A MAMBLE livestock farmer has been elected as the new NFU Worcestershire chairman.

Clive Davies was voted in unopposed during the union’s county annual meeting at the YFC Centre, Hawford, Worcester.

He will lead county farmers for the next two years and takes over the post from Tim Jones, of St Michaels, Tenbury Wells.

The NFU champions British farming and provides professional representation and services to its farmer and grower members.

Mr Davies said he hoped to do his best for the county and thanked fellow farmers for their support.

Mr Jones, who will continue to represent county farmers on the NFU’s regional livestock board and is poised to take up the chairman’s post in the next few weeks, said: “Clive has served me very ably as deputy chairman for the past two years and I am pleased to say he has been elected unopposed.

“Being chairman has been an interesting challenge and it has proved my belief that the more you put into an organisation the more you get back.

“It would be very hard to repay the knowledge that I have gained during the last two years.”

Mr Davies said: “Andrew Baxter has agreed to stand in and support me in a deputy role and then we will review the situation in 12 months.

“This arrangement can work well and we need to push on now to benefit the farming industry in the county.

“Working with Andrew will be an excellent arrangement as he is in the south of the county and I’m in the west.” Mr Baxter farms at Pirton and is also the county NFU treasurer.

Major issues for the industry in the months ahead include the drive to improve farm profitability, the effort to control the spread of bovine tuberculosis and reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP.