The "Black Farmer" is Guest Speaker at Beef Expo 2009
2009-04-22

The charismatic “Black Farmer”, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, will be guest speaker at the Beef Expo 2009 dinner on Wednesday, May 20.

The dinner, to be held on the evening before Beef Expo 2009 in the Severn Hall at the Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcestershire, is one of the highlights of the beef industry year. It is expected to attract more than 400 beef farmers, meat processors, supermarket chiefs, butchers, trade stand exhibitors and other industry representatives from throughout the UK and Ireland, as well as delegates from overseas.

The dinner will follow a three-farm tour of beef units in the Hereford area in the morning and an afternoon conference at the same venue where burning issues affecting beef farmers will be addressed by leading industry figures. The theme of the conference and Beef Expo 2009 the following day is “Beef Up Your Returns”.

Speakers at the conference will include Christianna Glossop, chief veterinary officer for Wales, who will outline the Welsh Assembly’s plans for a TB eradication programme in Wales, which is the envy of farmers in England, and Peter Hardwick, international manager with EBLEX, who will discuss export opportunities for beef in the light of the current weakness of sterling, particularly against the euro.

Third speaker will be an as-yet unnamed representative of DEFRA who will explain the Government’s controversial responsibility and cost-sharing proposals for tackling exotic animal diseases which is bitterly opposed by farmers.

“This is a powerful line-up of speakers tackling issues causing farmers real concern at the present time,” said John Uffield, chairman of auctioneers, McCartneys, who will chair the conference. “The conference is sure to attract a great deal of interest and those wishing to attend are strongly advised to make application for their tickets right away to avoid disappointment.”

McCartney’s auctioneer and partner, Clive Roads, who is chairman of the local organising committee for the event, will chair the pre-event dinner where the main course will be Hereford beef supplied by Dovecote Park Ltd and sponsored by the Hereford Cattle Society.

Born in Jamaica and raised in inner city Birmingham, after dinner speaker, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones describes himself as “a poor boy done good”. He fulfilled his lifelong ambition to farm when he bought a small farm in Devon in 1999 after a successful career as a producer/director with the BBC and is credited with bringing many top celebrity chefs to the small screen, including Gordon Ramsay, Antony Worrall-Thompson, Brian Turner and James Martin.

He is a passionate supporter of British farming with strong opinions on rural issues and his range of sausages, bacon and chicken under The Black Farmer label has proved one of the most successful food launches of recent times in the UK.

A classic entrepreneur in the “anything is possible” mould – he has won two entrepreneur awards – Mr Emmanuel-Jones has been selected to fight the Chippenham constituency for the Conservative Party at the next general election.

The major sponsor of Beef Expo 2009 on Thursday, May 21, is Lloyds TSB Agriculture and mainline sponsors include Eblex, Dunbia, IAE, Intervet Schering-Plough, Keenan, Hereford Cattle Society, Morrisons and Three Counties Agricultural Society.

Features of the event will include 130 trade stands and educational exhibits, livestock demonstrations by 25 beef breed societies, the “Spring Spectacular” show of beef cattle, pedigree calf show and young handlers competition, open and young farmers’ stockjudging competitions, beef from the dairy herd and carcase classification demonstrations, farm shop butchery and auctioneering competitions, practical demonstrations of feeding and cattle handling equipment, and comprehensive seminar programme.

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