Tony Cooke BSc(Hons) MIHort FRGS FRSA is a passionate and committed advocate for sustainable agriculture, food, rural affairs and environment. Tony was appointed as Programme Director for the Year of Food and Farming in November 2006 by Sir Don Curry. Since July 2003, Tony has also served as independent Chair of Defra’s Sustainable Farming and Food Strategy for the Yorkshire & Humber region. Tony’s public duties also include serving as a Governor of Askham Bryan College and a trustee of both the Yorkshire Rural Community Council and Archbishop Holgate Hospital. He has previously served as a non-exec director of the Regional Food Group for Yorkshire & Humber and a board member of Business Link South Yorkshire. Tony is a Fellow of both the Royal Geographical Society and the Royal Society of Arts, as well being a member of both the Landscape Institute and the Institute of Horticulture. He lives on the family farm in Yorkshire with his wife Emma and three children; Cameron, Genevieve and Fraser.
