The Isle of Wight’s new National Farmers Union chairman believes a new domestic agricultural policy should underpin a productive UK agriculture and encourage new entrants.
Island-born Matt Legge, a commercial beef and sheep producer, whose main farm is at Duxmore, took up the NFU reins at the end of last month.
He says:
“After Brexit, we need a new domestic agricultural policy to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of farm businesses, reward environmental care and encourage young farmers into the industry. There are hurdles that need to be overcome to help bring new blood into agriculture.
“Young people need to be able to progress in our industry – there are young and enthusiastic people here on the Island looking for opportunities. We need to encourage progress, to ensure there is best use of land and assets, and the industry needs to develop infrastructure and encourage a greater uptake of technology”.
Matt Legge sits on the advisory board of the Island’s Young Farmers’ Club, which is being reinvigorated and has around 30 members.
Mr Legge has around 140 beef cattle, including an Aberdeen Angus cross suckler herd, and around 500 sheep. Beef cattle are sold through Salisbury livestock market, with crossbred lambs produced for the meat market on the mainland. Island butchers also sell some of Mr Legge’s Duxmore beef and lamb.
The father-of-3, who is married to Charlotte, is a former NFU Mutual employee and a graduate of De Montfort University. He is striving to increase the scale of his 350-acre farming enterprise. Besides owning land at Duxmore , Mr Legge is also a tenant farmer renting land from around 8 different landlords, including Quarr Abbey where he grazes sheep and beef cattle on 105 acres under a farm business tenancy. He also has an interest in a horse livery business that is run in partnership with his step mother, Mary Legge, and his brother, Simon.
