LEADING farmers, landowners and industry stakeholders will be visiting Hexham to discuss Brexit and the environmental focus of the current government as part of this year’s Northern Farming Conference.

Under the theme ‘Sweating the Assets’, speakers at the event will include deputy president of the CLA Mark Bridgeman, who manages the Fallodon Estate near Alnwick, and who also chaired the Environment Committee between 2013-15 and the National Policy Committee.

Also present will be Mark Suthern, Barclay’s national head of agriculture, who is an associate of the Royal Agricultural Society and a council member with the Institute of Agricultural Management.

The Scottish Organic Producers Association’s, Alex Brewster, will also speak. Mr Brewster manages 4000 hectares in the Highlands with a herd of 100 Aberdeen Angus cows and a flock of 1900 ewes. He has also been awarded a Nuffield Scholarship focused on maximising the potential of his grassland.

Chief executive for the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL), Lyndsay Chapman will also speak to audiences. CIEL is one of the UK’s four Agri-Tech Centres, which collaborates with livestock research institutions to develop new industry needed solutions across all the sectors.

Other speakers include, Rupert Wailes-Fairbairn, rural divisional director at Lycetts and farmer, agronomist Rob Ord and National Programme Manager for Catchment Sensitive Farming, Bob Middleton.

The Northern Farming Conference will take place on Wednesday at Hexham Auction Mart.