Hustings
Book your place to hear from the 2026 officeholder candidates as they tour the regions as part of the NFU’s national officeholder hustings – Officeholder elections 2026: Hustings.
Personal statements
Being your President during an incredibly challenging and highly pressurised period has been a great honour. Throughout this time the NFU has always remained solutions focussed and I have tried to lead the organisation with honesty, integrity and visibility.
The relationships we’ve invested time and energy building, with politicians and stakeholders, have started to pay dividends and are evident with changes to IHT. The NFU comes through this period with an enhanced reputation across Whitehall which gives me confidence for the future.
At a time of geopolitical volatility, politicians need to recognise the strategic importance of farming and growing and deliver on the words “food security is national security”.
I urge you all to unite, to influence the policy of tomorrow and make sure the Government and supply chains deliver the enabling framework and fair returns that underpins a thriving, profitable farming industry. Together we are stronger.
David Exwood
Position standing for: President and Deputy President
Recent events have shown the power and value of a united agricultural industry with the NFU at the heart of its lobbying. I have enjoyed and been immensely proud to serve as Vice and Deputy President over the last four years and my strong record on building relationships, delivering in my policy areas and achieving as part of the NFU team is why I’m standing for election again.
The strength of the NFU is its democracy and it’s important that there are competitive elections at all levels. I am standing for the positions of President and Deputy President because I have clear ambition to lead the organisation and the industry now or in the future. Britains farmers are some of the best in the world and I want to help them grow more food, with less impact and have younger farmers at the forefront.
It has been a privilege to serve NFU members, and I want you to back me for a further two years as your Deputy President. I said I would listen with intent, speak with clarity, build relationships and work as a team. I have done just that. I have bridged the gap between policy and practical farming and taken my policy briefs and delivered. I have evolved my position into one of trust, advocacy and true representation. I have only just begun, and there is much more to do.
I practice what I preach on our own farm. We believe in succession, and I understand deeply the highs and lows of family farming businesses. I am ambitious for the continued development of our farm and for the whole farming industry. Please support me as Deputy President as we work together creating a bright future for our members and for farming.
UK agriculture stands at a crossroads, facing many challenges but also vibrant opportunities for resilient businesses. My vision is for a confident, productive and sustainable farming sector that values people who produce our food and steward our countryside.
As part of your Presidential Team, I’ll stand up for fair, transparent supply chains, practical regulation, investment in people and policies that back English and Welsh farm businesses of every size. I believe in a NFU that listens harder, speaks louder and leads with purpose and direction, united behind a clear goal: making British farming thrive.
I know the challenges because I live them every day on my dairy farm in the Vale of York. With a decade of experience on the National Dairy Board, I will ensure the future of farmers and growers is shaped by those who know it best and give us the future we deserve.
I’m a fifth generation beef, sheep & arable famer, focused on environmental integration, and consultant specialising in facilitating farm clusters, knowledge exchange and succession. I have served the NFU for more than 10 years as County Chair, South Board Chair and Governance.
My involvement in our family farm, engaging with stakeholders and allied industry give me a broad understanding, and my background in law and accounting have been integral to meeting the needs of our business and my farming community.
The challenges we face are evolving and diverse, but I believe in an innovative, inclusive and positive future for our industry, and that people are central to this. With clear objectives on our vision for the future we can bring members together and build on relationships to find solutions for resilient and sustainable farm businesses that meet the changing demands of society and the environment and encourages the next generation
I am a mixed farmer with cattle, sheep and arable enterprises on which the arable comprises half of the farm. We are fairly self-sufficient. We have simplified our farm system so that two people can run it most of the time.
I represented NFU Wiltshire for six years on Council, following a branch Chair term of office. During the last two years I have continued to represent the NFU as an Education Ambassador and have visited schools to present agriculture, food production, the food chain from field to fork, farm assurance and traceability, along with careers and jobs in the industry, to the pupils and students at primary and secondary level. I take this further when opportunity allows, to talk to my community and speak to members of the public via local radio. I have always been a team player; I am a school Governor and a Church Warden.