FIONA Simson has been elected the first female president of the National Farmers Federation.
She was elected to the role this morning to replace outgoing president Brent Finlay.
Ms Simson, who farms with her family on the Liverpool Plains, has served as the NFF’s vice president for two years and has been a director since 2011.
“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,” Mrs 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.”
Mrs Simson paid tribute to outgoing president Brent Finlay who has served in the role for three years and been a NFF director since 2010.