Caroline Drummond is, in the nicest possible way, a human dynamo. For someone who has been in the same job for 24 years, her enthusiasm and passion for the task is truly infectious. The daughter of a deep-sea diver, the former student band frontwoman has long been singing a tune of balance when it comes to farming and has been one of the foremost drivers of the integrated farm management approach, which has now been adopted by so many producers in this country and around the world.
The chief executive of Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF) has been with the organisation since its inception back in 1991, when it was established as a three-year project aimed at repositioning agriculture in the minds of the public. Drummond describes it as a case of “here’s a pencil and a pen, a good idea and good luck” when she started out, but since those uncertain early days LEAF has grown into a heavyweight body that offers certification for those employing integrated farm management, as well as organising the highly successful Open Farm Sunday and Open Farm School Days.
Recalling LEAF’s “daunting” fledgling days, Drummond says the perception of farming was considerably different to the positive image we know today. “At the time there was a lot of [public] concern,” she says. “In fact there had been a cartoon that had been done by one of the supermarkets about ‘get off my land’ and farmers spraying pesticides everywhere. That was pretty much around the day we launched our first LEAF demonstration farm. And in addition to that we’d come through a very high-production approach in the 1980s and challenges around pesticide use in the 1970s and it was an opportunity at that tipping point for a change.”
That change came in the form of making environmental sensitivity central to production practices, and Drummond says several forward-thinking farmers were in the vanguard of that movement. While numbers have risen dramatically and public awareness of LEAF has grown to a respectable six per cent, it is still that ethos of having a number of key producers banging the drum that remains central to what LEAF does. “We’ve had some fantastic farmers who are ultimately our voice, and I think that’s really helped clearly demonstrate what’s happening out there and building that level of respect,” she explains. “Those ambassadors are the real heroes in the food sector.”
Despite all that positivity, certification remains a contentious area for some growers, who have been vociferous in their view that there is too much auditing of farms going on. But Drummond rejects that suggestion, insisting instead that schemes such as LEAF add value and opportunity for producers taking part. “There are actually very few schemes,” she says. “There are lots of brands. But there are very few robust, independent, externally verified standards. And this is where we have LEAF Marque, the Soil Association and Organic Farmers & Growers, Red Tractor and Freedom Foods for livestock. There are strong opportunities for farmers to exploit their market. Our point of difference is about good environmental performance, and one of the things we are continually strengthening is the level of understanding of standards.”
LEAF Marque can essentially be an add-on to Red Tractor or GlobalGAP, giving added environmental credibility to those who attain it. While the marque has been particularly well supported by Waitrose, Drummond wants to push it into other supermarkets, further beyond fresh produce and use it to drive sustainable choices in the processing sector, where one notable success has been Unilever’s decision to source LEAF Marque oilseed rape.
You don’t need to talk to Drummond for long to realise she is a huge advocate of trying new things, grasping the nettle and not settling for the status quo – particularly when it comes to the health of the nation. She is a big fan of American initiatives such as prescriptions for vegetables and higher social payments for people buying fresh produce from markets, as well as improving the nutritional quality of fruit and veg – the focus of her recent Nuffield scholarship. She would like to see Brits given health checks at milestone ages, and Defra, the Department of Health and Department of Education working much more closely together with joined-up strategies to help beat the obesity epidemic.
She’s also happy to wade into the GM debate, and though she says LEAF is “right on the fence with the technology”, you get the feeling she is open to new science being a part of the solution as long as it is part of an integrated farm approach.
Drummond may have been in the same job for nearly a quarter of a century, but the fire is far from burning out. She describes the challenge as “hugely motivating” and is “very passionate” about what lies ahead. With such a tour de force at the helm, the future looks bright for LEAF.
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