Andrew Connon and Robin Traquair elected Vice Presidents at #NFUS2021 AGM
Highland Perthshire farmer Martin Kennedy has been elected the 63rd President of NFU Scotland. Mr Kennedy, who has been a Vice President at the Union since 2017, now takes over one of the top jobs in Scottish agriculture.
Andrew Connon and Robin Traquair are the Union’s new Vice Presidents.
In today’s vote, taken at the Union’s virtual council meeting in Glasgow, Mr Kennedy was elected unopposed to the Presidential spot. Mr Connon and Mr Traquair were elected after a keenly fought vice-presidential contest which saw them run against Willie Harper and George Milne.
The presidential position will be held by Mr Kennedy for two years and a President can serve a maximum of two consecutive two-year terms. Under the terms of the constitution, Mr Connon and Mr Traquair, being elected to the position of Vice President for the first time, will initially serve for two years before the post reverts to an annual election.
After the election, NFU Scotland’s new President Mr Kennedy commented: “It goes without saying that it is indeed a great honour to be elected President of NFU Scotland. This is a role I recognise carries a huge responsibility to represent all our members in all sectors of farming and crofting throughout Scotland.
“Without question we will have some real challenges ahead as we strive to meet not only climate change and environmental targets, but also at the same time continue to carry out our fundamental role of food production.
“I see these challenges as opportunities, and provided we implement a positive future agricultural policy, one that’s right for Scotland, then we can create a profitable industry that’s the envy of many across the globe.”
Mr Kennedy went on to pay tribute to the many people he has worked with during his four years as Vice President, particularly the outgoing President Andrew McCornick and Charlie Adam, who stepped down as Vice President and a ten-year spell on the Union’s board. He also welcomed all those who have now stepped up to represent the membership on the new board, including his new Vice Presidents Andrew Connon and Robin Traquair.
Notes to Editors
Biographies below of those elected to represent NFU Scotland at today’s Council meeting:
President: Martin Kennedy, Lurgan Farm, Edradynate, Aberfeldy, Perthshire.
Martin is a tenant farmer in Highland Perthshire and farms with his wife Jane and three daughters, Jillian, Katrina and Yvonne.
They have 600 ewes and 60 cows on the farm rising from 800ft to over 2,500ft.
Martin served two years as Highland Perthshire branch chairman, before representing East Central region on the LFA committee in 2009.
Martin then went on to be vice chairman then chaired the committee for three years. He was elected Vice President in 2017.
Vice President: Andrew Connon, North Quilquox, Ythanbank, Ellon, Aberdeenshire.
Andrew lives with his wife Pauline, son Andrew (22) and daughter Sarah (18). They run a small commercial sheep flock. Andrew was brought up on the neighbouring farm of South Quilquox - part of the family business of A M Connon & Sons, Skilmafilly, Auchnagatt still run by his father, two uncles and cousin.
After graduating from Aberdeen University with a Hons Degree in General Agriculture he joined Velcourt as a trainee farm manager in South East England before returning to a farm management position in Aberdeenshire.
He then embarked on a commercial career in agricultural finance with NWS Bank and then JCB Finance, In 1999 he joined the family-owned machinery business of A M Phillip initially as a Branch Manager before becoming a Director and latterly Dealer Principal until the business was sold in 2018. The past 2 years, Andrew has been working with Hectare Agritech Ltd which runs the online marketplaces SellMyLivestock and Graindex. He completed the Scottish Enterprise Rural Leadership Course in 2010.
In his youth he was heavily involved in Young Farmers. Currently he is Secretary of Methlick Farmers Ball and is a member of Ythanside Farmers Club and Discussion Group. He has been a member of NFUS for 20 years with New Deer Branch and is a former Branch Chairman. He has been on the Regional Board for several years having been elected a Vice Chairman of the Region in 2017 before taking on the North East Regional Chairman Role in Jan 2020.
Vice President: Robin Traquair, Wellington Farm, Millerhill, Dalkeith, Midlothian.
After a period of managing a pig and beef herd in Switzerland, Robin returned to his family farm in Midlothian, taking on the management in his mid-twenties. He farms there with his wife Anna and they have three children of school and university age.
He currently farms 350 indoor sows taking stock from farrow to finish, and selling the progeny through Scotlean, a farmer-based co-op of which Robin is a director.
Pigs are also supplied into the wholesale market in Edinburgh. To advance the business in 2010, Robin was the first farmer in the UK to import a high health SPF commercial and nucleus herd of Danbred sows, which eventually led onto a very sociable evening as a finalist at the Farmers Weekly awards. He currently buys 1500 tonnes of grain a year from local merchants and farmers.
In his youth he was a member of South Midlothian JAC and was National Chairman of SAYFC in 1999-2000. Shortly afterwards he became NFU Scottish Pigs Chairman and sat on the Remunerations committee. He was the Scottish representative on the British Pig Executive, a part of the MLC, for several years and was Chairman of South of Scotland Pig Producers discussion group.
In 2017 he took part in the Scottish Enterprise Rural Leadership Programme. He currently sits on the UK Pig Disease Eradication Fund Board. He is currently Lothian and Borders NFU Chairman and looks forward to the challenge of running for Vice President of NFUS in a period of certain change and challenges in the Scottish agricultural industry.
Ends
Contact Bob Carruth on 0131 472 4006