Martin is a director of Tristram Plants, part of the Farplants co-operative which grows and markets over 2,000 plant varieties and generates more than 拢50 million annual sales through retail. He was first elected chair of the board in 2022.
He said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 brilliant to be re-elected as chair and I appreciate the unanimous support from the board at such an important time for our sector.
鈥淚鈥檓 pleased with the new constitution on the board as we鈥檙e now well balanced regionally with representatives for the first time from the South West.
鈥淚t is vital that we work together to raise the voices of members from across the country, particularly as we face into a general election year.
鈥淭he most immediate issue for me is the outstanding uncertainty of the Seasonal Workers Scheme. The situation right now is not tenable for growing businesses and there will be consequences to next years鈥� production.
鈥淭he introduction of the Border Target Operating Model is also another issue that we will be looking at and working towards better options for horticulture businesses.
鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank Derek for his work as vice chair of the board and I look forward to working with the two new vice chairs, Stephen and Tim, going forward.鈥�
鈥�It is vital that we work together to raise the voices of members from across the country, particularly as we face into a general election year.鈥�
NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair Martin Emmett
Martin will be supported by two vice chairs 鈥� Stephen Shields and Tim Rooke.
Stephen is Technical Director for Huntapac Produce Ltd.
A fourth generation family-owned business based in Southport, Huntapac supplies the major retailers with root vegetables, salads and brassicas. Stephen has been with the business since 2012, but his career in fresh produce spans over 16 years and a total of 32 years in the food industry.
Exciting opportunity to drive innovation and sustainability
Stephen said: 鈥淚鈥檓 delighted to be elected as vice chair and I look forward to working with Martin, Tim and the board to raise the awareness of the work we鈥檙e doing for growers.
鈥淥ur sector has an exciting opportunity to drive innovation and sustainability, adopting new tech and helping to meet the industry鈥檚 net zero by 2040 targets and the government鈥檚 own statuary target.
鈥淭o do this though we need to ensure that we are building profitability into our businesses and giving growers the confidence to invest.鈥�
Tim, who will remain chair of the NFU鈥檚 Potato Policy Group, is a third generation farmer who grows 600 acres of processing and crisping potatoes in Ryedale, North Yorkshire.
He farms in partnership with his brother and has a mixture of tenanted and owned farms. He also grows wheat, oats, and oilseed rape.
Climate change a key issue
Tim said: 鈥淭he horticulture and potatoes sector in the UK is a brilliant one and I鈥檓 excited about the opportunity to work with Martin and Stephen over the next two years.
鈥淎s we鈥檙e seeing across the country at the moment with the devastating wet weather, climate change is a key issue for our sector, the impacts of which are hitting farmers and growers at a time when our input costs are still high.
鈥淚t is vital that farmers are getting a fair return and the risk is shared and this will be a key area for the board to take forward.鈥�
