Meet the NFU Livestock Board

Cereals grown on the farm are also used to feed his stock, allowing David to use the two businesses to support each other and provide sustainable produce. He also has a very small flock of pedigree poll Dorset sheep.

He has also previously stood as the NFU South West Livestock Board chair and has worked with AHDB as a strategic farm to improve profitability and efficiency.

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.

He has previous experience of working in the agri-industry as a consultant delivering support to businesses of all sizes in the meat and livestock sector including a wide variety of farm businesses.

He and his wife are partners in her family’s business consisting of a flock of 550 Lleyn breeding ewes, 300 running ewe lambs, and a small Beef Shorthorn suckler herd, with a strong focus on high health animals and production from forage.

The business has a growing local market for home-produced beef and lamb that is dry-aged and butchered on the farm. 

The business operates on a forage-based grazing system and is part of the SFI Pilot scheme. Oli previously ran the neighbouring organic beef, sheep and arable estate and has worked at the Meat and Livestock Commission and as a farm business consultant.

He is aware that farming may change significantly over the next few years but is very optimistic that positive opportunities will arise for the sector.

The enterprise consists of 1200 head of sheep, including 450 traditional Welsh Mountain ewes; the business produces its own replacements, only buying in tups. The cattle enterprise consists of 60 Limousin and British Blue suckler cows which to go a Limousin bull. Calves are finished on farm.

Robert is a lamb buying agent for Pilgrim Foods. He has also judged livestock at many shows including the Royal Welsh Agricultural Winter Fair. He also recently purchased the Triangle Inn in Cwmdeuddwr.

The pub aims to showcase the beef and lamb from Rob’s farm, telling the powerful story of local provenance and a short supply chain. Last year, Rob was appointed as a Fellow for the Royal Agricultural Society.

The farm is home to 400 Angus Cross Dairy beef cattle.

The farm also has a 6 megawatt battery storage enterprise.

Over the past 20 years, it has hosted to variety of Agri-Environment options, including field margins and wild bird winter feed cover.

Hugh’s NFU role involves representing beef- and lamb-producing members in the East Region.

He has worked off the farm as a journalist and, most recently, Hugh presented the Farmers Weekly podcast up until December 2023.

Over the past few years, the sheep flock has transitioned from Swaledale ewes to mule ewes. Lambs are all now finished deadweight. Store lambs are also purchased to finish off fodder crops.

Matt calves 100 cows, 40 of which are pedigree Parthenais. Everything is served with the Parthenais bull. They are fine boned for easy calving, quiet, with a high kill-out percentage – a low cholesterol beef breed that really fit the system.

Matt is also chairman of the British Parthenais Cattle Society.

A legacy HLS (Higher Level Stewardship) agreement has run successfully alongside the farming enterprises since 2009 with various options that keep grasses rotating.

The farm is also home to a small hydro plant.

Matt is also North Riding and Durham Vice-chair and Leyburn Branch Vice-chair.

Matt is very much looking forward to working with the Livestock Board to help shape policy that will help members through the challenges ahead.

She farms beef sucklers, sheep, arable and fruit and also has renewable energy, a firewood business and glamping on the farm. She has a strong interest in technology, having worked in IT as both a teacher and consultant.

Esther also has a strong interest in the environment, winning the Farmers Weekly Environmental Champion in 2020, winning the Wye Valley AONB farm of the year on 3 occasions, and is a previous winner of the Hereford Cattle Society national suckler herd of the year and Three Counties Mixed Farm of the Year.

Esther and her family won the 2020 Mixed Farmer of the Year at the Farmers Weekly Awards.

They manage an 80-cow herd of pedigree Belted Galloway suckler cattle, alongside a flock of 650 ewes.

The farm relies heavily on common land grazing, and Ann plays an active role in the local farming community as secretary to several commons associations.

The farm extends to approximately 200 hectares, comprising a mix of owned and tenanted land in addition to the shared grazing rights on common land.

Agri-environment schemes form a significant part of the farm’s operations, particularly in relation to the management and stewardship of the commons.

All stock from Luke’s farm goes to his own abattoir which processes for local pubs and restaurants in the south east.

Luke runs this abattoir on a tenanted site and caters for a wide range of businesses, especially those which are family run.

The couple farm 400 breeding ewes with all lambs sold store or for breeding and 60 pedigree Luing cows, with all progeny sold under 12 months in the store or for breeding.

The farm is home to Wannies retreat – a converted railway carriage holiday let.

Nature and biodiversity enhancement are a big part of the business with the majority of the farm in CSHT (Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier) or SFI.

They also have 250 suckler cows all with followers which are retained on farm for finishing or sold as breeding stock, as well as a small herd of Dartmoor ponies.

Mat actively grazes over 5 commons with hefted stock and therefore has considerable experience of agreements on commons as well as on the home farm.

He is also a director of Dartmoor Farmers a marketing group that sells premium beef and lamb into select Morrisons stores as well as retailers and wholesales. 

The farm finishes 1000 cattle a year and around 1200 lambs over winter.

A practical farmer who is passionate about British meat, Dave chairs the Red Tractor beef and lamb board.

He has particular expertise in environmental aspects of ruminant livestock production, and recently chaired the Beef and Lamb Environment Roadmap group for AHDB, comprising both producer and processor interests. 

Formerly agriculture manager for Morrisons PLC, Andrew sits on the National Livestock Board of the NFU and the Agriculture and Land Use Committee of the CLA (Country Land and Business Association).

James' farm has two main farming enterprises: a 1,500 head sheep flock managed on an extensive system lambing outdoors in May, and a closed herd of 80 spring calving cows using Pedigree Aberdeen Angus genetics.

Complementary to the farming operations is a glamping business of both tents and luxury wooden lodges operating from April to October, and a dog exercising paddock.

Providing filming locations has also been a part of the mix, from major productions to car adverts being filmed on the farm.

James has been active within the NFU representing members for several years, whilst simultaneously encouraging others into representation within branches, counties, and boards.

James enjoys providing farm tours for the glamping guests where he can talk about what the farm, food production and farming in general.

This has often led to some interesting conversations and challenges, but it’s good to be challenged as it makes you question your perceptions and perhaps opens new opportunities.

Amanda’s also works at Woodheads Bros (Morrisons) as Livestock Buyer/Technical Livestock Specialist.

This has given her great knowledge of processing cattle, lambs and pigs alongside providing her with a strong understanding of the customer requirements and animal welfare throughout this processing.

Amanda manages the Morrisons Integrated Dairy Beef Scheme “Elite Beef” and the Morrisons Farming “Next Generation”.

Amanda feels passionate about upland farming and can relate to challenges faced by many sheep farmers on common and, due to her family owning grazing rights and now being the only remaining farm on a 500-acre moor exercising these.

Whilst she accepts the uplands have an important role to play in helping to achieve biodiversity and other environmental goals, she feels the stratified sheep system in the UK still plays a vital role for farming and rural communities.

Sheep will continue to be important within these areas and she is passionate about seeing sustainable production that can achieve both food production and environmental benefits without destocking.

Tim studied Agriculture at the North of Scotland College of Agriculture for 3 years before moving on to do a post graduate in Farm Business Management at Seale-Hayne in Devon.

The Papworth family run four high street butchers in market towns of Norfolk. The contract farming business involves owned, rented, and tenanted land growing cereals, oilseeds, sugar beet, potatoes, and maize for AD.

The cattle are finished inside on a cereal ration and sheep graze the water meadows and catch crops grown.

Tim is also very involved in local community work, including Life Vice President of North Walsham Young Farmers Club, President of Norfolk YFC 2021-23, current Chair of the Parish Council for the Felmingham ward, and Trustee of The Clan Trust.

Tim is a Director of L F Papworth Ltd and Papworth Farms and Chairman of Norfolk NFU. He is a member of the RNAA, UKIA, NIABCUF, BAWAG, Stalham Famers and Mardlers.

The farm hosts school visits and Tim is a Farmers for Schools ambassador and does Farmer Time with an inner city school in Edinburgh.

During any spare time, he enjoys all aspects of horsemanship with his wife Emma and 3 children as well as shooting and skiing – weather permitting!