One-to-one with Mark Roach, Grosvenor Farms Manager

Mark Roach

1. What makes you get up in the morning?

Family, friends, work, planning and doing our bit to help feed the nation highly nutritious food produced in an environmentally and socially sustainable way.

2. If you had a magic wand, what is the one thing you would change in the farming industry?

Removal of overbearing and unnecessary red tape, bureaucracy and political interference – freedom to farm.

3. What do you believe is the biggest threat to the industry?

Currently in the UK the biggest threat is an unfavourable Brexit. The three main issues as I see them are, in order of importance:

1. Terms of trade – access to markets is critical, the nightmare scenario would be tariffs on exports and a free market for imports.

2. Movement of labour – the industry is heavily reliant on foreign workers.

3. Agricultural policy – hopefully there will be a sensible period of transition as subsidies are withdrawn.

4. What other interests do you have other than farming?

I played rugby and cricket for 30 years until my back gave up, so now confined to watching these but I do enjoy the occasional round of golf.

5. Brexit – Were you in or out?

In.