New farming chairman for the Trust

Photo caption: (L-R) Andrew Christie Miller, retiring Chairman, Teresa Dent, Chief Executive of The Game Conservancy Trust, and Mark Hudson, new Chairman of The Game Conservancy Trust.

Mark Hudson, former President of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) was recently elected the new Chairman of The Game Conservancy Trust at the Trust's AGM and Members' Conference held at the Royal Geographical Society, London. Mark is succeeding Andrew Christie-Miller.

In his address to delegates at the well-attended conference, Mark paid tribute to Andrew Christie-Miller's achievements during his six-year tenure. He said, "Andrew has been an outstanding steward and has steered the Trust through a period of great change. Under his direction the Trust has increased its well-respected scientific research and the countryside and our cherished wildlife are now reaping the rewards of this work."

Mark Hudson, who has an extensive farming background, is well versed on the current issues facing the countryside. He is an organic dairy farmer from the Vale of Clwyd in Denbighshire, North Wales, where he and his wife own 300 acres and farm a further 350 acres. He also has a farm business consultancy operating in North Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire.

Looking to the future, Mark said, "Amongst the challenges ahead we will seek a balance in the conservation debate, build relationships with other bodies representing conservation and improve the profile of the Trust by producing sound, peer reviewed scientific work that will influence and educate.

"Game conservation should be understood to be part of nature conservation. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of conservation work done on privately owned land and the need for such work to be understood and valued. Game management is a vital contributor to biodiversity."

Other main speakers at the conference included the Rt Hon Michael Ancram, QC, MP, who spoke on the new politics of the countryside and Dr Oliver Rackham, an acknowledged authority on the countryside and its history, offered a fascinating insight into the history of British woodland and its influence on the landscape.

A major part of the conference was devoted to current topical research being carried out by the Trust's research team. Dylan Roberts, acting Head of Fisheries presented the latest findings of research on trout stocking and Dr Chris Stoate, Head of Research at Loddington explained how wild game and hare numbers were now, as expected, starting to decline since the removal of the gamekeeper on the Trust's farm in Leicestershire.

The Trust is very grateful to Clarke Willmott, Smiths Gore, Oval and Hiscox for their generous sponsorship of the AGM and Members Conference.