Cornwall Farmers appoints new CEO
Cornwall Farmers Board of Directors has announced that Andrew Cocks has stepped down as CEO of Cornwall Farmers to pursue other personal interests and spend more time with his family in Gloucestershire.
The board thank Andrew for his contribution and hard work over the last seven years and wish him well in the future.
The board, however, are delighted to announce the appointment of Simon Birch as the new Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect. Simon, a Cornishman, recently joined Cornwall Farmers as Director of Central Resources.
Simons broad experience in the wider commercial world will be a great asset for Cornwall Farmers. The agricultural industry continues to experience ever increasing challenges whether from commodity price fluctuations or underlying farm profitability and your board feel that Simons experience of managing change will be invaluable in defining the future direction of Cornwall Farmers.
The board wish Simon every success in his new role and look forward to working with him and the wider Cornwall Farmers team to meet the high expectations of our members and customers.
Cornwall Farmers is a farmer owned agricultural supply co-operative registered under the Industrial and Provident Societies Act. The company commenced trading in 1920.
The key co-operative functions of the business are;
To secure reliable supply of agricultural inputs for the West Country.
To achieve optimal buying prices for our members.
To optimise the cost of storage, distribution and administration.
To provide added value to our members through timely and relevant advice.
The co-operative supports livestock, arable and horticultural businesses together with smallholders and the wider rural community. Its principle trading divisions include;
Feed & Forage feed (compounds, blends straights) and forage (fertiliser, seed, additives)
Arable crop protection advice and chemicals, seed, fertiliser
Machinery whole goods (tractors etc), parts, service, hire, professional groundscare (golf courses etc) and domestic (lawnmowers, strimmers etc)
Retail animal health, clothing, equestrianism, fencing, farm and garden hardware
The company employs 320 full and part-time staff