Sophie Throup appointed next NFU director general

Sophie Throup has been appointed to succeed Terry Jones as director general of the NFU, taking up the role in the spring.

Ms Throup will join the NFU from Myton Food Group, where she has been senior director since 2023.

Her career spans food manufacturing, processing and retail, and includes a previous role as head of agriculture at Morrisons.

See also: Red Tractor CEO Jim Moseley to step down

Earlier experience includes a decade in the veterinary sector, alongside non-executive and advisory positions, including work with Defra through the development of the Trade and Agriculture Commission.

Ms Throup comes from a mixed family farm producing milk, arable crops and free-range eggs.

In recent years, she led the establishment of the school of sustainable food and farming at Harper Adams University, created with Morrisons, the NFU and McDonald’s, to support research, training and innovation aimed at improving sustainable farming practices.

Ms Throup said: “It is an honour and a privilege to have the opportunity to lead the NFU and take this great organisation forward with energy, commitment and a clear vision for its future.

“With our family farming back home in Yorkshire, my roots have always been in agriculture, and I know how important this period of change is for the sector.”

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “I’d like to welcome Sophie to the NFU and we are delighted with her appointment at this pivotal time for the farming industry.

“I’d also like to thank Terry Jones for his dedication to the NFU and its members over the past 10 years.”