The BPC council members represent the full range of industry sectors, ensuring each sector receives an equal share of voice.

Please scroll down this page to see each council member and their contact details listed by the sector they represent. We are also pleased to present biographical notes for each council member further down the page.

Members by biographical notes

David Walker

Appointed Chairman when the BPC was established in 1997 and re-appointed for a further three years in October 2000, and then again in June 2003. He was formerly Managing Director of Cyanamid Agriculture and prior to that held a number of senior commercial roles in the agrochemical industry.

Professor Janet Bainbridge OBE

Chief Executive of the European Process Industries Competitiveness Centre (EPICC) and is also responsible for the Food Technology Centre, which works with the regional Food and Drink cluster supporting the food manufacturing industry. She has held several UK Government appointments, including Chair of the Government Committee on Novel Foods and Processes from September 1997 to August 2003. An international expert on food Regulatory Processes, she sits on many regional committees and works closely with the Regional Development Agency, One North East and has recently been appointed to the Management Team and Board of the Regional Centre of Excellence.

Colin Bradley

Began farming with his father. He has subsequently built up the farm, focusing on growing potatoes for chip manufacture on 340ha, which he owns, and a further 340ha which is rented. He also has a haulage fleet of six lorries and a property development business. He is a member of the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and was the Farmers’ Weekly Potato Grower of the Year in 1999. In 2001-2002 he was the Champion Potato Merchant (Northern) for Mc Cain Foods (GB) Ltd.

Robert Doig

Robert is a potato grower/merchant in a family business which grows mostly seed potatoes for Caithness Potatoes. He also has experience for marketing new varieties, exporting seed and growing ware crops for 2 main pre-packers.

Douglas Harley

Douglas has more than 20 years experience in the family firm, which is one of the largest in Scotland and has interests from plant breeding to ware growing and exporting of potatoes. He is President of the Scottish Seed Potato Trade Association (SPTA), and Chairman of the BPC Seed Sectoral Group.

Richard Harris OBE

Richard is President of the European Potato Processors' Association, Director General of the UK Potato Processors' Association and Director General of the UK Frozen and Chilled Potato Processors' Association. He was formerly a Senior Executive at McCain Foods (GB) Ltd.

James Harrison

James is a partner in a family business running 1100 hectares in North Norfolk. He is responsible for the 320ha potato part of the enterprise, the bulk of which supplies potatoes for Fritolay. There is also a separate seed growing enterprise, also in Norfolk. He is Vice-Chairman of Spearhead Marketing Ltd, a group of potato growers who collaborate to meet the requirements of Fritolay.

Barry Leathwood

Barry retired in 2002 as the National Secretary of the Rural and Agricultural Section of the Transport and General Workers’ Union. He comes from a farming background and has been involved in rural trade unionism all his working life, full time since 1973. His duties included leading the workers’ side on the Agricultural Wages Board and representing his members at the European and international level. He has been a member of the National Countryside Access Forum since 2000 and a member of the Rural Affairs Forum for England since 2001. He was awarded the OBE in 1998.

Kevin Littleboy

Kevin is the owner/director of a farming company. It consists of 240ha including cereals, oilseed rape, potatoes and 480 ewe flock. All produce sold is covered by various crop assured schemes and FABBL. The farm is also a member of Leaf. The farm also runs a small potato grading business for local merchants and farmers. He is active in the NFU, the CLA and the Yorkshire Agricultural Society. He has recently been appointed to British Cereals Exports (of the HGCA). He is a member of the Conservative Party but is no longer active.

Richard Maddocks

Richard is a farmer and Director of his farming enterprise in Shropshire. While at Walford College of Agriculture, he was both Regional and National winner 1993 of the AMC Student Business Management Awards. He has been actively involved with the Newport Show and is currently the Sponsorship Director.

John Rix

John is a farmer and Managing Director of PG Rix Farms Ltd. He was Chairman of Stoke by Nayland Parish Council from 1984 to 1992 and on the Essex Local Flood Defence Committee from 1986 to 1992.

Fraser Scott

Fraser is currently an Operations Manager with Farmcare (part of the Co-operative Group). Farmcare is a business of some 85,000 acres and farm throughout the UK. The company is involved in potato growing and rents out land in Scotland for seed growing. Mr Scott has responsibility for fruit and vegetables. He has a wide range of experience in growing and marketing potatoes for the company from their five sites in England and two main sites in Scotland.

Alex Stephens

Alex took over the 40ha family farm with dairy cows and sheep and eventually expanded it to 280 ha. It is a mixed enterprise, including potatoes, cauliflowers, cereals and sheep. He is a founder director of Kernow Grain Ltd, a founder director and Secretary of Cornish Gold Potatoes Ltd and Vice-Chairman of the Cornwall NFU Potatoes Committee.

Nick Twell

Nick has been involved with potatoes since 1971, first as Accountant and then General Manager with the Potato Marketing Board’s packing operation at Sutton Bridge. With the sale of the pack house to Sutton Bridge Ltd in 1996 he became Managing Director until the merger with Russell Burgess in 2000 when Solanum was formed and he took up the role of Business Development Director. Over the years he has been involved with the retail pre-pack market, development of environmental box storage, pack house facilities and value added market.

Nick Vermont

Nick is Managing Director of McCain Foods (G.B.) Ltd and, prior to this, was Managing Director of PAS (Grantham) Ltd. Before this he spent 10 years in marketing with Travellers Fare and with McCain, in both GB and Canada.

Duncan Worth

Duncan is a businessman/farmer. He is Director of A H Worth and Company Limited and of QV Foods Limited. Before returning to the family business, he held a number of positions including Purchasing Manager of Compass Services and Buyer for Tesco Stores Limited.