In 2012 Defra ministers invited Rural and Farming Networks to be established as the hotline into Defra. The Yorkshire Food Farming and Rural Network (YFFRN) is one of 14 such networks across England and is based at the Yorkshire Agricultural Society at Harrogate. YFFRN champions the needs of farming, agri-food, rural businesses, and rural communities enabling them to become more resilient, competitive, and sustainable.
The YFFRN enables connectivity across the food, farming and rural sectors and is a vehicle to share important information to regional stakeholders. It is an important network to bring members together and build relationships which can collectively champion and influence at a local, regional, and national level.
Please read the article below for more details.
The goal of the YFFRN is to enable farming, rural businesses and rural communities to become more sustainable, economically, environmentally and socially.
The objective of the network is:
- To provide a connected and collective regional voice of local farming and rural stakeholders
- To create a two-way channel of communication, into and from rural stakeholders and delivery organisations
- To provide a key source of advice on issues, concerns and good practice to Defra, the Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnerships, Local Authorities, and others as necessary
- To champion farming and rural issues and promote opportunities which may develop solutions to problems
- To influence the local and national agenda in respect of farming and rural issues affecting Yorkshire
- To provide relevant evidence and intelligence to empower the Chair to have effective one-to-one dialogue with the Defra minister and other ministers as appropriate.
We will achieve our objectives through:
- Effective communications
- Industry intelligence
- Networking
- Championing/Influencing
In support of:
- Farming, Agri-Food businesses, and supply chains
- Rural businesses and SMEs
- Rural Communities
- Environmental bodies
- National, Regional and Local Government
Focus areas for 2021-2025 include:
Devolution & levelling up / Environment / Agricultural transition / Business support / Skills and career opportunities
Yorkshire Food Farming and Rural Network Chair, Madge Moore is an honours graduate in Botany, who began her career as a hybrid wheat breeder for Nickersons in Lincolnshire before she and her husband moved to his family farm in New Zealand.
There, Madge helped manage the mixed arable and livestock farm looking after 2,000+ breeding Romney sheep and mohair goats whilst developing various export initiatives, including evening primrose, grass seed and out of season plant multiplications for UK breeding firms.
On their return to the UK, Madge worked for the Agricultural Training Board in Yorkshire and then Lantra. For the last two decades her national role has included working at senior levels with government, regional development agencies, trade, education and professional organisations, charities, as well as with employers in the agriculture and horticulture sectors.
Madge is also a board member for the Hull and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership with special responsibility for rural and agriculture, Chair of Grow Yorkshire and is a member of the North Yorkshire & York Local Investment in Natural Capital Board.
In collaboration with Grow Yorkshire, our newsletter is very much a ‘two-way’ channel of communication. It aims to bring together rural based Yorkshire intermediaries, in sharing the good work that the region’s thriving food, farming and rural stakeholders deliver and champion, as well as raising challenges on a regional and national level for our rural and farming business. Please sign up below for updates:
The Network is hosted by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society and the Project Manager is Holly Jones – Tel: 01423 546251 or yffrn@yas.co.uk
The Executive Committee is made up of the following:
| Lynsey Pack | Yorkshire Agricultural Society |
| David Hall | National Farmers Union |
| Dr Graham Bottley | Farmer |
| Mark Blakeston | Grow Yorkshire / York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership |
| Jane Colthup | Community First Yorkshire |
| Graham Coultish | East Peak Innovation Partnership, Sheffield Rural Board |
| Ian Cox | Innovate UK |
| Fiona MacDonald | Yorkshire Rural Support Network |
| Lucinda Douglas | Country Land and Business Association |
| Carolyn Frank | Federation of Small Businesses |
| Allison Kane | Deliciouslyorkshire |
| Janet Thornton | Community First Yorkshire and ACRE |
| Richard Morley | Farmer |
| Allister Nixon | Yorkshire Agricultural Society |
| Helen Wright | East Riding of Yorkshire Council and East Riding Rural Partnership |
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