A HEREDITARY peer has been appointed as the first patron of the Livestock Auctioneers Association (LAA).

Lord Inglewood, an Eden farmer, landowner and businessman, said that he was delighted with the appointment and said the organisation was looking forward to the future as it enters its 200th year in 2017.

“The auction mart system has been able to adapt to the ever changing world and is now very much more sophisticated," said Lord Inglewood, who served two terms as a member of the European Parliament between 1989 and 2004 and has been in the House of Lords since 1999. "Selling through auction marts provides transparency in the market place and keeps prices competitive making them an absolute necessity to get the best prices for farmers and deliver best value to consumers, which has been critical for them to survive.”

Chris Dodds, executive secretary of the Livestock Auctioneers Association, said: “We are thrilled and honoured that Lord Inglewood has agreed to be our patron. He is well versed in agricultural and rural issues and knows the industry thoroughly and understands only too well the challenges we face.

“We have a long pedigree, a fascinating history and have expanded our activities to actively promote the interests of the livestock auctioneering business with other trade organisations and with many government departments too.”