During the Herefordshire NFU annual general meeting earlier this month, a new chair was welcomed. 

During the meeting, farmer Martin Williams was welcome as county chair and he will lead the county for the next two years.

Mr Williams, who farms at Fownhope, was elected unopposed and has vowed to drive forward the farming agenda on behalf of county farms, from the grassroots up. 

His term officially starts after the national NFU annual meeting in Birmingham in February.

The arable farmer, who is also Farm Herefordshire co-chair, said: “At a time of difficulty within agriculture and horticulture the NFU is without doubt the strongest vehicle to see fair play throughout the industry and I would like to be a part of that.

“Thank you to Bill Quan for his work as chair, he has had an exceptional term in office during challenging times, including Covid, and has been a very good servant to Herefordshire farming and the NFU.”

Potato, poultry and arable farmer Will Watkins, of The Coop, will step into the vice chair position and work closely with Mr Williams during his term of office.

Ross sheep and beef farmer Julian Partridge stays as NFU Council delegate holding a place on the NFU’s most senior democratic, decision-making body.

Bill Quan, who farms at Pontrilas, said he was pleased to welcome Mr Williams to the post.

He spoke to Herefordshire farmers about his time in office and some of the challenges for county farms.

Water quality and nutrient management, flooding, agricultural planning, a strong seasonal workforce for horticulture and farmer visits to schools were put under the spotlight.

Bill said: “I wish the new officeholder team every success in their new roles and in keeping Herefordshire at the forefront of British agriculture and horticulture.”

Meeting guest speaker Tom Bradshaw, NFU Deputy President, welcomed the new officeholder appointments and thanked Bill for his work during a time of real upheaval for farmers, with Brexit, Covid, the market volatility created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and extreme weather events.