s responsibilities include ensuring members in the sector are kept informed and have the opportunity to contribute to policy development in food chain issues, commercial developments in the sector and farmer controlled businesses, and liaising with commercial companies and co-operatives.
They also ensure members are kept informed on all horizontal issues facing arable farmers, including: environmental matters, technical issues, food standards developments, food issues, employment and science and development.
Click here to see how we have helped our arable members
Meet the NFU Combinable Crops Board:
Andrew Watts - Chairman
Andrew Watts manages more than 2,400ha of arable cropping, milling wheat malting barley, beans and oilseed rape and beef cattle in Hertfordshire in a range of owned, rented and contract farming arrangements.
All grain is stored on the farm and majority marketed via co-operatives and merchants to local processing homes. Andrew represents arable farmers for NFU at EU farmer organisation Copa-Cogeca in Brussels, is on the board of BASIS and is himself BASIS and FACTS qualified.
He previously worked for the Co-op farms group and is a graduate of Reading University. e is also involved in a UK based competitive car rally team and is part of a music band. His wife Lyn, is a television director and is the county organiser for young farmers.
Mike Hambly - Vice Chairman and South West regional board Chairman
Michael Hambly farms 400 acres in a family partnership at Callington, Cornwall, producing cereals, oilseed rape and beef.
After graduating from Harper Adams he joined Cornwall Farmers and gained more than 20 years’ experience working in the supply sector prior to returning home to farm. Michael is a qualified agronomist and ran the grain division of Cornwall Farmers for six years before heading up First for Forage, a national trading company.
Michael is a founder member, past chairman and Director of Kernow Grain; an 18,500 tonne co-operative grain store, and is also a Director of West Country Grain Marketing.
He is chairman of the TAG Technical committee for Cornwall and has hosted the Cornwall TAG trial site. Michael has worked with initiatives to promote Cornish grain and has been instrumental in developing links between Ginsters and growers for the production of identity-preserved Cornish Milling Wheat. He is a member of the HGCA Board and is also a member of the British Cereals Export Committee.
Andrew Crossley - East Anglia
Perkin Evans - Wales
Mark Leggott - East Midlands
Laurence Matthews - South East
Robert Lockhart - West Midlands
Richard Reeves - North West
Brett Askew - North East
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