In the session, which looked at 鈥�Building confidence and securing growth for British horticulture and potatoes鈥�, 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
He is a director of Tristram Plants, part of the Farplants co-operative which grows and markets over 2000 plant varieties and generates more than 拢50 million annual sales through retail.
Tim Rooke
NFU Potato Policy Group chair | NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board vice chair
He farms in partnership with his brother and has a mixture of tenanted and owned farms. He also grows wheat, oats, and oilseed rape.
Previously, he has been a member of United Potato Farmers Limited, a director of Alpha Group, and member of the AHDB potatoes marketing group.
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.聽
Stephen Shields
NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board vice chair
A fourth generation family-owned business based in Southport, Huntapac supplies the major retailers with root vegetables, salads and brassicas. He has been with the business since 2012, but his career in fresh produce spans over 16 years and a total 32 years in the food industry.
Stephen has also played a key role across a number of customer facing working groups such as Waitrose Agronomy Group, Tesco R&D Committee and chairing the Co-op鈥檚 Crop Production Group.
He is also a Red Tractor Fresh Produce Board member.
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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