NFU’s Horticulture and Potatoes Board Continues With Martin Emmett as Chair

Martin Emmett has been re-elected as chair of the National Farmers Union's Horticulture and Potatoes Board.

Martin is a director of Tristram Plants, which is part of the Farplants cooperative that grows and markets over 2,000 plant types, generating more than GBP50 million in retail sales each year. He was initially elected chair of the board in 2022.

“I’m pleased with the new constitution on the board as we’re now well-balanced regionally with representatives for the first time from the South West. […] The 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 year’s production. The 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,” NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board chair, Martin Emmett, said, cited by NFUonline.

Martin will be supported by two vice chairs – Stephen Shields and Tim Rooke.

Stephen is the 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.

“I’m delighted to be elected as vice chair and I look forward to working with Martin, Tim, and the board to raise awareness of the work we’re doing for growers. Our sector has an exciting opportunity to drive innovation and sustainability, adopting new tech and helping to meet the industry’s net zero by 2040 targets and the government’s statuary target. To do this though we need to ensure that we are building profitability into our businesses and giving growers the confidence to invest,” Shields added.

Tim, who will remain chair of the NFU’s 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.

“The horticulture and potatoes sector in the UK is a brilliant one and I’m excited about the opportunity to work with Martin and Stephen over the next two years. As we’re 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. It 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,” Rooke concluded.