The Royal Show - Visiting - Seminar & Conference

Panellists Wednesday 8th July Debate:

Dr Angela Karp, Rothamsted Research is Scientific Director of the Rothamsted Centre for Bioenergy and Climate Change and Deputy Head of the Plant and Invertebrate Ecology Division at Rothamsted Research. She is a geneticist by training, having graduated with a First in Genetics at Queen Mary College, London University. Her reasearch focuses on optimising the sustainable yield and composition of perennial biomass crops (especially willows) for bioenergy and biofuel production, under the constraints of low-input arable systems.  Amongst the many projects she is involved in, Dr Karp leads the UK DEFRA funded willow breeding programme (biomass4energy.org), comprising breeding underpinned by genetic mapping and genomics and the RELU-Biomass project (http://www.relu-biomass.org.uk/) on the social, environmental and economic implications of increasing land use under energy crops, which is funded by the RCUK Rural Economy and Land Use (RELU) programme. She now also leads the Perennial Bioenergy Crops Programme, which is one of six research hubs making up the BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre ( http://www.bsbec.bbsrc.ac.uk/). In 2007, Dr Karp received the Royal Agricultural Society of England Research Medal for her work on bioenergy crops and in 2008 was awarded the Alfred-Toepfer prize for Agriculture, Forestry and Nature Protection for her research achievements in willow.
Presentation

John Reynolds, Chairman Farmers Club and Biofuels Consultant, trained as an agriculturalist at Harper Adams College.  He started his career in Farm and Estate Management and later joined ICI as a technical salesman, rising through the ranks to become Director of the Fertilizer Business.  After moving to the Petrochemicals Division, John then oversaw the business chain of ICI Industrial Products.  During his career, John held the post of President of the Fertilizer Manufacturers' Association and was Convener of the External Relations Working Party of the International Fertilizer Association.   He retired from ICI in 1999 and his specific knowledge of the agricultural and chemical industries is now put to use in consultancy. John is a Non-Executive Director of Farmway Ltd, a farmer-owned co-operative based in the North East, a member of the North East Regional Transport Biofuel Strategy Delivery Board and a member of the North East Energy Leadership Council.  He is an advisor to the Newcastle University Swan Energy Institute and sits on the Renewable Link Programme Advisory Committee for Defra. He is a Retired Member of the NPK Club, a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Farmers and the 2009 Chairman of the Farmers Club, in Whitehall.  His interests include walking, shooting and Middlesbrough Football Club.
Presentation

John Seymour, Rural Affairs Correspondent, Northeast Biofuels Ltd, a consortium (cluster) of member companies, whose goal is to establish and promote the north east of England as the premier biofuels hub in the UK. Each member company represents each link in the biofuels supply chain
Presentation

Richard Williams, Partner, Walker Smith Way Solicitors, specialises in agricultural and estate work as well as long term tax planning and trusts for landed and farming families. Richard has over 13 years' experience in all aspects of Agricultural Law and Landed Estates Management.  He is a member of the Agricultural Law Association and a personal and professional member of the Country Land and Business Association, where he has sat on the national Legal & Parliamentary Committee, the Welsh Committee as well as being an active member of the North Wales Branch Committee.  Richard's family has owned and worked an agricultural and sporting estate in North Wales for generations and he is actively involved in its management, leaving him uniquely placed to understand the issues facing clients first hand. During his career he has acted for some of the largest farmers and landowners in Cheshire, Lancashire and North Wales - as well as acting for high net worth individuals and institutional landowners nationally.