Where will the NFU find its leaders now?

A host of questions surrounds the future of the NFU leadership after a string of potential candidates all ruled themselves out of the running for high office.

With less than 90 days to go before elections in February, NFU president Peter Kendall has declared his intention to run for a fourth successive term as leader. Seen as the one of the union’s most successful presidents, a successor is proving more difficult to find.

The union’s vice and deputy presidents are usually seen as leaders in waiting. But vice president Gywn Jones has already ruled out a bid for the leadership in 2012. “I’ve done the job for two years and I am content where I am, so I will only be seeking re-election,” he told Farmers Weekly.

Deputy president Meurig Raymond has spoken of his desire to lead the industry one day. After receiving provisional backing from Devon NFU to run for president, he said he would stand for the deputy position but canvass support before deciding whether to throw his hat into the ring and challenge Mr Kendall for the top job.

Other contenders for the NFU’s top table and future heirs apparent would usually be the union’s commodity board chairmen. But with the exception of livestock chairman Alistair Mackintosh, they have all ruled themselves out of running for the posts of either deputy, vice president or president this time around.

William Martin (sugar beet), Sarah Pettitt (horticulture) and Charles Bourns (poultry) all told Farmers Weekly they would not be standing. Ian Backhouse (combinable crops) is standing down. Mansel Raymond (dairy) is also understood to have ruled out a challenge.

Mr Mackintosh, who has the backing of Devon NFU for deputy president, said he was still deciding whether to stand following revelations about his private life.

Despite these difficulties, Mr Mackintosh said he still felt capable of being deputy president. “Anyone who knows me knows that I have always given 100% to the NFU and there is no reason for that to change,” he said.

There was also an allegation of a conflict of interest between Mr Mackintosh’s personal life and his NFU role as livestock chairman.

An NFU investigation has cleared him of any breaching any rules.

NFU director general Kevin Roberts said: “Accepting that there may appear to be a potential conflict of interest, we can find no evidence of wrong doing. Therefore any background to this situation remains a private concern and we are treating it as such.”

Other candidates include NFU south-east regional chairman Kevin Attwood, who is standing for the deputy and vice president posts. Former NFU vice-president Paul Temple, who resigned for personal and business reasons in 2009, is standing for deputy president.

He believes he has the ability and passion to do the job, and benefits from being the same generation as Mr Kendall.