PEMBROKESHIRE farmer, Meurig Raymond, has been elected as vice-president of the NFU.

Fifty-one-year-old Mr. Raymond, who farms at Croesgoch near Haverfordwest, was elected on Tuesday at the NFU Annual Conference in Birmingham. His appointment follows the election of fellow Welsh farmer, Tim Bennett, as president of NFU.

"Being vice-president is a huge responsibility because you are part of a team which represents 60,000 farmers in England and Wales," said Mr. Raymond.

"Obviously there are big challenges ahead, such as CAP reform. We have a good team and I think we can work extremely well together."

During his term in office, Mr. Raymond said he hoped the image and profitability of farming would improve.

"We need to build confidence in the industry and gain some respect from our consumers and bring profit back into the industry."

In partnership with his twin brother Mansel, Mr. Raymond farms 2,700 acres - of which 1,400 are owned and the remainder made up of farm business tenancies and share farming agreements.

The business comprises of 600 dairy cows split into two herds, 350 head of dairy young stock, 600 beef cattle, and up to 2,000 store lambs are fattened during the winter. There is also 1,600 acres of arable comprising of 400 acres of winter wheat, 280 acres of winter barley, 250 acres of oilseed rape, 60 acres of spring oilseed rape, 420 acres of spring barley (malting), 75 acres of potatoes, and 140 acres of set-aside.

Mr. Raymond, who is married to Hilary and has three children - Paul, Nicola and Jonathan - started his farming career as a teenager when he left school at 15 to take over the family's 290-acre farm following his father's death.

Over the years he studied various aspects of agriculture at Pembroke Technical College and Wye College, and increased the size of the farm.

He has held numerous posts within the NFU, as well as representing the farming industry on many other bodies, including the Home Grown Cereals Authority (chairman of British Cereal Products), the Agricultural Wages Board, and Food From Britain Council.

In 1999, he was awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Agricultural Society, and his interests include following UK agricultural politics, worldwide politics, and playing cricket.