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NEW CHAIRMAN FOR CONTRACTORS’ ASSOCIATION

The National Association of Agricultural Contractors elected a new Chairman at its Annual Meeting on March 7. He is Mike Simpson who runs MC Simpson (Contracts) Ltd at Winterborne Kingston near Blandford in Dorset. Mike was winner of Contractor of the Year in the Farmers Weekly Awards in 2007.
For the next two years, Mike will be Chairman of the NAAC’s Council, the main governing body, where he has been a member since 2002. His business primarily provides services for livestock and grassland farmers in Dorset and the South West but he is in partnership with neighbour Jim Farquharson in Pro-Ag Services which offers most of the arable operations. In 2000 Mike was a Nuffield Scholar studying contracting businesses worldwide.



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He takes over from Richard Minton who heads Richard Minton Associates specialising in the amenity area. Richard becomes Immediate Past Chairman.

“The NAAC is facing some real challenges in the coming months,” says Mike. “We’re grappling with the new immigration rules as we struggle to get sheep shearers in from New Zealand and Australia for the coming season. We are trying to minimise the impact of the new pesticide regulations as they come in. And we are looking for the best practical ways to move the debate on tractor and trailer braking forward. These are all very live issues which will make my time as Chairman very interesting.”