A HIGH-powered panel of speakers has been lined up for the prestigious Pershore Conference which this year is on the topic Embracing Brexit.

“The theme of this year’s conference is to provoke a debate on how the panel plan to embrace whatever Brexit brings and how they think you can make the best of the opportunities to develop your business.” explained Ray Foster-Morison, group secretary of the Pershore and Upton-on-Severn branch of the NFU, organisers of the event.

He added there would be ample opportunities for questions from members of the audience.

The speakers include Sir Peter Kendall, now effectively working for George Eustice as chairman of the AHDB. He has a powerful message for the farmers and growers he represented as president of the NFU for many years.

As Co-op head of agriculture, Clara Gorst leads a dedicated team of food and farming specialists to ensure the retailer’s long standing commitment to supporting British agriculture is upheld. She has been a key stakeholder in a three year programme investing £1.5bn in British agriculture making the Co-op the first retailer to to sell 100 per cent British beef, chicken, pork, lamb, bacon and turkey..

Ali Capper, NFU horticulture chairman, farms locally in Worcestershire. She has a job on her hands to persuade the Government that without a seasonal labour scheme horticulture will not be able to thrive as it has done to date.

Another local speaker is Phil Stocker, CEO of the Malvern based National Sheep Association. With over 30 years experience in farming, he has led the NSA for the last six years, playing a leading role in the UK sheep industry and expanding the NSA established activities into areas of research and knowledge transfer.

The event will be chaired by Clive Davies, well known for his main arena commentaries on livestock at the Royal Three Counties Show.

The venue for the conference is the Frank Parkinson Centre at Pershore College, starting at 7.30pm on Thursday, January 18.

Admission is free but numbers are strictly limited and needd to be booked either

by calling Carver Knowles on 01684 853400 or email enquiries@carverknowles.co.uk