He writes:
James Bond and Alexander Litvinenko. One led the life you could only dream of while the other met an end even grizzlier than that of a cross compliance felon.
I imagined both however to possess the skills you would need to thrive in the lobbying environment being described to us – the members of the NFU Next Generation Policy Forum - as we sat being briefed in the NFU’s London office.
In discovering the art of agricultural lobbying I could picture Meurig Raymond outfoxing a Defra minister in a casino (perhaps with a Vodka Martini in hand) or even Guy Smith jumping out of a plane to chase down an RPA official.
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Minette Batters, far more than a token bond girl in my metaphor, would be doing battle for queen and country on the bovine TB front.
During an afternoon in Westminster a dozen or so of the NFU’s younger members got to appreciate the extent of the organisation’s invaluable work carried out on our behalf.
But this was only one part of the NFU and our eyes were opened further during our couple of years together as a group. This organisation does more for us than we first thought. We would go on to understand the operation of the NFU from regional level through to its headquarters and into Brussels. We also came to appreciate the dedication and expertise of staff and farmer representatives. Without them our agricultural careers would be very different. We also recognised that we too could have a say and, under the wing of the NFU, we would be heard.
As a collection of farmers in our twenties and thirties we immediately saw that barriers to entry into agriculture were probably as high as they had ever been. There is a need to give talented youngsters help to enter an industry that really needs them. We were given the opportunity to present to Defra our ideas for a young entrant scheme.
After favourable scrutiny a new entrant was included in the NFU’s response to the Future of Farming Review. A new entrant scheme has since been included in the Regional Development Program for England for the first time.
As a past chairman of the NFU Next Generation Policy Forum it has been a privilege to have been involved in this group and the experience has certainly opened my eyes to the importance of the NFU. Ideally the insights we had would be available to the wider membership and that is why I would encourage younger members to apply to future versions of the Next Generation Policy Forum and get involved and have your say, because your views will be heard. You Only Live Once remember.