Academic to head efficiency drive

14 December 2000



Academic to head efficiency drive

By FWi staff

A LEADING academic has been appointed chairman of a Government group to investigate efficiency and competitiveness in farming.

Professor Sir John Marsh CBE will chair Inputs Task Force, the Ministry of Agriculture has announced.

Sir John already chairs the Independent Review of Dispensing by Veterinary Surgeons and was Dean of agriculture and food at Reading University.

His extensive CV also includes stints as chairman of the Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales and as a member of the Burns committee on hunting.

The task force will review the cost and efficiency of utilisation of agricultural inputs including water, energy, agro-chemicals, labour and machinery.

Set up under Governments Strategy for Agriculture, it will recommend action by the industry or the Government to improve efficiency in farming

MAFF also announced that Marcus Themans, chairman of the National Farmers Union Technical Services Committee, will also serve on the task force.

He is joined by Nicholas Saphir, chairman and chief executive of Online Global Commodities Exchange, and Ed Rainy Brown, chief executive National Farmers Union of Scotland.

The task force will report to ministers by the end of March 2001.