A leading property figure is hoping to take a major trade body back to its roots to ensure its successful future.
Will Young, a Director at land, development, property agency and consultancy Newton LDP, has been appointed as the President of the Midland Counties Agricultural Valuers' Association (MCAVA).
MCAVA is a regional group of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV), the professional body representing, qualifying and briefing almost 3,000 members practising agricultural and rural work throughout the UK.
Its members are agricultural and rural valuers who provide professional advice and valuation expertise on issues affecting the countryside, including tenancy matters, sales and purchase of farms and land, taxation, compulsory purchase of land and property, auctioneering, conservation issues and farming business advice.
Will Young, who takes over the role from Tim Fox, believes his one-year term in office will coincide with some of the most turbulent times for agricultural and rural industries.
“There is a massive amount of change in the sector with the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, Agricultural Transition Plan, Environment Act, Energy and Food Security together with the impact of Brexit on rural industries,” he said.
“It is imperative that MCAVA is fully across upcoming change so that our members are able to guide our clients through this challenging but exciting transition.
“As an organisation we are still feeing the effects of Covid and I want to ensure that we move back to where we were in terms of networking and peer-to-peer learning.
“As a qualifications-awarding body, CAAV has a 150-year history of helping to develop the next generation of agricultural and rural professionals and much of that is done through senior professionals passing on their knowledge and experience to those at the start of their careers.
“This has been more difficult to achieve via online events over the last two years, and there is no substitute for meeting in person, seeing how people operate, stimulating debate and sharing ideas.
“I look forward to addressing some of the current challenges facing rural businesses over the next year because, with constant flux in the industry, we need a robust, experienced and well-qualified generation of professionals representing at all levels.”
CAAV also represents the sector to Government and other industry trade bodies and promotes the industry to farmers, landowners, land managers and the general public.
Young, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry, joined Warwickshire-based Newton LDP at the start of 2022. He will be supported by MCAVA Senior Vice President Ian Nott, who is Head of Estates at the Fitzwilliam Milton Estate, near Peterborough.