The NFU Potato Forum was set up in July 2010, as a formal working party to the NFU Board for horticulture and potatoes, to represent potato specific concerns.
The forum has: a chairman who sits on the national NFU board for horticulture and potatoes, a vice chairman and a total of 13 specially appointed members who represent different sizes and types of NFU potato producers across the defined geographic NFU regions. The forum's main functions are to:
- highlight potato sector developments and concerns;
- provide a policy steer for NFU potatoes work; and
- identify new NFU potato work streams
NFU Potato Forum chairman (and Board for horticulture and potatoes vice chairman)
Tim Papworth - East Anglia
Tim Papworth and his family are contract farmers in North Norfolk, growing potatoes, combinable crops and rearing cattle and sheep on 750 hectares of land with 26 landlords.They grow around 184 hectares of processing potatoes, for McCains and Greenvale, Crisping potatoes for NNPG, Nelson County and Mercian, and Salad Potatoes for Branston and Greenvale. Formerly Chairman of his local Farming club, 'Stalham Farmers', Tim has been a member of the Potato Forum since 2010 and is also a PCL board member and NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board Member. Tim is FACTS qualified and a councillor of his local parish Council.
Contact Tim on 07831 675 416 or email tim@lfpapworth.co.uk
NFU Potato Forum vice chairman
Alex Godfrey - East Midlands
Alex works in his family’s farming business based in North Lincolnshire. As well as ware potatoes, the business produces pigs, mills pig feed and grows wheat, sugar beet, barley, vining peas and oil seed rape. All the potatoes are grown for the prepack market, supplying a variety of packers and merchants. Alex also sits on the Next Generation Policy Forum and on the East Midlands Regional Horticulture & Potatoes Board.
Contact Alex on 07770 581 883 or email alex@godfrey.uk.com
Regional Forum Members
Allan Stevenson - East Anglia
Allan Stevenson farms in Essex with his son and three brothers, growing potatoes combinable crops and pigs on 1200 hectares of predominantly heavy land. They grow around 140 hectares of packing potatoes mainly for Waitrose and Marks and Spencer. In the past Allan has been a member of the Potato Marketing Board and the British Potato Council. He has been a member of the Potato Forum since its inception in 2010.
Contact Allan on 07770 968 841 or email allan@stevbros.co.uk
Robin Cropper - North West
Robin Cropper farms with his brother John in South West Lancashire. They grow cereals and potatoes on their 470 hectare farm. They grow around 130 hectares of potatoes, mainly Maris Piper, and specialise in producing potatoes for chip shops mainly in the North West, but also have markets in Ireland and Scotland.
Robin is a single father with three children and has a keen interest in cooking. He has been a member of the Potato Foram since 2010, is actively involved in the NFU at local level and is also a Potato Ambassador for the Potato Council representing the North West.
Contact Robin on 07831 412 254 or email robinjcropper@hotmail.co.uk
Martin Cockerill - North East
Martin grows 200 ha potatoes mainly crisping varieties for Walkers at Dunnington in York. The business also washes and transports potatoes to Walkers from a group of 40 growers.
Contact Martin on 07740 488 100 or email martin.cockerill@cockerill.co.uk
Andy Alexander - East Anglia
Andy farms a small arable unit near Norwich and also works as an independent Potato Specialist - Basis and Facts qualified Agronomist and Advisor for a number of national and international potato business operations.
Contact Andy on 07836 345 568 or email Jennyalexander234@btinternet.com
John Addams-Williams - East Anglia
John works for Greenseed, which is part of the Spearhead Group, and grows 820 Hectares of potatoes in: Northumberland, Borders, Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. Approximately half the potato area is grown for seed and the balance is salad potatoes which is grown on contract for packers supplying M&S, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s. John has been a member of the Potato Forum since 2010 and is also a Council Member of the British Potato Trade Association.
Contact John on 07768 636 388 or john.williams@sphd.co.uk
Anthony Hopkins - East Midlands
Anthony is a potato grower in East Midlands region and also runs a specialist irrigation consultancy firm - Wroot Water.
Contact Anthony on 01302 771 881 or anthony@wrootwater.com
Andrew Monnington - South East
Andrew grows pre-pack potatoes in Chichester, West Sussex
Contact Andrew on 07767 853 571 or monners1@aol.com
Robert Lockhart - West Midlands
Robert Lockhart farms in South East Staffordshire, on the Warwickshire border. Farming on light soils, Robert grows processing potatoes for McCain. He currently grows around 40 hectares between the home farm and rented land, and stores all potatoes with contracts to supply in February, April and May. The home farm is irrigated from a winter storage reservoir.
Robert is current Staffordshire NFU Chairman and member of the West Midlands Regional Horticulture Board. From February 2012, Robert will be Staffordshire Council Representative and Chairman of the West Midlands Regional Combinable Crops Board.
Contact Robert on 07802 656 796 or robert.lockhart@btconnect.com
Richard Thompson - West Midlands
Richard is Director of RJT Farming Ltd. - a business he set up five years ago in Staffordshire. He grows approx. 200 acres of potatoes for processing and chip shop trade.
Contact Richard on 07974 152 284 or richard@rjtfarming.co.uk
Graham Nichols - South West
Graham is a partner in the family firm of H Nichols and Son of fifth generation. The business farms approximately 400 hectares in Gloucestershire growing Winter Wheat, Winter Barley and Oil Seed Rape and approximately 90 hectares of certified English seed potatoes grown on contract for Greenvale AP.
Contact Graham on 07831 344 105 or graham@nicholsfarming.co.uk
Walter Simon - Wales
Walter Simon is managing partner in the family farm that grows potatoes in Pembrokeshire, growing earlies and main crop for the multiples in Wales and England, as well as a small area of seed on contract. The majority are grown on rented land with most of the home farm rented out to enable them to concentrate on potatoes. A former NFU Potato Group chairman and National Horticulture and Potatoes Board vice-chairman, Walter sits on the Board For Horticulture & Potatoes representing Wales and is currently the 'Potato Ambassador' for Wales.
Contact Walter on 07831 355 957 or walterpennysimon@aol.com
No comments have been made.