News Archive

Lord Haskins gives Memorial Lecture – University of Reading

Lord Haskins, the Labour peer responsible for the Government's rural recovery programme, will be giving a lecture at the University of Reading's School of Agriculture, Policy and Development on Monday, 10 November. Lord Haskins, whose report on the delivery of services in the countryside is due to be published soon, will be talking about 'The Future for Farming and the Countryside'. It constitutes the 2003 Edith Mary Gayton Memorial Lecture, which is an annual event at the University where issues of concern to farming and land use are debated. Lord Christopher Haskins worked for Northern Foods for 40 years from 1962, becoming Chairman in 1986. During this time, he helped both the British and Irish governments in various ways. In 1991, he was a member of the Culliton Industrial Policy Review Group which produced the blueprint for the recent success of the Irish economy. In the UK, he was a member of the Commission for Social Justice from 1992-1994, a member of the Round Table on Sustainable Development 1995-2002, Chairman of the Government's Better Regulation Task Force 1997-2002, a Director of the Yorkshire Regional Development Agency from 1998, and a member of the Government's New Deal Task Force from 1997-2001. The Prime Minister appointed Lord Haskins to advise on rural recovery in the aftermath of the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak, and he has recently completed a review of the implementation of rural policy for Mr Blair. End For further information, please contact Dr Tahir Rehman in the Department of Agriculture, tel: (0118) 378 8480, e-mail: t.rehman@reading.ac.uk ; or Craig Hillsley, Press Officer on (0118) 378 8005, e-mail: c.hillsley@reading.ac.uk Notes for editors -Date and venue: 8pm, 10 November, in the John Madejski Lecture Theatre, New Agriculture Building, The University of Reading, Earley Gate, Reading. -The Edith Mary Garton Memorial Lecture has taken place every year since 1984, and guest speakers have included the Earl of Selborne, Professor David Harvey and Richard Simmonds CBE. The EMG Memorial Fund is a bequest from a former student to be used specifically for sponsoring research in the farm management arena as well as to host the annual lecture. -The School of Agriculture, Policy and Development promotes excellence in research and teaching in the natural and social sciences relating to agriculture, rural environments and the countryside, the businesses and people associated with these sectors and the policy cum political environments in which they function locally, nationally, regionally and globally.