Programme

09.30 Coffee and Registration

10.00 Morning Session chaired by Claire Wise, who will introduce:

10.05 Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland, will set recent agricultural change into the political context

Two groups of young farmers will present papers that look at opportunities in the region. They will look at the potential, problems and challenges within farming and the wider rural industry in the North West:

10.30 Reaseheath College

11.30 Cumbria YFC

12.30 Discussion between the two groups

13.00 Lunch

14.00 Afternoon Session chaired by Mike Keeble:

14.05 Mark Atherton, Head of Sustainable Development at the Northwest Regional Development Agency will outline issues related to the carbon footprint of farming

14.35 David Hugill, Nuffield Scholar, will investigate agricultural emissions and related business opportunities for the farmer, drawing on his experience of carbon management across the globe.

15.05 NFU County Chairman, Trevor Wilson: What this means for the North West farmer

15.30 Plenary debate: What have you learnt today? Drawing it all together from the morning session as well as the afternoon

16.00 Tea and Depart