Fife farmer David Bell appointed Voluntary Initiative Chair
The Voluntary Initiative (VI) has appointed award-winning East Fife mixed farmer David Bell as its new Chair.
Ruth Bailey, Head of the Agricultural Engineers Association and Chair of the Voluntary Initiative (VI) CIC Board, which represents the eight VI sponsor organisations, including the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), announced the appointment of David Bell ARAgS as the new VI Chair on 20 January 2025.
"After a rigorous recruitment process with an exceptional pool of candidates, we are delighted to welcome Dave to the role of VI Chair," said Ms Bailey.
"Dave brings extensive experience as both a farmer and an industry advocate. As a mixed farmer in East Fife, managing enterprises in cereals, beef, potatoes, and environmental initiatives across his own and contract-farmed land, he offers a deep understanding of innovative and practical farming. His leadership in the broader rural sector makes him ideally suited for this role."
Ms Bailey also thanked the outgoing Chair, Phil Jarvis, for his contributions over the past four years. "Phil has built on the VI’s previous successes, positioning the organisation strategically as a leader in promoting Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to achieve sustainable farming while enhancing environmental stewardship."
Commenting on his appointment, Mr Bell thanked the sponsor organisations for the opportunity and shared his vision for the future: "I am excited to work with the Voluntary Initiative sponsors, Defra, VI Champions, and a broad group of stakeholders.
"Landscape management is entering an exciting and challenging era where food production and environmental protection are increasingly vital to society.
"My focus will be on finding solutions to challenges, removing barriers, and fostering collaboration to promote practices that ensure both farming and the environment thrive."
Author
Oli Hill
As Head of Communications, Oli creates and oversees the content published on AIC's website, emails, Member briefings, print publications, and social media. A qualified multimedia journalist, he previously spent six years working at Farmers Weekly magazine as a Senior Reporter on the arable team, and latterly as Community Editor. More recently he was Communications Manager at Red Tractor.
