Dr David Llewellyn CBE will take up the position after leading the independent commission that produced the report in January.
He was appointed by the Farm Assurance Review Sponsoring Group, of which the NFU is a member, along with NFU Cymru, AHDB, the UFU and NFUS. The Farm Assurance Review was jointly commissioned by these groups with a focus on reviewing the effectiveness of farm assurance.
Dr Llewellyn will shortly be inviting stakeholders identified in the report to submit their feedback on relevant recommendations and to set out their proposed actions for delivery.
First monitoring report due this year
The Sponsoring Group is committed to the development of an assurance system that meets the needs of farmers, as well as the wider industry, but it is not for the group alone to determine how the UKFAR recommendations are implemented.
Dr Llewellyn will be responsible for facilitating discussions with stakeholders in addition to ensuring actions are monitored through the publication of independent progress reports in Autumn 2025 and Spring 2026.
On his appointment, Dr Llewellyn said: “I am pleased that there will be an opportunity, over the next year, for progress in implementing the UKFAR recommendations to be formally assessed and publicly reported.
“My role will be to independently monitor and report on the actions of the organisations identified in the initial farm assurance report, but it will be for those organisations to participate fully, and transparently, in addressing the recommendations in order to contribute to the improvement of the UK’s farm assurance system.
“I look forward to discussing progress to date with the nominated organisations over the next few months, in preparation for our first monitoring report later this year.”
