NSW mixed farmer and grazier Fiona Simson has been elected as the President of the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) at the NFF Annual General Meeting held in Canberra.
Ms Simson is based on the Liverpool Plains where she, her husband Ed and family run a mixed farming enterprise including broad acre farming as well as breeding commercial poll Hereford cattle.
Fiona becomes the first female President of the NFF in its 37 year history. She has previously served the NFF as Vice President for 2 years and as a Director since 2011. Fiona was also the first female President of NSW Farmers, retaining that position for a full four year term from 2011 to 2015.
“It is an honour and privilege to represent Australian farmers at the national level and to be elected as the NFF’s first female president. To me, it’s a great acknowledgement that women contribute tremendously on farm, along the value chain and increasingly as thought leaders and public advocates for agriculture,’ Ms Simson said.
“My focus will be on developing and advocating for policy that makes farmers better off – not just in terms of what they produce but also reaping the rewards of any increases in value along the food and fibre supply chain. I also want to make sure that farmers, producers and rural and regional based agribusinesses have access to communications technology that gets them better connected to their customers and allows them to reach out to global markets.
“The NFF has a big agenda for agriculture. Issues such as transport infrastructure, digital connectivity, tax reform, Australia’s energy mix, sustainable development and trade reform will all be issues high on my agenda as President.
