The trade association, Pulses UK, has announced that Michael Shuldham will act as president, with William Ringrose becoming vice president.
Mr Shuldham is pulse product manager for LS Plant Breeding and steps up from vice president, while Mr Ringrose is head of oilseeds and human consumption pulses at ADM Agriculture. Both have worked extensively in agriculture and the pulses industry.
“Pulses UK has such a depth of knowledge and experience within its membership,” Mr Shuldham said. “I would like to ensure that we are using that knowledge to create the strongest future for the crop, through government and on-farm, as well as utilising our unique position of having the whole supply chain to promote the use and grow demand for the end product.
“There are huge opportunities for pulses. They have an enormous capacity to help solve some of the greatest challenges facing the UK and the wider world including climate change, biodiversity loss, volatile food supply, and poor air and water quality, while being economically viable and a source of high-quality nutrition.”
Mr Shuldham is originally from South Yorkshire and following his graduation from Harper Adams University he worked on farms both in the UK and in the Swiss Alps. During his time at LS Plant Breeding, he has built a strong network of contacts, from breeders and merchants to farmers and pulse traders, and is heavily involved in pulse trials.
Vice president Mr Ringrose studied business management and marketing at Harper and his role at ADM Agriculture is to strengthen links with the pulse supply chain, including increasing customer engagement in UK pulses and increasing supplier confidence.
“While working in the pulse industry, I’ve noticed the knowledge base and resources Pulses UK has available to the industry,” he said. “I believe that harnessing those resources will offer significant value to the supply chain at a time where the agricultural industry will be going through a period of change.
“It’s noticeable that suppliers are having to change their growing practices each season due to climate change and loss of available agronomic products which impacts the viability of growing pulses here in the UK. One of my goals is to increase awareness of how these changes are affecting the UK supply chain and highlight the many benefits of UK pulses to the ever-growing end consumer market.”