Richard Pearson joins the NFU after a varied career in agriculture that has taken him around the country working for companies large and small in the arable, horticulture and allied industry sectors.
Graduating from Harper Adams University in 1992, Mr Pearson began his career as a grain trader for Allied Grain in East Anglia (now part of Frontier Agriculture). He then moved into the horticulture sector working as commercial manager for a large vegetable producer in Suffolk before joining an import/export company where he gained first-hand experience of working with major retail customers.
Moving back to Yorkshire in 2000, he set up his own small agricultural machinery business catering for the organic sector before joining another new business developing environmentally friendly weed control technologies.
With that business moving increasingly into the ‘amenity’ market, Mr Pearson was keen to move back to mainstream agriculture and now takes over at NFU regional office from Barney Kay – who has moved to join Northern Irish poultry producers Moy Park.
“I am delighted to take up my new role with the NFU in a region as diverse as the North East,” he said. “Farming really is a passion for me and I am looking forward to working with our 6,000 members across Yorkshire, Durham and Northumberland.
“Obviously I come very much from a commercial background, but I hope that will enable me to bring something new to the role, as I find out more about the specific challenges and opportunities facing farmers across the patch.
“Key initial priorities include the implementation of the latest round of CAP reform and looking at how we can develop our ability to cope with the extreme weather patterns that are increasingly affecting the region.
“However to begin with I will be concentrating on meeting as many members as possible and getting a real feel for their needs, aspirations and views on how the NFU can best support their business development.”
Mr Pearson lives in Malton with his wife Polly and his three children Kate, Annie and Tom.