Minette Batters has announced her intention to step down from her role as president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) in February 2024.
Batters has served three terms as NFU president and was the first woman to hold the post. She was first elected in 2018, then in 2020 and again in 2022.
Batters said her decision to step down was “really tough to make” but after ten years at the top of the organisation, it is time for “someone else to take the lead”.
“I have given it my all and there’s a huge job still to be done. I remain determined to deliver what’s needed for our members,” she added.
“It has been an extraordinary time for British farming. From the impact of Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic and most recently the cost-of-living crisis, which was exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, and the resulting impact of record inflation for the agriculture sector.
“There has not been a playbook in history for the events that have unfolded.”
Before taking the union presidency Batters served as NFU deputy president for four years, and held other roles with the union such as county chair, Wiltshire’s NFU Council delegate, and Regional Board Chair for the southwest.
Batters runs a mixed farming business in Wiltshire, which includes a continental-cross suckler herd, sheep, and arable.
She also co-founded the campaigning initiatives ‘Ladies in Beef’ and the ‘Great British Beef Week’.
NFU elections are due to be held in the coming months as the next elective term runs from 2024-2026.
