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Martin Kennedy Elected Unchallenged as NFU Scotland President with Andrew Connon and Alasdair Macnab Elected as Vice-Presidents

Highland Perthshire farmer Martin Kennedy was elected unchallenged for the position of President of NFU Scotland at the Union’s council meeting in Glasgow today (Friday 10 February).

Mr Kennedy has served as President for the past two years and has been re-elected to the post of President for a further two-year term. The maximum term allowed for an individual to hold the role of President under the Union’s constitution is four consecutive years.



Three nominations for the two Vice-Presidential posts were received. Following a vote by members of NFU Scotland’s Council, Andrew Connon, North Quilquox, Ythanbank, Ellon, Aberdeenshire and Alasdair Macnab, Kildun Farm, Dingwall, Ross-shire were elected. The unsuccessful candidate was Robin Traquair, Wellington Farm, Millerhill, Dalkeith, Midlothian, who has been Vice-President since 2021.

Mr Connon was elected Vice-President in 2021 and Mr Macnab is newly elected to the post.

Commenting Mr Kennedy said: “It is an immense privilege to be asked to serve NFU Scotland as President again, a role I have enjoyed immensely over the past two very difficult years where we have had to deal with a myriad of challenges from global to local spectrums. 

“I congratulate Andrew and Alasdair and thank Robin sincerely for the hard work and dedication he has shown to Scottish farming and crofting in the past two years.  It is also worth making specific mention of the huge volume of time he spent on making our 2023 AGM, Dinner and conference a roaring success. 

“Our membership has bestowed on myself, Andrew and Alasdair a huge honour at a time when the changes, challenges and opportunities facing Scottish farmers and crofters have never been so immense.

“These will be incredibly busy and significant times for the Union as we strive to secure a sustainable, profitable future for Scottish agriculture. As a new look top team we will remain fully committed to driving forward the work NFU Scotland is doing on behalf of more than 9200 members across Scotland.”  

Notes to Editors

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 Chair, before representing East Central region on the LFA committee in 2009. 

Martin then went on to be Vice-Chair then chaired the committee for three years. He was elected Vice-President in 2017 a position he held until being elected

President of NFU Scotland in February 2021.

Vice-President

Andrew Connon, North Quilquox, Ythanbank, Ellon, Aberdeenshire. 

Andrew farms near Ellon in Aberdeenshire running a small commercial sheep flock whilst also doing some local contract work on a beef and arable unit, working with the Online Market Places SellMyLivestock and Graindex, and is a Director of Livestock Health Scotland. He is married to Pauline. Son Andrew (24) and daughter  Sarah (18) are employed on neighbouring farms. His father, uncles and cousin run the neighbouring family business focused on finishing cattle, sheep, and barley.

After graduating from Aberdeen University with an honours 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. 

Andrew 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 then Dealer Principal until the business was sold in 2018. 

He is a long-standing member of NFU Scotland New Deer Branch and a former Branch Chair. He represented the North East Regional Board for several years, elected Vice-Chair (2017) and Chair (2020). 

In February 2021, Andrew was elected NFU Scotland Vice-President and currently sits on the following committees: ELU, Combinable Crops, Horticulture, Potatoes,

LFA, Crofting, Milk, Finance and Renumeration. 

Key issues for Andrew as Vice-President have included input inflation and sector profitability, retailer labelling /promoting Scottish, the ongoing pig’s crisis, EU ban on seed potatoes, labour issues, tree planting on productive land, energy crisis, slurry regulations, furthering Agricultural Education and the decline in livestock and people from rural areas. 

Vice-President

Alasdair Macnab, Kildun Farm, Dingwall, Ross-shire

Alasdair Macnab farms at Kildun, Dingwall with his wife Gill running a well-known pedigree Limousin herd, growing malting barley and hay. Alasdair went to Dingwall

Academy and then Glasgow University graduating in veterinary medicine. He worked in a vet practice in Ross-shire for 11 years, then joined the Government vet service in Inverness. He worked across Britain for 25 years gaining extensive experience in animal welfare, BSE, TB, the Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth outbreaks, disease outbreak management, import and export, pigs, poultry, transport of livestock, publishing research and crofting. He now farms, runs a consultancy advising farmers in legal disputes, assessing vets doing TB testing and writes a column for the Scottish Farmer.

His farming career started on his late uncle’s dairy farm at Humberston, Dingwall (now Dingwall Auction Mart) working with dairy, sheep and cereals. He was a crofter breeding cattle and sheep near Strathpeffer for over ten years before buying Kildun from his mother in 2005. On Kildun, Alasdair and Gill are developing some high value nature sites to integrate into the farm system.

Alasdair has been a member of NFU Scotland for over thirty years. On leaving the Government, he took on the role of Vice-Chair for Black Isle and Mid Ross Branch in 2016 before becoming Chair and representing Highland Region on the Legal & Technical committee. He is currently Vice-Chair for Highland Region and took on the role of L&T Committee Chair in February 2022.

Alasdair has also run a timber reclamation and flooring business, is a past RHET Highland Chair and a Ross County season ticket holder.

Ends

Contact Bob Carruth on 07788 927675

Author: Bob Carruth

Date Published:

News Article No.: 15/23


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About The Author

Bob Carruth

A dairy farmer’s son, I joined NFU Scotland in 1999 after 13 years as an agricultural journalist. Following spells as a regional manager and policy lead on milk, livestock and animal health and welfare, I became Communications Director in 2008.

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