WFO head quits, too busy

The former National Farmers Union president announced his resignation with immediate effect at the recent WFO board meeting in Italy.

Kendall was only elected as WFO president in March – just weeks after stepping down as NFU president. He was then appointed as AHDB chairman in April.

“Since my election I have been appointed by my government to chair a statutory body responsible for promoting agricultural growth in the United Kingdom and, regrettably, I now find I am not able to devote the time to the WFO presidency that it requires and deserves,” Kendall said

 “Since being elected to this position in March 2014, I have been more convinced of the importance of the WFO as a global voice for productive agriculture, and our presence at the Climate Change Summit in New York in September brought this home to me.”

He said the WFO’s work was central to many of the big global challenges and required “strong leadership that delivers clear and consistent messages”.

“WFO will become an even more influential and respected voice of entrepreneurial farmers across the world. I wish WFO and its board every success,” he said.

Dr Evelyn Nguleka, WFO vice president and president of the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU), has stepped in as acting president.

What is the WFO?

THE WFO is made up of at least 50 national farmers’ organisations and agricultural co-operatives.

It describes itself as, “an international organisation of farmers for farmers, which aims to bring together all the national producer and farm cooperative organisations with the objective of developing policies which favour and support farmers’ causes in developed and developing countries around the world.”

WFO’s mission is to, “represent and advocate on behalf of farmers in global policy forums and create the conditions for the adoption of policies aimed to improve the economic environment and livelihood of producers, their families, and rural communities.”