Horticulture specialist, Hayley Campbell-Gibbons, have been appointed as a new member of the Board of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and chair of the levy body’s Horticulture Sector Board.
Ms Campbell-Gibbons (36), who will take up her post from November 1, 2018, is the youngest board member in AHDB’s history. She brings 15 years’ experience in rural affairs, including over a decade as Chief Policy Adviser to the National Farmers Union, where she specialised in horticulture from 2011 onwards.
She has represented farmers’ and growers’ interests at UK and EU level, spearheading strategic movements including Catalyst for Change, The Code of Trading Practice for Ornamentals and the NFU’s campaign for a new seasonal agriculture workers scheme.
“I look forward to helping AHDB make a real difference for UK horticulture and agriculture as we manage our way through Brexit and into a new trading environment,” she said, “in particular, to working with the British horticulture sector as it deals with pressures on margins, challenges around labour availability and concerns over crop protection. I also want to listen to growers and work with them to identify ways of maximising productivity and fulfilling our potential as a sector.”
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.
