Mark Bridgeman from Northumberland has been elected as the 54th president of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), the membership organisation representing 30,000 rural businesses in England and Wales.

Mr Bridgeman, who farms on the Northumberland coast near Alnwick, said: “I am delighted to be appointed to this role at a time of great change within the agricultural and rural sectors. There are many challenges ahead, and I relish the prospect of representing members within the region and nationally.

“Lobbying on behalf of our members, who are responsible for managing more than 10 million acres of land, I will continue to seek greater clarity from a future government in relation to policies that can support farmers and landowners in a practical manner. Of course, this will be in tandem with our ongoing lobbying efforts on key rural issues such as broadband, rural housing, planning, farming payments and a future farming and food policy.”