In the session, which looked at ‘Building confidence and securing growth for British horticulture and potatoes’, our panel looked at what British growers have to do to prepare for the future.
NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair Martin Emmett was joined by NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board vice chair Tim Rooke, senior policy specialist Christine McDowell and NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board vice chair Stephen Shields in the room and Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner online.
Read: NFU25: How do British growers prepare for the future?
What are NFU fringe sessions?
Sector updates were held during the run up to NFU Conference on 25 February.
These virtual events featured a panel of leading industry speakers who discussed themes such as growth, change and business. This means that our full-day Conference in London will be focused on political and policy developments.
The best thing? You can watch or listen to them on the go to fit in with your day on farm.
Meet the panel
Martin Emmett
NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board Chair
Martin is a director of Farplants Group, which grows and markets more than 2,000 plant varieties and generates more than £22 million wholesale sales annually.
Tim Rooke
NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board Vice-chair (potatoes)
He is a third-generation farmer who grows 650 acres of processing and crisping potatoes in Ryedale, North Yorkshire along side his brother and son.
Christine McDowell
NFU horticulture and potatoes senior policy specialist
Prior to joining the NFU in 2015, Christine worked across the commercial and supply chain roles within one of the UK largest fresh produce manufactures and is an MDS alumni graduate.
Stephen Shields
NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board Vice-chair
He is the Technical and Sustainability Director for Huntapac Produce Ltd. A fourth generation family-owned business based in Southport, Huntapac supplies the major retailers specialises in root vegetables production.
Stephen has been with the business since 2006, but his career in fresh produce spans more than 20 years and a total of 36 years in the food industry.
Daniel Zeichner MP
Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs
Daniel was previously Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 2020 to 2024. Prior to this, he was Shadow Minister for Transport.
Daniel founded and chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Data Analytics, is chair of the All Party Parliamentary University Group and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Life Sciences, and is Co-Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for the East of England among others.
Daniel has a History degree from the University of Cambridge, and on leaving university ran a small nursery with his partner in rural Norfolk before embarking on a career in computer programming.
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