The NFU North Livestock Board is chaired by Clare Wise (North Riding and Durham) with Tim Dobson (Cheshire) as Vice-chair.
Board secretaries: York East County Adviser Poppy Smith, Cumbria County Adviser James Airey and Northumberland County Adviser Charlotte Dring.
Upcoming meetings:
Monday 18 May (Online)
Tuesday 11 August (Nantwich, Cheshire)
All members are welcome to attend board meetings. If you would like to attend, or to find out more about the work of the board, contact Poppy, James or Charlotte. Alternatively, get in touch with the NFU North regional office on 02476 939401 or [email protected]
Board members:
Clare Wise
NFU Livestock Board Vice-chair and Regional Livestock Board Chair, North
Clare has a particular interest in animal health and welfare, using Agri tech and soil management to maximise livestock productivity. She is also an keen early adopter of new technologies on farm, always eager to give new opportunities a try.
Concerning all things net zero, Clare is determined to ensure farmers can maximise their productivity and financial rewards through this, especially in securing our unique place on supermarket shelves against imports.
She is very keen to preserve and value traditional stockmanship skills and ensure these work alongside new innovation and are valued.
Clare is also actively volunteering with the NFU Education Farmers for Schools programme and regularly visits schools to promote farming and food to the next generation of consumers.
Clare hopes to use her role on the Livestock Board to provide support to livestock farmers in the post subsidy world, ensuring they are rewarded and valued for their hard work and unique skill set, and that government policy supports farming to be a profitable and enjoyable career.
Vice-chair: Tim Dobson (Cheshire)
National Livestock Appointee: Matt Barker (North Riding and Durham)
Ian Norbury (Cheshire)
Nigel Potts (Cheshire)
Helen Drinkall (Lancashire)
Becki Fielding (Lancashire)
John Longmire (Cumbria)
Chris Dickinson (Cumbria)
Ali Graham (Northumberland)
Jenny Oglesby (Northumberland)
Richard Stevenson (North Riding and Durham)
Joe Payne (Yorkshire West Riding)
John Wilson (Yorkshire West Riding)
Will Terry (York East)
Richard Fairburn (York East)
Board secretaries:
Poppy Smith
NFU County Adviser (York East)
Poppy joined the NFU in 2016 as a bovine TB adviser in the South West. Taking up a secondment with the North team as county adviser in 2019, she relocated to Yorkshire and took on the position permanently five months later.
In her county adviser role, she supports NFU members and manages activity across York East. This includes managing the NFU’s lobbying activities with MPs and a range of external organisations from local authorities, the police and government agencies to non-governmental organisations and relevant commercial bodies.
She also actively supports the NFU group secretaries in the York, Pocklington, Howden, Driffield, Beverley & Holderness, Ryedale and Yorkshire Coast branches and helps drive NFU membership. She works closely with the elected farmer representatives – our county officeholders – including County Chair Andrew Sewell, Council Delegate Angela Kirkwood and the branch chairs, as well as members of both the regional and national commodity boards. Poppy is the North Livestock Board lead, supported by James Airey.
Poppy graduated from Harper Adams in 2008 and has held various positions with agricultural businesses including Shearwell Data, Cogent Breeding and Mole Valley Farmers. Poppy enjoys working with members and is exceptionally proud to represent the 1400 members in the county. Poppy particularly likes how varied the role is – no day is the same! Working with the next generation, be that Young Farmers or school children, and showcasing British agriculture is very rewarding.
Outside of work, Poppy supports her husband with his agricultural engineering business, geographically covering a similar area, and is mum to two children, Digby and Sibyl and their two Labradors, Ivy and Hazel.
James Airey
Cumbria County Adviser
James supports NFU members across the Furness Peninsula, the Lake District, Sedbergh, Kirkby Lonsdale and North East Cumbria up to Tebay.
He manages the NFU’s lobbying activities with MPs and a range of external organisations from local authorities, the police and government agencies to non-governmental organisations and relevant commercial bodies.
James also actively supports NFU group secretaries in Kendal, Sedbergh, Broughton and Ulverston to drive NFU membership. He works closely with elected farmer representatives including county officeholders and members of regional and national commodity boards.
James is from an agricultural background and runs a small sheep farm with his wife and son.
Prior to joining the NFU, James spent many years working in politics and uses his knowledge to work with local MPs and Councillors on policies and issues that benefit farming.
Charlotte Dring
Northumberland county adviser
This includes managing the NFU’s lobbying activities with MPs and a range of external organisations from local authorities, the police and government agencies to non-governmental organisations and relevant commercial bodies.
She works with fellow Northumberland county adviser Jane Dungait to support NFU group secretaries to drive NFU membership and works closely with elected farmer representatives including county officeholders and members of regional and national commodity boards.
Charlotte is the regional lead for the livestock.
Charlotte joined the NFU in 2023.
