Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Bovine TB Partnership members biographies

February 2021

Contents

John Cross – Chair ...... 3

Members ...... 3

Stephanie Young ...... 3

Paul Westaway (High Risk Area) ...... 3

Di Wastenage (High Risk Area) ...... 4

David Barton (High Risk Area) ...... 4

Phil Latham (Edge Area) ...... 4

Chris Addison (Low Risk Area) ...... 4

Professor Rosie Woodroffe ...... 5

Dr Sue Mayer ...... 5

Dr Andy Robertson ...... 5

Dr Gareth Enticott...... 5

Professor James Wood ...... 6

Dr Jane Gibbens ...... 6

Professor Rowland Kao ...... 6

Sarah Tomlinson ...... 7

Kate Bowen ...... 7

Richard (Dick) Sibley ...... 7

Key stakeholder members ...... 7

British Cattle Veterinary Association – Currently Rebecca Cavill, bTB lead ...... 7

British Veterinary Association – Currently James Russell, President ...... 8

1 NFU – Currently Stuart Roberts, Deputy President ...... 8

NFU – Currently Tom Rabbetts, Head of TB Delivery ...... 8

Government members ...... 8

2 John Cross – Chair

John Cross farms a mixed livestock and arable enterprise in Norfolk. He has spent many years in key industry leadership positions. Former roles include Chair of the English Beef and Lamb Executive (EBLEX), member of the and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and AHDB’s Audit Committee, and Chair of the Animal Health and Welfare Committee of the NFU. John served as Chair of the TB Eradication Advisory Group (TBEAG) from 2012.

Since 2015, he has been a member of the SAC Commercial Ltd Board at SRUC – Scotland’s Agricultural College. He was also recently appointed Chairman of Livestock Information Ltd to steer the creation of the new Livestock Information Service (LIS), having been a key member of the Livestock Information Programme Traceability Design User Group (TDUG).

Members

Stephanie Young

A local authority manager and accredited Trading Standards Practitioner in the field of animal health, welfare and feed enforcement. An experienced provider of enforcement training on the official feed/food hygiene controls and animal health/welfare. Lead officer and appointed examiner for the Chartered Trading Standards Institute on Animal Health and Welfare and Feed. Chair of the English and Welsh TB Compliance and Enforcement Group (TBCEG).

Former member of the Bovine TB Eradication Advisory Group for England (TBEAG) and sat on the government’s Advisory Committee for Animal Feeding stuffs (ACAF). Former Chair and national local authority lead officer of the National Animal Health and Welfare Panel (NAHWP).

Paul Westaway (High Risk Area)

Tenant of a Gloucestershire County Council Farm on the Gloucestershire/ Herefordshire border since 2006, with herds of Aberdeen Angus and Murray Greys, producing elite breeding bulls and heifers for other farmers. Winner of beef farmer of the year at the British farming awards in 2013. Global Business Development Director at Allflex/MSD Animal Health with the overall aim of ensuring knowledge transfer and making technology work for farmers all over the world. Chair of the Gloucestershire Tenant Farmers Association, Chair and Trustee at Innovation for Agriculture, and Former Council and Livestock Committee Member at Royal Three Counties.

Prior roles in sales, product and marketing for beef and dairy. Former Chair and Board member (Beef & Lamb R&D committee) at the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and former Chair of the National Beef Association.

3 Di Wastenage (High Risk Area)

Director of Wastenage Farms Ltd, involved in the family farming partnership. Combined farming interests extend to over 2500 acres in Devon & Cornwall, including seven block calving grazing dairy farms, associated young stock units, a large-scale milking goat dairy and an organic vegetable enterprise. Contract farms the dairy enterprise at Bicton College of Agriculture, on behalf of Cornwall College Group. Di is a member of the NFU Mutual Regional Advisory Board, represents the dairy sector on the UK Farming Organisations’ roundtable, and is Vice Chair of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers. She is also a member of the regional Devon TB Eradication Group and a patron of Women in Dairy.

Former roles include TBEAG membership, Chair of the Dairy Antimicrobial Stewardship Group and member of the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Strategy Task Force.

David Barton (High Risk Area)

Runs a mixed arable and beef farm near Cirencester, with a herd of 200 beef sucklers. He is a member of the NFU National Livestock Board, Chair of the NFU South West Livestock Board and a member of the NFU TB policy group. David is Chair of the Gloucestershire TB Eradication Group.

A former TBEAG member and former NFU Cirencester NFU Branch Chair. Has also been involved in past badger vaccination programmes.

Phil Latham (Edge Area)

Phil currently farms his family’s pedigree dairy herd in Cheshire and has 30 years dairy farming experience managing large herds. He is also a zoology and agriculture graduate familiar with academic study of animals and ecosystems. He has a Nuffield scholarship in welfare looking at high and low input systems. He is founding member of the Cheshire TB Eradication Board, set up in 2012, and has represented the Edge Area in NFU policy meetings since 2016.

A former appointee on the NFU National Dairy Board and Cheshire County Chairman.

Chris Addison (Low Risk Area)

Owner of 600-acre organic farm, with 160 dairy cows plus followers and 200 beef cattle. Involved in Environmental Stewardship schemes for 22 years. Has experience of combating TB in a low risk area of Cumbria. Member of the National Beef Association’s TB Liaison Committee Member. He has been active in Cumbria’s Country Land and Business Association for many years in Member and Chair roles.

4 Professor Rosie Woodroffe

Professor at the Institute of Zoology London. An award-winning ecologist working extensively on the ecology of badgers and bovine TB. She has worked on both badger culling and badger vaccinations. Member of the Cornwall TB Eradication Group.

Formerly a member of an independent scientific group looking at TB in cattle for Defra. She was an advisor to an independent scientific review of bTB in cattle and badgers for MAFF. She has also published a host of bTB related publications.

Dr Sue Mayer

A veterinary surgeon with a PhD in bovine immunology, with experience in private veterinary practice, research and policy in the private and voluntary sectors. Trustee and Chair of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust involved in the development and implementation of a volunteer-led badger TB vaccination programme.

Former Science Director of Greenpeace UK, she was also a member of the UK Government’s Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission. She has extensive long running collaborative relationships spanning business, government, academic and NGO worlds.

Dr Andy Robertson

An ecologist/research scientist (Associate Research Fellow) at the University of Exeter since 2013. Holds a research position with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) on the long-term badger population study at Woodchester Park, Gloucestershire. Bovine TB Project Manager for the National Trust. Has recently worked on a knowledge exchange project to increase the awareness and impact of the science around badgers and bovine TB with a wide range of stakeholders.

Formerly attended TBEAG meetings to present to members. Author/co-authored many papers on bTB.

Dr Gareth Enticott

A social scientist with expertise in the sociology of animal disease management. Reader in Human Geography at Cardiff University, his research focuses on farmers’ understanding of animal disease, their biosecurity practices and responses to disease control policies in England and Wales, Europe and New Zealand. A member of the technical advisory group for the TB Advisory Service.

Formerly a Bovine Tuberculosis Research Fellow for the National Assembly for Wales Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee.

5 Professor James Wood

A veterinary epidemiologist and Alborada Professor of Equine and Farm Animal Science in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Veterinary Medicine. He conducts multidisciplinary research on infectious diseases and his research interests are focussed on infectious disease emergence, including from wildlife. Research activities include collaborative studies of the control of bovine tuberculosis. A member of Defra’s Science Advisory Council and Chair of its Exotic Disease sub-group. He’s currently Dean on the University of Cambridge's vet school.

A member of the Godfray Review team and former member of TBEAG.

Dr Jane Gibbens

A veterinarian and epidemiologist with extensive experience both supporting veterinary policy making and development, and in the design, implementation and analysis of disease surveillance and control protocols, including for bTB. She provides veterinary epidemiology consultancy, including work with the British Veterinary Association to develop their policy statement in response to the Godfray Review and providing advice to the Food Standards Agency as a member of their Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food.

Former Head of the bTB Epidemiology Assessment Centre and Head of the Epidemiology and Risk Group, APHA. Former Head of Defra’s National Emergency Epidemiology Group and Chair of the UK Veterinary Risk Group. Co-founder, course organiser, committee member, examiner and lecturer on MSc Vet Epidemiology, as well as providing other veterinary epidemiology and risk assessment training.

Professor Rowland Kao

Sir Timothy O’Shea Chair of Veterinary Epidemiology and Data Science at Edinburgh University. A mathematical population biologist, who has studied bTB epidemiology for over 20 years. Director of Modelling of infections in Livestock (ModIL) Consortium, Member of Defra’s National Emergency Epidemiology Group, Member of the UK Research and Innovation’s COVID-19 Panel of Experts, Member of Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M) which currently advise SAGE about modelling of COVID-19,and Member of Defra’s Science Advisory Council.

A well published author on bTB, collaborating with other scientific disciplines, veterinarians, historians and the farming industry. Has worked with APHA on numerous occasions, including on the recent emergence of badger TB in East Cumbria and through leading a national bTB modelling consortium.

6 Sarah Tomlinson

A vet working in Derbyshire as part of the WestPoint Veterinary Group, where she works in a farm only practice. From a farming background, she is well versed in communicating persuasively on disease issues. Sarah sits on the Technical Board and is a dedicated Member of the TB Advisory Service, providing free bespoke advice on practical cost- effective measures to reduce the risks associated with TB. Board Member of the British Cattle Veterinary Association. Formerly a member of TBEAG.

Kate Bowen

Veterinary Director of UK Ltd, Staffordshire. Experience of providing veterinary input and technical oversight for contracts with Government and other organisations relating to bTB and wider animal health surveillance. Provides the main contract to Defra for the provision of a fully managed service for delivery of tuberculin testing and supply of veterinary services to the government in England and Wales. Qualified Cymorth TB advisor for Wales providing advice on bovine TB control to cattle keepers.

Other contracts held directly with Defra have included provision of bTB Biosecurity Teaching and Training Materials, removal of TB reactor animals from farm, Dead Wild Bird Collection Services, and an Innovative TB Diagnostics Research Project (held in conjunction with Edinburgh University).

Richard (Dick) Sibley

Veterinary surgeon/sole owner and principal vet surgeon in a 15-vet practice in Mid-Devon. Helped develop regional and national disease management schemes such as the BVD Free initiate and the National Johnes Management Plan. Founder and Director of myhealthyherd.com, a web-based health management programme for cattle herds.

Formerly National Secretary and President of the British Cattle Veterinary Association (BCVA) and has Chaired several BCVA disease control groups. Former Member of the Government Chief Scientific Advisor’s Foot and Mouth Disease advisory group, and former member of Defra’s Bovine TB Forum.

Key stakeholder members

British Cattle Veterinary Association – Currently Rebecca Cavill, bTB lead

Rebecca hails from a beef suckler farming family in Somerset Rebecca qualified from the Royal Veterinary College in 2010 and has worked in mixed and farm practice in North Devon ever since. She received her CertAVP in 2016 and most of her work is in the dairy side of the practice with interests in fertility, herd health and mastitis. She was elected on to the British Cattle Veterinary Association board in 2017 and is currently their lead on TB.

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British Veterinary Association – Currently James Russell, President

A 2002 Royal Veterinary College graduate and a post-graduate diploma holder in production animal and livestock medicine. He has over 17 years’ experience working in mixed practice. In September 2018, he stepped down as director of a large veterinary practice in Ashbourne to become an independent veterinary consultant. James has been associated with BVA since 2008, when he joined the Veterinary Policy Group. He went on to become the inaugural East Midlands representative on BVA Council from 2010-2012 and has been Chair of the CPD committee since 2016. James is the elected President of the British Veterinary Association (BVA) for 2020/2021.

NFU – Currently Stuart Roberts, Deputy President

Stuart farms 120 hectares in Hertfordshire in partnership with his wife. A third generation arable and livestock farmer at Hammonds End Farm, Harpenden, Stuart has also worked for Defra and the Food Standards Agency and held senior management roles within the meat supply chain. Stuart was elected to the post of NFU Deputy President in February 2020 after serving two years as Vice President. He previously chaired the NFU Hertfordshire branch and served on both the East Anglian livestock and combinable crops board. Stuart has also previously served on the boards of Red Tractor and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

NFU – Currently Tom Rabbetts, Head of TB Delivery

Tom is Head of the NFU’s Bovine TB Delivery Team, managing a dedicated team covering all bTB aspects across England. Tom joined the NFU in 2010 as a national policy adviser for bTB, focussing on supporting NFU members with bTB cattle measures and he has subsequently been involved in supporting farmers to deliver industry-led culling since its introduction. Tom is currently responsible for all bTB policy and delivery matters for the organisation. Prior to working for the NFU, Tom worked in a policy adviser role for the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, as well as spending time working on farms in the UK and New Zealand. Tom comes from a former dairy farming family in the South West.

Government members

• Defra Bovine TB Programme • Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) •

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