The Farmers Mart Jun/Jul 2015 - Issue 40 | Page 52

Maltby Grange

New chairman with a
challenging agenda
Chris Berry headed for Maltby (North Yorkshire)
to meet North Riding & County Durham NFU
County Chairman, Martin Lowcock.
»»Some farmers agree to
take up a chairmanship role
in the National Farmers’
Union because they have an
agenda and some because it
appears to be their turn. Martin
Lowcock, who farms at Maltby
Grange in the village of Maltby,
near Yarm in North Yorkshire,
slots most definitely into the
former category. He farms 320
acres, runs a beef and arable
enterprise and is the new North
Riding & County Durham NFU
County Chairman.
Martin told me: “I joined the
Stokesley branch in the early
‘90s to pick up good ideas and
listened to speakers who were
extremely knowledgeable. I
learned a great deal and the
field trips to others’ farms and
businesses were enlightening. I
had a spell as branch chairman
but at the time I didn’t want to
take things further. Our local
branch representative, Greg

Proll asked last year whether I
would consider taking on the
county role and I decided that
now was the right time for me.
“I have come into the
chairmanship with an agenda
that includes trying everything
we can to keep TB in cattle
out of the north of England;
working with the dairy sector
to improve their current
situation, particularly in relation
to the way supermarkets are
selling milk; representing
the needs of upland farmers,
specifically bearing in mind
the intransigence shown by
national parks and National
Trust in not allowing them to
diversify in certain ways; and
making a bigger effort to bring
younger NFU members into
regional and national posts.
“I am desperate to keep TB
at bay and will be attending
every meeting possible to
fly the flag and keep us as a

52 Jun/Jul 2015 www.farmers-mart.co.uk

clean area. We need to make
it socially unacceptable for
animals to come in from ‘dirty’
areas. That doesn’t mean that
stock cannot be brought in,
it’s just that everyone needs
to be very conscientious and
tests need to be conducted
pre- and post- movement.
It’s already in some parts of
Cumbria and North Yorkshire
and I believe the cases are
on the back of animals being
brought in from ‘dirty’ areas.
This has brought much
hardship, not just to the
farmers who have bought the
stock themselves, but also to
their neighbours - and in some
cases it has caused ructions
which in my opinion were
avoidable.
“I’m a huge wildlife fan but I
am 100 per cent in support of
the badger cull. Management
of them also needs to be much
better,” he said.

‘I have come
into the
chairmanship
with an
agenda that
includes trying
to keep TB
in cattle out
of the north
of England’