RASE announces Mark Tufnell as new chair

Mark Tufnell has been announced as the incoming chair of the Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE).

Mr. Tufnell manages and owns a family farm in the Cotswolds, where he incorporates key measures for enhancing biodiversity alongside its commercial arable operations. He is a non-executive board member of Natural England and has previously served as president of the Country Land and Business Association. In addition, Mr. Tufnell chairs a number of local conservation groups and trained as a chartered accountant.

Sharing his vision for RASE once he steps into the role in January 2025, Mr. Tufnell says “I would like to grow the membership and see the society have a strong financial base. Farmer interaction will be key and extending the knowledge base out into the agricultural sector will raise the profile of RASE. I also very much look forward to working with the team at RASE and IfA to optimise agriculture alongside nature in the journey to net zero.”

Mr. Tufnell will be building on the legacy of activities delivered by RASE under the guidance of current chair Philip Gready, who will step down from the role at the end of 2024.

During his term, Mr. Gready commissioned the ‘Farm of the Future: Journey to Net Zero’ report in 2021, which was published by the RASE and endorsed by Lord Deben.

“The report was initially very well-received, but it was even better to see how it snowballed into a whole series of activities carried out by RASE, which has included demonstration events, farm study tours and workshops for farmers,” says Mr. Gready.

He reflects that there has been a vast appetite for these events, as navigating farm business decisions has become more complex in recent years.

“RASE plays a crucial role by providing the farming community with insights from agricultural research and examples of how the latest science can be applied on-farm. This has been a core activity for RASE since the society was founded in 1838 and I’m sure Mark will continue to develop how the society achieves this,” he says.

Speaking on behalf of RASE, CEO David Grint thanks Mr. Gready for all he has done for the society throughout his term and welcomes Mr. Tufnell to his new role.

“We look forward to seeing how Mark's vision will shape the future of our work, and we thank Philip for his outstanding dedication and service over the past four years."