This event took place on 02 Feb 2023
A series of LIVE regional debates
Key agricultural topics
Quiz the speakers
Fantastic opportunity to put your questions forward and hear what the speakers have to say.
A series of regional LIVE debates
Policy makers and influential figures will be talking about key agricultural topics and current affairs that are relevant to your region.
Networking opportunity
Following the event, there will be an evening drinks reception where you will have the opportunity to network with likeminded peers in the industry.
Meet the QuestionTime host
Voice of the Farmers Weekly podcast and projects editor, Johann Tasker, is taking to the stage to host our new Question Time live show.
A long-standing and integral member of the Farmers Weekly team, he has been reporting and analysing the impact of government policy on agriculture – and how it affects farm businesses – for more than 20 years.
Most recently he has led our agricultural transition and farm safety (Dying to Feed You) projects alongside production of the weekly podcast with co-host Hugh Broom.
Running order:
- Registration: 17:30
- Live QuestionTime: 18:00 - 19:15
- Drinks reception: from 19:15
Speakers
Olly Harrison
Olly Harrison has been filming and uploading a video diary to YouTube for more than 900 days, sharing his duties and farming journey with the wider public.
Olly Harrison
Merseyside arable farmer and agricultural YouTube influencer
Olly farms 950 acres on the urban fringe near to Liverpool. He farms a mixture of owned, tenanted and share-farmed ground along with some contracting.
Cropping includes wheat feed, malting barley, oilseed rape and beans, all of which is direct drilled.
Olly also rents out office accommodation in converted barns that used to house cattle and recycles tree waste into biomass and some composting.
He represents the NFU Combinable Crops Board on the Red Tractor Crops and Sugar Beet Board.
Olly also produces a video diary on YouTube, sharing his farming journey with the public.
He has seen his subscriber base grow considerably to more than 50,000 and has raised more than £10,000 for local charities, including the local Liverpool Air Ambulance.
Vicki Hird
Vicki Hird MSc FRES is an award winning expert, author, strategist and senior manager working on environment, food and farming issues for over 30 years.
Vicki Hird
Head of sustainable farming, Sustain
Vicki Hird MSc FRES is an award-winning expert and author who has been working on environment, food and farming issues for more than 30 years.
She has an academic background in pest management and is a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society.
Vicki’s new book, Rebugging the Planet, is a homage to insects and other invertebrates, why they are so essential to our ecosystem and what we can do to help them.
Vicki has held positions as director of campaigns and policy at War on Want, senior campaigner heading up the Land use, Food and Water Programme for Friends of the Earth, and policy director of Sustain.
Vicki also runs an independent consultancy on campaign strategy, is on the board of the Eating Better Alliance and has sat on numerous charity boards and government advisory groups over the years.
Professor Michael Lee
Professor Michael Lee FRSA is an expert in sustainable livestock systems, defining their role in securing global food security...
Professor Michael Lee FRSA
Deputy vice-chancellor of Harper Adams University
Professor Michael Lee FRSA is an expert in sustainable livestock systems. He has a degree in animal science and a PhD in ruminant health.
Michael held positions at Rothamsted Research and the University of Bristol prior to taking up his position at Harper Adams University.
In 2019 he was elected president of the European Federation of Animal Science Livestock Farming Systems Commission and has been president of the British Society of Animal Science.
He represents the UK on Animal Task Force, a public-private think-tank informing the EU parliament in Brussels, and is co-chair of the UK Universities Network on Climate Change – Net Zero group.
Rt Hon Mark Spencer
Mark Spencer was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 7 September 2022.
Rt Hon Mark Spencer
The Rt Hon Mark Spencer MP minister of state (minister for food, farming and fisheries)
Mark Spencer was appointed minister of state at Defra on 7 September 2022.
He was previously Lord President and Leader of the House of Commons, and parliamentary secretary to the treasury (chief whip) before that.
Mark and his family run a family farm business, which now employs about 50 local people, growing produce which is sold in the farm shop.
Before entering Parliament, Mark was chairman of the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs as well as a district and county councillor.
Venue
Harper Adams University Campus, Shropshire, TF10 8NB
The campus is situated off the B5062 from Newport to Shrewsbury. Parking on campus is free for visitors. Please park in the ‘Staff/Visitor Car Park’ or the ‘Weston Car Park’. Please refer to the campus map for the location: Campus Map (harper-adams.ac.uk).
Getting there by train: Although Telford Central is the closest train station to Harper Adams, you may find more direct trains to Stafford or Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury has a bus service that stops at the campus, or you can get a taxi from any of these stations.
Disabled car parking is available at the ‘Weston Car Park’ which is closest to the venue. Alternatively, this is also available at the following Car parks: QMH, Bamford Library, Foulkes Crowther Building, Agricultural Engineering Innovation Centre car park and limited spaces at rear of the Main Building. Please refer to the campus map for locations: Campus Map (harper-adams.ac.uk).
Disabled toilets are located in the Main Building, Bamford Library, Queen Mother Hall, Foulkes Crowther, Faccenda, Weston and Agricultural Engineering Innovation Centre.
Lifts are available in most buildings.
If you have any special access requirements please email Amy.Parsons-Dempster@markallengroup.com by Friday 27th January and we will do our very best to accommodate your needs.
Sponsors
Lloyds Bank
Lloyds Bank is delighted to support the Farmers Weekly Question Time. In what continues to be a challenging time for the agriculture sector, addressing the key issues and questions that farmers have, will help the sector take advantage of opportunities and achieve the best results.
You can find out more about how we are continuing to support the sector at lloydsbank.com/agriculture
AB Agri
As Britain’s farmers rise to the challenge of producing responsible, high-quality food to feed our nation - without upping the price… AB Agri is thrilled to be supporting this opportunity to discuss and debate the topics that matter most.
Pictures of the event
View the video of the event and listen to our podcast
Past events
The Great Yorkshire Showground
Great Yorkshire Showground,
Railway Road,
Harrogate,
HG2 8NZ
Newcastle University Campus
Agriculture Building
King's Rd
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE1 4LB
Royal Agricultural University Campus
Cirencester,
Gloucestershire,
GL7 6JS
Harper Adams University
Edgmond,
Newport,
Shropshire,
TF10 8NB
Harper Adams
Regional Foods lecture theatre
Edgmond
Newport
TF10 8NB
FAQ's
You can submit a question whilst filling out the registration form. However, we cannot guarantee that your question will be asked as our panel selects the questions prior to the event. At the venue, you will have the opportunity to ask a question live.
Yes, but you need to inform us at least 24 hours before.
We aim to select a panel of influential figures within the agricultural industry who have a broad range of views, knowledge, and experience. Where possible we try and select panellists who are relevant to the area in which the event is taking place.
To make the audience diverse and to ensure a range of different views and opinions are reflected, we try to select audience members of varying age groups and occupations. The successful audience members will be contacted by a member of the Farmers Weekly team and asked to provide two questions for the panel.
Following the event, there will be an evening drinks reception where canapes and light refreshments will be provided.
Yes, the event is free to attend, however you do need to apply to be a member of the audience.
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