Former president of the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU), John Gilliland, will work with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) as a consultant for the next nine months.
In his role with the organisation, Gilliland will have a particular focus on helping to develop and implement a new environmental strategy.
AHDB director of services Ken Boyns said Gilliland would provide valuable insight and independent advice for levy payers from someone who has delivered in the field.
“John has strong technical capabilities and can combine commercial and on-farm experience in environment practices with in-depth knowledge of the environment policy landscape in the UK, as well as involvement in driving research in this area,” he said.
“He is an influential and respected communicator at all levels and is able to clearly describe technically difficult subjects to a non-technical audience, as well as debate environment practices with subject experts.”
John Gilliland
As well as holding the position of UFU President, Gilliland was also the chair of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra’s) rural climate change forum.
He was appointed a Professor of Practice with the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast in 2021 and served as the director of agriculture and sustainability at Devenish Nutrition.
His other roles have included director of the Oxford Farming Conference and the chair of the writing of the Sustainable Agriculture Land Management Strategy Northern Ireland on behalf of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).
Speaking on his appointment to a consultancy position with AHDB, Gilliland said: “I look forward to working with AHDB and its levy payers, whether it be on our journey to net zero, improving water quality, or creating more productive habitats.
“As a practicing farmer, I have been privileged to also have been a farm leader, policy advocate, a regulator and an innovator.
“This experience has allowed me to help secure positive engagement from farmers while delivering for the environment through science-based policy formation.
“My passion is to find ways that turn the environment from a cost centre, to a profit centre within our businesses and where farming is seen as a vital part of the solution and not just the problem.”
