Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice, has appointed Judith Batchelar as the new deputy chair of the Environment Agency.
Batchelar is no stranger to these types of roles, as she is current chair of the Environment and Business Committee and a member of the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee as well as the People and Pay Committee.
She is also chair of the Rugby Players Association; a trustee of The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Accounting for Sustainability and The Matt Hampson Foundation; an ambassador for the Woodland Trust; and from 2013 to 2018, was chair of the Governments’ AgriTech Council.
She succeeds Richard Macdonald, who will finish his term on March 31; Batchelar’s term will run from April 1, until the end of her second term on March 31, 2025.
Having worked in the food and drink industry for over 35 years, Batchelar is well commended within her circles.
Her appointment was made by the Environment Secretary on the recommendation from the chair of the Environment Agency, and in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice.
She was awarded an Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2015 for services to Farming and the Food Industry and has an Honorary Doctorate in Agriculture from Harper Adams University.
Her position as deputy chair will require a time commitment of five days every month and, based on this, comes with remuneration of £21,002/annum as well as an additional responsibility allowance of £4,199/annum.
The Environment Agency
The Environment Agency is a Non-Departmental Public Body set up under the Environment Act 1995 to take an integrated approach to environmental protection and enhancement in England.
It has major responsibilities in flood management; water resources and quality; climate change; land quality; chemicals; pollution prevention and control; waste; conservation and biodiversity; fisheries conservation; air quality; and navigation.
