George Eustice – Keynote Speaker

In total, George Eustice spent nine years within the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. He was Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs from 13 February 2020 to 6 September 2022. He was previously Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) from 11 May 2015 to 13 February 2020. Prior to that he was the Minister of State for over seven years. Before becoming an MP, he was the Press Secretary to the Rt Hon David Cameron while he was Leader of the Opposition from June 2005 until July 2007.

George Eustice was elected as the Conservative MP for Camborne and Redruth in 2010.

George Eustice served on the EFRA Select Committee from 2010. During his nine years at DEFRA, he developed detailed technical and policy knowledge in a range of sectors including the environment and sustainability, the food industry, regulation of the water industry, agri-food trade policy, animal welfare policy, agriculture and international fisheries negotiations.

Coming from a farming background, his family still run a fruit farm, restaurant and farm shop in Cornwall where they also have a herd of South Devon cattle and the country’s oldest herd of the rare breed of pig, the British Lop. The family have shown a keen interest in educating children about farming and have opened their farm to 3000 schoolchildren a year.