Gwyn Jones AHDB Board membership extended

UK Ministers have agreed to extend Gwyn Jones’ second term of office on the Board of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB).

The six month extension as member of the AHDB Board and chair of the Dairy Sector Board will run to the end of March 2020. The decision was made jointly by Ministers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs for Northern Ireland.

AHDB Chairman Peter Kendall said: “Gwyn’s knowledge, experience and passion for the industry has been invaluable and I’m delighted his second term of office as an AHDB Board member has been extended. 

“He will continue to play a central role in helping UK agriculture and horticulture evolve to meet the challenges that lie ahead in the current unprecedented political climate.”

Gwyn was a dairy farmer in West Sussex for more than 30 years, running a 350 cow herd, with a 1.5 Megawatt Anaerobic Digester integrated in the farm business. He is a Nuffield Scholar and Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society of England and has a long history as an active member of the NFU, holding National Office for several years as the NFU National Dairy Board chairman and then Vice President.

He is Chairman of Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) and Vice Chairman of its European equivalent, the European Platform for the responsible Use of Medicines in Animals (EPRUMA). He is also Chairman of the COPA-Cogeca Animal Health and Welfare Working Group, an active member of the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), member of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) Welfare and Ethics Group, and a member of the University of Surrey School of Veterinary Medicine’s External Liaison and Advisory Committee.

The Board Member and Sector Chair position receives non-pensionable remuneration of £32,000 per annum, based on a minimum time commitment of 104 days.