NFU Scotland’s long-serving treasurer George Lawrie has stepped down after nine years.
George, from Kinross, has been a Board member at NFU Scotland since February 2003 and was appointed Treasurer in February 2007.
Although George has stepped down from his Union role, he remains very involved in the industry. He is a board member at AHDB Cereals and Oilseeds, chairs the co-operative Scottish Agronomy and was recently appointed as the chairman of co-operative umbrella organisation SAOS.
The Union’s new treasurer will be Gerald Banks, a farmer and farm consultant from Buchan in the North East.
Both George and Gerald are past chairmen of NFU Scotland’s Environment and Land Use committee.
Speaking from the Union’s AGM in St Andrews, George Lawrie commented: “It has been a real pleasure being involved with NFU Scotland in all my roles and I would like to thank everyone who has helped me over the years. It is a journey that saw me become the youngest branch chairman at my local branch all the way to 13 years on the board at NFUS. It has been a fantastic time and I wish Gerald all the best going forward.
“We have a strong top team in place, and a good staff body at NFU Scotland, and I felt it was the right time to leave my role as treasurer. I have no doubt that the Union will continue on a strong footing going forward.”
Commenting on his appointment, Gerald said: "Coming through the ranks and onto the main board at the Union in 2012, it was clear at a very early stage just what a calming and reliable influence George was on how NFUS went about its job.
“He has been a rock at the centre of the Union’s solid performance as a business in recent years and a tough act to follow. That said, I am thoroughly looking forward to my appointment as Treasurer of NFU Scotland and the inevitable challenges the whole industry faces." Ends
Notes to Editors
• A photograph of George Lawrie and Gerald Banks will be available on request from media@nfus.org.uk at 2pm on Friday 12 February
• Having studied at Elmwood College, George Lawrie returned home to the family farm before getting married and first venturing into partnership with his wife in an arable unit in the late ’80s. It was also around this time he became a founder member of Tay Forth Machinery Ring. His involvement with co-ops didn’t stop there and George has been involved with Highland Glen and United Oilseeds over the years and remains a member, and is current Chairman, of Scottish Agronomy. He was previously a member of SAOS Council – in the mid-1990s – when he was also Chairman of SMRA. Outside the co-op sector, he has been a member of NFU Scotland Board since 2003, initially as Environment and Land Use Committee chairman and for many years now, as Treasurer. He is also on the main Board of HGCA and worked for 10 years with the Scottish Office on Agricultural Appeals.
• In 1979, Gerald Banks moved with his wife and young family to farm in Buchan. The exceptional conditions of the mid-eighties, high interest rates and appalling weather, forced him to diversify his business and develop his own independent consultancy, which over the intervening years has been the mainstay of his business. He has been an active member of the Buchan NFU Scotland branch since 1979, representing the North East on the main Environment and Land Use Committee for several years. In 2012, he became committee chairman and has been on the main Board since that time. Since 2014, he has represented the Board on the Union's Finance and Remuneration Committees.
For more information contact Bob Carruth: bob.carruth@nfus.org.uk