Vice president race - Mark Leggott

Age: 46

Farm Location/type: 1,200 acres at Boston and Newark growing cereals, vining peas, sugar beet, potatoes, brassicas, with a 100 cow suckler herd with all progeny destined for Waitrose

NFU positions held: Currently NFU council delegate for Lincolnshire, chairman of East Midlands regional board, chairman of East Midlands combinable crops board and therefore on national board, and serving on the NFU science and technology panel.

Other relevant positions held: Currently member of HGCA R& D advisory board, vice-chairman of the PGRO Research Station and a director of the Processed Vegetable Growers Association.

Main interests outside farming: Politics, history, travel, reading, shooting.

Tell us something surprising about you: I have a keen interest in daffodils.

Who is your hero? Sir Sidney Kidman because he started with nothing and made a massive success of pastoral farming in Australia when many others failed.

Why are you the best person for the job?

During my farming career I have worked with sheep, cattle, poultry and with horticultural and arable crops. This breadth of experience gives me a thorough knowledge of most commodities and I am confident talking about issues across a wide sectoral range.

After a long period of active NFU involvement I have a good understanding of politics and Government and have the confidence to negotiate both in the UK and in Europe at the highest level.

My determination to enhance farming’s profitability means that I am extremely focused on getting the best deal for agriculture from politicians of any party.

What would you change within the NFU to improve it?

We need to have a serious rethink on how we attract the younger farmers into the union.

It concerns to me that at 46 years of age at many meetings I am the youngest member!  Without the young becoming active NFU members the branch structure will most certainly fail. It is essential to find an active role for the younger members and to ensure that they receive a structured training programme to give them the skills and confidence to act as a spokespeople for their industry and to want to remain active in representing their fellow farmers.

What farming issues would be your priority?

My first priority is to ensure that the Government begins tackling the misery caused by TB by whatever means necessary. This disease has raged unchecked for long enough and for the sake of the livestock industry must not be allowed to continue.

Following close behind, it is essential that we forge alliances with European Allies to ensure that we retain Pillar I  payments and circumvent our present Government’s attempt to try and transfer all payments to Pillar II. If we fail to get the correct framework for support payments post 2013 then every farmer in the land will suffer financially.

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