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NBA appoints successor to its retiring
chief executive
James Irvine
Teviot Scientific, Cultybraggan Farm,
Comrie, Perthshire
Filed 06 Jul 07
©ww.land-care.org.uk
The current Chief Executive of the National Beef
Association (NBA), Robert Foster, formally announced his intention
to retire a long time ago, giving the NBA ample time to seek his
successor.
He has been a power of strength for the
beef industry. In particular, his management of the media has been
masterly. While some have objected to some of his statements, time
has shown that he was usually right, while his critics were either
unwilling to see the reality behind what he was saying or preferred
to indulge in a wasteful power struggle.
After advertisement and formal interviews
a defra employee, Sandy Roberts, accepted the post in March of this
year. He subsequently asked that the date for taking up the position
be delayed until August. Recently, he reneged on the agreement and
accepted the position, allegedly better paid, as chief executive
of the British Meat Processors Association (BMPA).
To my mind this says little for the integrity
of either Mr Roberts or the BMPA. Perhaps having served with defra
for some years, breaking promises has come to be regarded by their
staff as the norm - just whenever it suits. Witness for example
how defra reneged on the agreement with the farming industry that
it would consult on animal health issues as part of their plan to
share the costs with the industry. Then they withdrew testing for
brucellosis without notice or any consultation.
However, the good news is that Kim-Marie
Haywood has now been appointed with effect from 27th July. She is
highly knowledgeable about the cattle industry. She is appointed
from within the NBA itself, from her position as their policy officer.
With her Australian beef farming background, many may feel a sense
of relief that, in the event, too close links with the mindset of
defra are thankfully avoided.
Kim-Marie
Haywood:
appointed CEO of the National Beef Association
with immediate effect
(Photo provided by NBA)
Kim-Marie joined the Association as a Policy Advisor
in August 2004 following three years as Quality Development Manager
with Quality Meat Scotland in Edinburgh, and a ten year period as
an agricultural education development specialist in Australia. She
is a qualified meat inspector, has a BSc in Applied Human Nutrition
from Queen Margaret University College in Eddinburgh. She owns commercial
cattle.
While we would like the supermarkets to behave
more fairly in their dealings with their producers, I reckon we
would also like those within the food producing industry - including
the middlemen, and indeed some cattle farmers - to conduct themselves
with fairness and integrity.
Kim certainly has plenty on her competent hands
in her new role.
There is the increasing divide between the Holyrood
and Westminster Parliaments, which is particularly apparent in terms
of farming issues.
There is the huge problem of the deplorable levels
of bTB in substantial areas of England and Wales, euphemistically
referred to as 'hotspots'. The situation has not been helped by
a disgracefully ineffective lot of poorly designed badger culling
trials lasting 10 years by the so-called 'Independent Scientific
Group", all of whose members were appointed by ministers on
the recommendation of their own officials.
Also in the realm of animal health and welfare,
she will need to press hard for the application of modern science
to the control of potential epidemics of viral diseases, such as
Foot and Mouth, Bluetongue, etc.
As if that was not enough, she will need to contend
with the severely damaged Rural Development Policy left behind by
Tony Blair in his disastrous dealings with the EU, whereby he sold
UK farming down the river as a pawn for some other alleged political
advantage, or perhaps for the benefit of his own image within the
EU.
She will have to fight hard to try and get a better
balance between populist environmental issues and the basic facts
about the economic sustainability of managing land in less favoured
areas - such as most of Scotland. In that context, the suckler herd
is of key importance, and it is now - as predicted - under serious
threat.
Let's give her all the support we can muster.
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