People across the food, agricultural and horticultural industries have paid tribute to Caroline Drummond who passed away on 23 May after a short illness, aged 58.
Best known for her leadership of LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming) which she grew from humble beginnings in 1991, her legacy includes the highly successful LEAF Open Farm Sunday initiative and the LEAF Marque environmental labelling scheme. Caroline was awarded an MBE in 2009 for her services to agriculture and won the Farmers Weekly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019.
Philip Wynn, chairman of LEAF, commented, “Caroline was an inspiration, and it is her passion, determination, foresight and energy that has transformed LEAF from its small beginnings 30 years ago to the globally recognised and respected organisation it is today. There really are no words to express how much Caroline will be missed within LEAF and the farming industry; but most deeply by her family, to whom we extend our greatest sympathy.”
NFU President Minette Batters called Caroline “a tour de force” within the agricultural community. Her sense of purpose and commitment was renowned, and for which she will be greatly missed,” she said. “Caroline was first and foremost passionate about environmentally friendly farming. She recognised how food production worked hand-in-hand with the environment and was a fantastic advocate for integrated farm management.
“She wanted to share this vision with the wider public, and hundreds of thousands of people have visited farms over many years through the Open Farm Sunday initiative. She was also the driving force behind educating young minds about where their food has come from and schools across the country have benefitted from her work.”
Professor Michael Lee, deputy vice-chancellor at Harper Adams University, said, “Our thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Caroline Drummond MBE, whose loss will be felt across the whole farming community. Caroline was both a friendly face and positive driving force, advocating for both the development of more sustainable farming methods and the facilitation of greater connection and understanding between the food-buying public and agriculture.”