Meryl Ward to step down as AHDB Pork chairman
AHDB Pork chairman Meryl Ward has confirmed that she will step down from the position when her term of office ends in March 2017.
AHDB Pork chair, Meryl Ward.
Ward commented: “It is a real privilege to have had the opportunity to contribute to AHDB and to lead the pork sector board. I appreciate the hard work and commitment that the pork board and all the staff has put in over the challenging last 18 months of the AHDB restructure.”
The decision to step down was based on the workload involved and the consequent impact on her own business. Alongside her husband, Ward farms a large arable enterprise in Lincolnshire, has 2,200 sows and runs a farm shop and restaurant called Uncle Henry’s.
Ward also currently chairs the Lincolnshire Rural Support Network – a charity that provides practical support and advocacy to individuals in need in rural Lincolnshire.
AHDB chairman, Peter Kendall, said: “Meryl has put a huge amount of commitment and energy into her board roles and her contribution and passion will be missed. Her leadership in developing CIEL (Centre of Innovation Excellence in Livestock) as part of the AgriTech strategy has been critical and will prove invaluable for the future of the industry.”
Defra will now begin the search for Ward’s replacement.
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