Geoffroy d’Evry, the New NEPG's Chairman

During its last NEPG meeting in Gembloux, the first elected chairman of the organization, Jaap Botma from Friesland, The Netherlands, was replaced by Frenchman Geoffroy d’Evry, also elected for two years.

Geoffroy d’Evry is an arable farmer north of Paris and produces potatoes for the starch, crisping, and chipping industry, as well as sugar beets, wheat, rapeseed, and flax. Geoffroy is the president of the UNPT (Union Nationale des Producteurs de Pommes de Terre (National union of French potato growers) and is a delegate in the CESPU (Committee of the European Starch Potato Processors' unions). He also has a seat on the Tereos board (a group of cooperative unions that processes sugar, alcohol, and starch).

Botma, the former 20 months of service NEPG’s chairman was also an arable farmer (seed potatoes, sugar beets, onions, cereals) for 28 years. In July 2020, Jaap Botma of the VTA (Verenigde Telers Akkerbouw, association of Dutch arable farmers) became the first elected chairman of the NEPG. The idea of having a potato farmer as chairman was to give a face to the NEPG. Jaap’s presidency was done under difficult conditions, i.e. the Covid-19 pandemic, which rendered working conditions difficult, most things having to be done virtually instead of physically.

The following organizations are active members of the NEPG (in alphabetical order): ABS (B), FIWAP (producer section) (B), FWA (B), PCA (B), REKA (D), UNPT (F), and VTA (NL).