ST OSYTH farmer Guy Smith has been elected as the National Farmers’ Union’s new deputy president.

Mr Smith, who owns about 1,000 acres of land near the village, previously served as NFU’s vice president for four years.

He will be joining the union’s new president Minette Batters and vice president Stuart Roberts in the office-holder team.

“It is a privilege to serve the NFU as an office-holder and I am delighted to be given the opportunity to begin a new role as deputy president,” said Mr Smith.

“To serve as the deputy to Minette is a great honour. Having worked with Minette for the past four years, I am looking forward to working with her and Stuart as a close team in what will be a pivotal two years for British agriculture.”

Mr Smith said that Brussels would continue to have an important role to play over the next few years, even though the UK is leaving the EU.

This includes determining the future of products that are vital for food production in East Anglia.

“Abstraction licensing is another key issue for farmers in this region,” he added. “We must ensure farmers continue to have access to the water they need to grow food.”