The Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has today (Tuesday, January 24) announced the appointment of five new members to the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise’s (CAFRE) College Advisory Group (CAG).
The role of the CAG is to provide advice at a strategic and operational level to the CAFRE management team. The newly appointed CAG members will serve for a period of three years.
Each member cover a different sector:
- Craig Blaney – agri-food business development sector;
- William Harpur – environment sector;
- Seamus McMenamin – red meat sector;
- Kevin Morgan – higher education sector;
- Ryan Mortimer – poultry/pigs sector.
While appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process DAERA, in line with the Commissioner for Public Appointments for Northern Ireland’s requirement that the political activity of appointees be published, noted that Blaney is a member of the Ulster Unionist Party and is the Deputy Mayor of Ards and North Down Borough Council.
The department thanked the outgoing CAG members for their work: David Brown; Nicholas Cowan; Ivor Ferguson; Mark Gowdy; and Diane Ruddock.
The College Advisory Group
CAG makes recommendations regarding the development of the college’s strategic business plan to meet the needs of industry, participants and the community in line with DAERA’s strategic goals.
The group monitors the programmes delivered by CAFRE and makes recommendations regarding their relevance and effectiveness.
The main aim of the group is to ensure that the college sticks to its strategic business plan, including achievement of physical and financial targets and value for money. It aims to improve CAFRE’s performance as an educational institution.
The group also recommends marketing strategies and the promotion of certain programmes to secure “optimum industry and community involvement in the development, delivery and uptake of programmes”, DAERA said.
The department said that the functions of CAG aim to “enable CAFRE to continue to be recognised as a world leader in agri-food education provision”.