The National Farmers' Union
(NFU)
Profile
By
Corporate Watch UK
Completed July 2003
Structure
The NFU has 1000 staff based in 310 offices across England and Wales
(NFU Cymru). It has close links with its ‘sister’ organisations,
the NFU Scotland and the Ulster Farmers' Union. There are 450 ‘group
secretaries’ based around the country who work for the NFU,
and also work as agents for the NFU Mutual - backed up by specialist
staff at the Mutual's regional offices and its Stratford-upon-Avon
head office.
There are 160 staff members based at the NFU's London HQ building
in Shaftesbury Avenue. They work in policy, services, membership and
finance and administration. Each section has a Director who reports
to the Director General.
Attention has been drawn to lavish expenditure at the NFU’s
London premises (see, for example article "Try Telling Farmers
That Spending £20 Million On An Office Is A Good Idea").
On the European stage, members are represented by NFU staff based
at the union's Brussels office, the Bureau de l'Agriculture
Britannique, which it shares with NFU Scotland and the
Ulster Farmers' Union.
The Council and elected officials
County branches, in part, elect the ninety two (the figure varies)
members of the national Council. Although the majority are still not
the result of a membership election. There are 30 members of the
Council from NFU Cymru. The Council members approve
matters relating to policy, strategy and finance. These
Council members also elect the four national 'office
holders'.
The four 'office holders' are the President, currently Ben Gill on
his third two-year term (See appendix 1 for a list of recent
presidents); the Deputy President - Tim Bennett; the Vice
President - Michael Paske, and the Treasurer. The
Director-General of the NFU is appointed and is currently
Richard MacDonald CBE. Welsh members are led by the President
of the NFU Cymru.
Numerous HQ committees handle policy in specific areas, from milk
and dairy produce, livestock and cereals to legal, taxation and
technical services. Each has its own chairman who reports
directly to Council and to committee members at grassroots
level in the regions.
Some committees are more
open about their members than others, which is reflected in the minutes
made available on the member's section of the NFU website. Reading
through the minutes, the same names keep cropping up on committees, and
therefore its not surprising that policies on issues such as genetic
engineering seem to follow the same line.
The Organic Working
Group, chaired by Oliver Dowding, is possibly the only group within the
NFU that has elected representatives and declared interests.
This structure will,
however, be changing in the forthcoming overhaul. See 'NFU overhaul?'.
The regions themselves also have a strong committee
structure, whose chairmen form the regional advisory
board.
