Who are the GB Potatoes Governing Body?

The GB Potatoes Governing Body have now been established. They are all passionate about supporting the future of the Potato industry.

GBP Chair

Mark Taylor

Mark is a director with his wife Jo in Agrimark Consulting limited based in South Lincs. Previous to Agrimark Mark was a director at Fenmarc Produce Ltd supplying fresh potatoes and root veg for 28 years.

Additionally, Mark is Chair of Nene Potatoes Ltd, Chair of the Fresh Potato Suppliers Association, NED Caledonia Potatoes Ltd, Board member with British Growers and general consultancy in both the potato and horticultural sectors.

R J & A E Godfrey

Alex Godfrey

Alex is a director of his family’s Lincolnshire based farming business, growing potatoes, sugar beet, vining peas and combinable crops. He is a former chairman of the NFU’s Potato Forum.

Agrico UK

Archie Gibson

Archie Gibson is the Executive Director of Agrico UK Ltd, a subsidiary of Dutch farmers cooperative Agrico UA a leading breeder, maintainer and multiplier of certified seed potatoes. A keen advocate of UK origin certified seed, Archie has engaged with politicians and officials to promote the interests of the wider industry while championing the potato industries role in ensuring Food Security, and Resilience in the UK.

The Firm of Alan G Grewar

Euan Grewar

Farming in Angus, just outside the city of Dundee, Euan's farming revolved around Potatoes! Farming with his cousin and uncle, Euan grows pre-basic seed and pre-pack ware potatoes. Euan also grows flowers and other vegetable crops.

Euan sits on the management committee of the Scottish Society of Crop Research (SSCR).

E G Harrison

James Harrison

James of E G Harrison & Co & HDF Farming Ltd a family run farming & contract farming business based in North East Norfolk growing cereals, oil seed rape, grass seed, sugar beet, vining peas & potatoes

The potato enterprise produces processing & seed potatoes supplying Lamb Weston Meijer, Kettle Foods & Albert Bartlett.

McCain Foods

James Young

James joined McCain Foods in September 2021 as Vice President, Agriculture for the GB business. This involves the sourcing of over 650,000t of potatoes annually from trusted growers and suppliers across the UK, with many of those relationships stretching back to when McCain first opened a processing facility in the UK in 1969. The Agriculture function also includes our seed operation based in Montrose, and the initial stages of potato processing in our plants.

Prior to joining McCain Foods James spent 25 years in agriculture and procurement roles in Birds Eye and its different parent companies, focussing on sustainable grower relations and supply of high-quality vegetables for freezing.

Branston Ltd

Mark Willcox

Mark has 30 years’ experience in leading improvements to quality and cost in the fresh produce and automotive sectors, including establishing new divisions and leading major change initiatives at Branston. Today he is accountable for Technical for the Branston group of companies, the Net Zero carbon plan, and overall agronomic performance. Main responsibilities include food safety, compliance, and quality from field to shelf-edge. He also has a particular interest in field productivity and low carbon innovation.

Alongside his role at Branston, Mark is a director of APS Biocontrol Ltd, an innovative biocontrol business producing chemical-free products against pest and diseases for potatoes and other crops.

Craignathro Farms

Matthew Steel

Matthew farms a mixed family farm at Forfar in Angus, growing both prepack and seed potatoes as well as combinable crops. On the livestock front we have free range layers. We also have renewable energy interests on farm.

B & C Farming

Sophie Bambridge

Sophie returned to Norfolk to run the potato and haulage enterprises of B&C Farming in 2016. The business contract farms over 1400ha, of which 300ha would be potatoes. Around half of the potatoes grown are for seed into the Greenvale and McCain supply chains and half are ware which are grown for Birds Eye & McCain and marketed through Greenvale AP. We store long term almost all of our potato crops.

Prior to 2016 Sophie worked in the fresh produce industry for Barfoots, having completed the MDS Post Graduate scheme after university.

Sophie is also the current Chair of CUPGRA, which is focused on funding applied and strategic potato research and being a key link between industry and the research sector.

G A Stevenson Ltd

Tom Stevenson

After graduating from the University of Reading with a degree in agriculture in 2001, Tom joined Andersons the Farm Business Consultants before returning to the Essex based family farming business in 2006.

Following reorganisation of the family business in 2019 Tom took on the role of Managing Director of G A Stevenson Ltd which took on the potato growing enterprise of the Stevenson family and the contract farming of all the family land in addition to four external Contract Farming Agreements.

Today, G A Stevenson Ltd contract farms cereals on 1400Ha and grows and long-term stores potatoes predominantly for the packing market, on 160Ha of rented land. Key customers rely on G A Stevenson Ltd for the supply of predominantly King Edward potatoes towards the back end of their procurement programmes. Our cold stores will regularly have potatoes in them over twelve months after their harvest date.