Our staff

Anthony is a director of the ADAS Planning team, with experience in delivering large-scale residential and mixed-use schemes across the UK, ranging from 30 dwellings up to strategic urban extensions and new garden villages. He is the lead for the Manchester planning team.

Barry leads a multidisciplinary team covering ecology, arboriculture, and archaeology. Formerly an ecologist, he is now responsible for driving strategic growth, technical excellence and client delivery across environmental consultancy services.

He holds a BSc (Hons) degree and is a Chartered Manager (CMgr), a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI), a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (MCIEEM).

Ben has over 10 years’ experience in providing GIS and Remote Sensing expertise in a range of projects and services. These projects have included using a range of data sources for spatial analysis and mapping to help inform land management decisions and present scientific evidence at a range of scales.

He is highly knowledgeable in GIS, Python scripting, Remote Sensing and data management and analysis.

These skills have been utilised in delivering projects relating to precision agriculture, farm decision support tools, natural capital, biodiversity and nature-based solutions.

He has an MSc in Environmental Monitoring, Modelling and Management from King’s College London and a BSc in Geography from the University of Exeter. He is a Chartered Geographer (GIS) with the Royal Geographical Society.

Brendon is a FACTS and BASIS Soil and Water Qualified Advisor with over 15 years’ experience working in the environmental and agricultural sectors for the Environment Agency (EA), United Utilities and more recently RSK ADAS.

Brendon specialises in providing advice to farmers and industry to assist in complying with environmental regulations, focusing particularly on pollution prevention and investigation, assessment and design of farm infrastructure and nutrient management planning, incorporating advice on the use of organic manures and fertilisers. Brendon has extensive knowledge of environmental regulations, covering nitrate vulnerable zones; silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil (SSAFO); diffuse pollution from agriculture; environmental permitting for both waste and water; and trade effluent.

On behalf of the EA, Brendon led responses to pollution incidents in which he collected evidence in line with the Police and Criminal Evidence Act, and he has written a number of case files that were presented in court by EA solicitors, which led to a number of successful prosecutions

Cate is a farm business specialist and has worked for ADAS for nearly 30 years. She is a key contact for the Farming Connect Network and for Welsh Government farming policy.

Cate’s focus is on farm grant applications, business planning and financial consultancy. She primarily helps farmers with succession planning and finding a way forward for their business. This includes looking at diversification opportunities from farming and non-farming means, including marketing plans and grant applications.

Cate is also experienced with carbon auditing and farm biodiversity, helping farmers to enhance wildlife on their farms while still farming in a viable manner. She holds a BSc degree in agriculture, is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, is a Member of the Society of Agriculture and is a Nuffield Farming Scholar with her work on innovation in the milk sector.

Charles is a technical director within the Agriculture and Land Management team at ADAS. He has over 30 years’ experience in agricultural engineering and farm infrastructure, with a strong focus on slurry and manure storage, handling and application; silage clamp and grain storage design; farm infrastructure planning, including livestock housing, sprayer filling areas and constructed wetlands; reducing ammonia, nitrate and phosphate emissions from agricultural activities; compliance with environmental regulations and practical solutions for nutrient management; and manure handling systems and their implications for farm operation and associated ammonia, nitrate and phosphate management issues.

Charles has also contributed to industry guidance, including the CIRIA guide 759F on livestock manure and silage storage infrastructure. Outside ADAS, he currently runs a beef, grassland and woodland operation in Carmarthenshire.

Charles holds a BSc (Hons) degree in agriculture from Bangor University and a MSc degree in agricultural engineering from Cranfield University (Silsoe). He is a Member of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (MIAgrE), a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), holds a FACTS certificate (FE926) and is certified by BASIS in conservation and soil and water management.

Chloe Francis (née Morgan) is a senior research scientist and arable crop pathologist at ADAS, based at the Rosemaund site in Herefordshire. Her work focuses on crop disease management trials, particularly in cereals such as wheat and barley.

Chloe is the primary contact for the ADAS Farming Association and leads the ADAS Fungicide Margin Challenge, which supports farmers with independent advice on disease control strategies. She is an author of the ADAS technical arable updates Crop Action and Technical Updates publications. Chloe holds a BSc degree in environmental science.

Dale is a director of the ADAS Planning team with over 15 years’ planning experience. He has worked on a wide range of projects, including residential, energy, commercial, education, sport and mixed-use developments. Dale currently leads and manages the Leeds planning team.

Dan Hobley is a senior modeller at ADAS with over 15 years of experience in process modelling and decision support tools. He leads ongoing development of the LUMEO tool and the Land Use Choices Tool (for the Environment Agency).

He has worked with stakeholders large and small to understand their land use and the benefits and drawbacks of changing it

David is a horticulture consultant with over 15 years’ experience in specialising in all aspects of ornamental crop production (protected and outdoor, container and field grown). He primarily supports large commercial nurseries’ crop production but has in-depth knowledge of the wider ornamentals industry and its key drivers. His research interests include weed control, pesticide application, plant growth regulators, biopesticides and pest control.

David holds a BSc (Hons) degree in commercial horticulture, is a BASIS member and is FACTS qualified.

Diarmuid is a senior archaeological consultant and leads the ADAS Archaeology team. He is an expert in assessing the impacts of development on buried archaeology, historic buildings and historic landscapes.

Diarmuid has extensive experience of archaeological planning advice, desk-based assessments, built heritage impact assessments, archaeological mitigation strategies and project management of archaeological fieldwork.

Dr Anne Bhogal is a principal soil scientist at ADAS. Her work involves researching and developing soil and nutrient management policies. She is interested in the impact of organic amendments and cover cropping on soil quality, carbon storage and nutrient cycling, having been involved in the development of the MANNER-NPK model and the formulation of best practice guidelines for the use of digestate and compost in agriculture.

Anne’s recent research includes leading long-term studies investigating the impact of organic manure and crop residue returns on soil quality and carbon storage and looking at ways to maximise the benefits of cover crops.

Anne also led the field experimentation programme of the AHDB Soil Biology and Health Partnership. She is an associate editor of Soil Use and Management.

Anne holds a BSc (Hons) degree in environmental science from the University of East Anglia, a MSc degree in conservation of soil fertility (Distinction) from Wye College, the University of London, and a PhD in soil science from the University of Nottingham (Fate and efficiency of nitrogen fertiliser in long-term wheat production). She is certified by FACTS (FE/4172), is a Fellow of the British Society of Soil Scientists and holds a Certificate of Competence in Nutrient Management Planning, 2014 (NMP/7).

Ben is a senior research scientist for ADAS and currently leads the ADAS Biotechnology team. His specialisms include immunoassay development, antibody isolation, phage display technology, including next-generation phage display for novel ligand isolation, and serodiagnostics.

His expertise includes a range of molecular biology techniques, including rtPCR and eDNA analysis.

View Ben’s previous research on ResearchGate

Daniel is a livestock consultant with ADAS’s Livestock team, part of ADAS Agriculture and Land Management. He has been involved in the poultry industry since 2016.

Daniel holds a PhD in the communication of disease among broiler chickens from Swansea University, as well as MSc and BSc degrees. Previously, he worked in a primary research capacity for Cargill Meats Europe and later for Avara Foods Ltd.

Daniel is based at the ADAS Rosemaund office, Preston Wynne, Hereford.

Dr Faye Ritchie joined ADAS as a plant pathologist in 2007 after completing a PhD on potato plant pathology. She is now associate managing director for the ADAS Sustainable Agriculture Systems business, as well as continuing her work as a plant pathologist.

Faye has over 16 years’ experience in agronomic research and consultancy, including fungicide efficacy, resistance management and integrated pest management strategies across a range of crops, including cereals, oilseed rape, horticulture and potatoes. She has developed and delivered a range of projects designed to test fungicide product efficacy, demonstrate the value and cost-effectiveness of different fungicide programmes, provide field-based evidence to support fungicide resistance management strategies and test varieties against new disease threats.

She specialises in oilseed rape and potato disease management and contributes to literature reviews, farming press articles and relevant committees including the AHDB Recommended List. She also specialises in potato diseases and currently leads the potato storage research facility at ADAS.

Faye holds a PhD in agriculture from the University of Glasgow, a BSc (Hons) degree in biology from the University of Stirling and a BASIS Certificate in Crop Protection.

View Faye’s previous research on ResearchGate

Dr Helen Rees is a director within the ADAS Biotechnology team and leads the environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis service for great crested newts. ADAS, under her leadership, has consistently scored 100% in national proficiency tests for eDNA analysis.

Helen is a molecular biologist with 19 years’ research experience. In recent years, she has developed the eDNA business to include metabarcoding approaches for community analysis and qPCR-based methods supporting the detection of both invasive and at-risk aquatic species.

Helen has published several peer-reviewed articles on eDNA methodologies, prion diseases and extremophiles. She also contributed to Natural England’s Technical Advice Note WC1067, which sets standards for eDNA labs.

View Helen’s previous research on ResearchGate

Kate is a principal research scientist in the Crop Physiology team at ADAS, based at the High Mowthorpe office in North Yorkshire. Her research aim is to improve crop performance in a sustainable manner. Her interests include crop nutrition and pest thresholds. Kate has been involved in several projects working on nitrogen use in wheat, oilseed rape and barley.

Kate holds a BSc degree in biology and a PhD in ecology, for which she studied the interactions between soil N₂O production and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

View Kate’s previous research on ResearchGate

Dr Lizzie Sagoo is associate managing director of the ADAS Sustainable Agricultural Systems business and a soil scientist. She has specialist knowledge of soil and nutrient management and diffuse pollution of air and water from agricultural systems. Lizzie joined ADAS in 2003 following a PhD at the University of Leeds. She has worked on applied research projects relating to soil and nutrient management, managing manures, reducing diffuse pollution from agriculture and developing practical farmer decision support tools.

Lizzie was part of the ADAS team that reviewed the current RB209 fertiliser recommendations for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB). She led the review of the ‘Vegetables and bulbs’ and ‘Fruit, vines and hops’ chapters and contributed to the ‘Potatoes’, ‘Arable crops’ and ‘Organic materials’ chapters. Lizzie is also a STEM ambassador and has engaged with primary, secondary and sixth form college students on soil science education and careers in soil science.

Qualifications

• PhD in Soil Sciences, University of Leeds
• STEM Ambassador

Dr Pete Berry is a crop physiologist and the head of crop physiology at ADAS. Based at ADAS High Mowthorpe in North Yorkshire, Pete seeks to improve crop performance and reduce pollution of cropping systems through an understanding of crop physiology, plant breeding and agronomy.

Before working at ADAS, he was a post-doctoral researcher in crop science at the University of Nottingham. He is a special lecturer in crop physiology for the University of Nottingham and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham

Important research areas include increasing crop yields sustainably, optimising nitrogen nutrition of crops, exploitation of precision farming technologies and lodging control and plant growth regulation.

Pete has authored 40 peer-reviewed research papers on crop physiology.

View Pete’s previous research on ResearchGate

Pete holds a BSc degree in plant biotechnology from the University of London, a MSc degree in applied genetics from the University of Birmingham and a PhD in crop physiology from the University of Nottingham. He is also FACTS qualified and is a Member of the Association of Applied Biologists.

Dr Richard Gooday specialises in modelling and data analysis. He leads on Farmscoper, a decision support tool developed for Defra that allows an assessment of the cost and effectiveness of agricultural mitigation methods on multiple pollutants. Richard has led subsequent projects that have refined and expanded the Farmscoper tool, including a detailed assessment of the costs of mitigation implementation and an interface that allows Farmscoper to be applied at catchment to national scale.

Richard also leads projects evaluating the impact of agri-environment schemes on water quality at catchment scales, helping inform national strategies for meeting environmental targets.

Rory is an entomologist in the ADAS Horticulture team, with eight years’ experience in conducting behavioural bioassays with various insects, including fruit flies, aphids and locusts.

Rory’s research to date has mainly focused on insect microbial interactions. Currently, he’s working on the British Apples and Pears (BAPL)-funded woodlice project, as well as insecticide resistance testing of aphid species using the Insecticide Resistance Action Committee methods for the Health and Safety Executive’s Chemicals Regulation Directorate (HSE-CRD) project ‘Insecticide resistance testing of key pests of protected crops’.

Rory is skilled in insect culture and maintenance, as well as in a variety of behavioural bioassays, both field and laboratory based. Before ADAS, Rory worked for Berry Gardens Growers as a field assistant on a farm-scale trial of sterile insect technique for controlling Drosophila suzukii (spotted wing drosophila), in addition to completing a PhD looking at controlling D. suzukii using yeast. Rory’s current work at ADAS is focused on aphid resistance testing and management.

Rory holds a BSc (Hons) degree in biology and a MRes degree in biosciences from Aberystwyth University and a PhD in life sciences from the University of Lincoln.

View Rory’s previous research on ResearchGate

Dr Sarah Cook is a senior research scientist and arable weed specialist with over 30 years’ experience in weed control. Her work spans all aspects of arable crop production, including weed management, agronomy and integrated crop production. She is the lead for our herbicide resistance testing service.

Recognised as a leading UK expert in sustainable agriculture, Sarah wrote the AHDB guide ‘How to manage weeds in arable rotation’ and the ‘Oilseed rape growth guide’. Sarah regularly contributes to leading farming publications, such as Farmers Weekly and Crop Production Magazine, on non-chemical weed control, herbicides and sustainable management of grass weeds including blackgrass and brome. She has also authored several influential international papers on weeds and herbicide resistance.

Sarah holds a BSc (Hons) degree in agriculture and a PhD in plant growth regulators in herbage seed.

View Sarah’s previous research on ResearchGate

Dr Sarah Kendall is a crop physiologist based at ADAS Gleadthorpe and is an associate managing director. Her work involves managing, analysing and reporting on crop experiments conducted on oilseed rape and winter wheat. Her research focuses on optimising crop nutrition and supporting farmers to make the best nutrition decisions to increase productivity sustainably.

Sarah has long been involved in the Yield Enhancement Network, which sparked a passion for working closely with farmers and agronomists to understand yield limitations and the value of sharing data to improve decision-making. Sarah lives on a mixed farm in Nottinghamshire, focusing on maximising crop yields and working to improve biodiversity.

View Sarah’s previous research on ResearchGate

Steve leads our environmental modelling team and has worked at ADAS for over 25 years. He is an environmental modeller with expertise in developing national environment information systems,
models of diffuse pollution from agricultural surveys, statistical analysis of farm practices and mitigation measure uptake and cost-effective optimisation of mitigation measures for policy development.

Steve holds a BSc degree in geography and environmental science from the University of Lancaster and a PhD in environment modelling and geographic information systems from the University of East Anglia.

Elysia has 11 years’ experience in the industry, specialising in integrated pest management research and plant health in horticulture and forestry. She is skilled in microscopic identification and works closely with growers to identify pest problems and develop solutions. Her research interests lie in biocontrol and biopesticides, supporting biodiversity on farms and promoting uptake of integrated pest management.

Emma is a business management and livestock specialist with more than 12 years’ experience in providing technical supply chain, livestock management, grassland and agri-environmental advice to farmers across the UK. She has expertise in beef and sheep production systems, red meat supply chains and nutrient management planning.

Emma has extensive project management and facilitation experience, having previously delivered several Farm Innovation Projects across Wales with groups of farmers, vets and other stakeholders. Alongside her work at ADAS, Emma also helps her husband run an upland beef and sheep unit in North Wales.

Emma holds a BSc (Hons) degree in agriculture science (animal science) from the University of Edinburgh, an NVQ Level 4 qualification in management and a MPhil degree in food bioscience from the University of Reading. She is a SFEDI/FBASS accredited business adviser, has a BASIS Certificate in Greenhouse Gases, Carbon and Climate Change Mitigation, is FACTS qualified and is BASIS registered.

Emma is an ecology consultant and associate director of the ADAS Ecology team. She works across the UK, but her base is East and South East England.
Emma has a particular interest in terrestrial species survey and mitigation. Her specialisms include habitat regulations assessment, protected species surveys, phase 1 habitat surveys, environmental impact assessment and protected species mitigation strategies.

Emma holds a BSc degree in biology and a MSc degree in wildlife biology and conservation. She is a Chartered Ecologist (CEcol) and a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and holds a great crested newt class licence and hazel dormouse survey licence from Natural England.

Eoin is an agri-environment adviser with over 15 years’ experience in agri-environmental regulations and compliance, pollution incidents and remediation projects.

Eoin specialises in providing advice and practical solutions to the agricultural sector in a variety of areas, including infrastructure, compliance with regulations, water quality and monitoring. His expertise predominately focuses on farm infrastructure design, such as slurry storage and silage clamps, pesticide storage and handling, rainwater harvesting and drainage.

Based in Wales, Eoin often provides technical advice about farm infrastructure, pollution prevention and soil assessments to farmers on behalf of Farming Connect, private landowners and water companies. He is certified by BASIS in soil and water management and holds a BSc (Hons) degree in geography and environmental management.

Helen is a consultant in the ADAS Livestock team with 25 years’ experience in rural development and agriculture and a particular interest in livestock production systems. She is experienced in identifying emissions sources and carbon reduction/mitigation action planning on farms in the UK. She uses a range of carbon footprinting tools to help farmers with action planning in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Current carbon work includes supporting farms participating in the EU climate-smart farming programme.

Helen studied sustainable agricultural systems at the University of East Anglia as part of her BSc degree in rural development and has an MSc degree in crop protection from SRUC in Aberdeen. She is one of the first people to achieve the BASIS farm emissions and carbon management advice qualification in the UK. Helen holds a BASIS Certificate in Greenhouse Gases, Carbon and Climate Change Mitigation, as well as being certified by BASIS in soil and water management.

She is also a Welsh speaker.

Ian is an arboricultural consultant. He manages a team of arboricultural consultants and surveyors delivering all aspects of arboricultural management, including BS-5837-related services for the planning system, National Joint Utilities Group advice for utility providers, tree preservation orders, tree risk surveys for tree/landowners and utility arboricultural advice to electricity distribution network operators.

Ian holds a BSc degree in arboriculture and is a Professional Member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters.

Islam Abdel-Aziz is a horticulture consultant conducting research, development and advisory for government, non-governmental organisations and businesses. He has direct experience of the complete supply chain, from seed and crop production to national and international trade. Islam’s experience spans tropical, temperate, semi-arid and arid zone crop production systems across Asia, Africa and Europe.

Jackie Evans is the managing director of ADAS and the Agriculture and Land Management business director.

Having started with ADAS as a dairy business consultant, Jackie held various leadership roles in agricultural and business consultancies, including as a managing director for a construction project management company. She was appointed director of our Agriculture and Land Management business in 2017 and became ADAS managing director in April 2024.

James is a technical director for business development in our Agriculture and Land Management team, with expertise in dairy consultancy and financial and business management. His main interest is livestock farming (dairy, beef and pigs).

In his role, James provides strategic business planning, financial budgeting and data analysis services to help farmers navigate challenges such as the phasing out of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). He has also contributed to knowledge exchange programsmes – for example, the Isle of Man Agricultural Development Scheme – offering guidance on optimising grassland and enhancing farm resilience.

His background is in dairy farming, having managed his dairy unit. On his family farm, James is overseeing the transition from dairy farm to a more intensive revenue-driven business that includes the construction of a bed and breakfast pig unit for BQP, an equine centre and the establishment of a suckler herd of Stabiliser beef cattle.

James is certified by BASIS FACTS, has a SFEDI and NFQ Level 4 qualification in business advice and holds a HND in agriculture from Harper Adams University.

James is an experienced wildlife consultant and ornithologist specialising in wildlife surveys and mitigation strategies for protected species, including badgers, bats, great crested newts, reptiles and water voles.

James is a senior ecology consultant specialising in protected species mitigation and Phase 1 habitat surveys. He is an expert in otter surveys and species mitigation.

Jason is ADAS Technical Director for Livestock, formerly a senior poultry consultant. He has extensive knowledge of poultry meat and egg production systems, with a particular emphasis on animal welfare, product quality and food safety, and biosecurity. Jason leads a team of livestock consultants who provide consultancy relating to eggs and meat for government departments and agencies, trade organisations, commercial producers and packers. His key areas of expertise include costs of production analysis, environmental impacts, legislation and training

Jason has led multiple research projects on the sustainability of livestock systems, the improvement of animal welfare and improving the profitability of farm businesses.

John is a principal consultant in the ADAS weed science team. He has over 20 years’ experience in weed biology and management, having previously worked at Rothamsted Research and then NIAB before joining ADAS in 2023.

In his role, John helps to develop and promote guidance to farmers and advisers on effective weed control strategies and how to implement robust grassweed management practices.

His specialisms include the evaluation of new non-chemical tools for weed management, including precision inter-row mechanical weeding, harvest weed seed control (HWSC) and other novel approaches. Maximising the effectiveness of herbicides is also an important focus for John, as well as optimising the efficiency of herbicide use through taking an integrated weed management approach. This includes increasing crop competitiveness and adjusting herbicide strategies to accommodate earlier drilling schedules and adoption of diverse rotations.
John is also active in the academic community, contributing to research on arable weed seedbank abundance and crop rotations. His expertise is frequently sought in discussions on weed biology and management.

John holds a BSc degree in ecology and applied biology from the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. He is a Member of the British Crop Production Council expert working group on weeds, a Weed Resistance Action Group member and a Technical Member of the Association of Independent Crop Consultants.

Jonathan is ADAS Technical Director for Crop Protection and a researcher focused on understanding the effectiveness of fungicides and developing integrated methods for cereal disease control. He is experienced in designing, managing, analysing, interpreting and reporting integrated disease management projects.

His areas of specialism include cereal disease management and integrated disease management, as well as knowledge exchange and science communication. Jonathan regularly presents his research findings as practical advice for growers, industry and scientific audiences. He is also a fully trained agronomist, supporting his family arable farm in Lincolnshire. Jonathan is FACTS and BASIS qualified and holds a BSc degree in agriculture from the University of Nottingham.

View Jonathan’s previous research publications on ResearchGate

Jude is a senior research entomologist with over 30 years’ experience in managing collaborative pest management research projects, developing biological and integrated pest management strategies in horticultural crops and in communicating new integrated pest management methods to growers and other industry members.

Jude has authored or co-authored several research papers on hortic

Read Jude’s previous research on ResearchGate

ulture crop pests.

Julie is a principal consultant in the Plant Pathology team at ADAS with 25 years’ experience in applied multi-disciplinary crop protection projects, working with the key pathogens of cereals and oilseed rape.

She has led numerous projects investigating the epidemiology and integrated management of foliar, stem and root diseases and has a particular research interest in identifying beneficial traits that enable the crop to avoid, escape or tolerate disease and exploiting these traits via conventional breeding methods. Julie is the project lead for the annual Defra Pest and Disease Survey.

She works with international consortiums, universities, commercial sponsors, breeders, government and levy boards and is keen to engage directly with agronomists and growers.

View Julie’s previous research on ResearchGate

Kath works with the ADAS Policy and Economics team. Her background is in research and consultancy in agricultural, environmental and natural resource economics. She has over 20 years’ experience in managing international, multidisciplinary projects across all levels of government, as well as university and industry commissioned projects.

Kath’s research and project work is primarily focused on economic analysis, assessing environmental and agricultural issues and evaluating and assessing natural capital and ecosystem services. She has a keen interest in landscape economics, including modelling and valuing ecosystem service trade-offs in urban and agricultural landscapes.

Kath was awarded a Master of Economic Studies, a Graduate Diploma in Agricultural Economics and a Bachelor of Financial Administration from the University of New England. She holds an AQF Level 4 Competency Certificate IV in Business Management and is a Member of the UK Network for Environmental Economists (UKNEE) and the European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (EAERE).

Kirk is a technical director within ADAS’s Agricultural and Land Management team. He has been delivering project management and technical expertise for over 20 years in relation to flood risk management, soil husbandry, land drainage, land restoration and agricultural land classification.

Kirk was a co-author of the AHDB ‘An introduction to field drainage’ guide. He has worked on hundreds of cross-country pipeline schemes and provided government-funded advice to farmers on the control of diffuse water pollution from agriculture. As a national expert in soils, land drainage, drainage law and land restoration, Kirk can act as an expert witness in soils and drainage disputes throughout England and Wales.

Kirk holds a BSc (Hons) degree in environmental management (with environmental policy) from the University of Gloucestershire and a HND in environmental and agricultural engineering from Rycotewood College. He is a Member of the British Society of Soil Science (MI Soil Sci), a Member of the British Hydrological Society and is certified by BASIS in soil and water management.

Lucy is the managing director of the ADAS Sustainable Agricultural Systems business. She is also a spatial data and GIS specialist with 25 years’ experience in integrating environmental data for scientific research and consultancy.

Lucy has managed and delivered wide-ranging projects, incorporating methodology development, spatially explicit decision-support tool development, GIS analysis, statistical analysis, including spatial statistics, data sourcing and data management. She has a sound knowledge of UK and European policy relating to the environment and has used her GIS, spatial modelling and statistical analysis skills to help provide and present scientific evidence of environmental pressures and risks at various spatial scales, as well as the management options that can help to mitigate these risks.

Lucy has an academic background in ecology and environmental management and experience in a wide range of rural issues, including sustainable intensification and food security in agriculture, biodiversity and environmental land management. She holds a BSc (Hons) degree in biology and an MRes degree in ecology and environmental management from the University of York.

Lynn is a principal research scientist, specialising in weed biology. She leads the ADAS weeds research team and has 26 years’ experience in developing and leading weed-related research and consultancy projects. This includes trial design, project management, data analysis, interpretation and reporting of projects using laboratory, glasshouse and field-based experiments. She is an active member of the European Weed Research Society (EWRS).

Her key areas of expertise include herbicide resistance and an understanding of the biology, ecology and integrated management of grass and broad-leaved, perennial and annual weed species in arable farming and horticultural systems. Lynn holds a BSc degree in agriculture with environmental biology.

View Lynn’s previous research on ResearchGate

Mailys is a livestock consultant in the ADAS Livestock team, with in-depth knowledge of the poultry industry and production systems, and has accumulated practical on-farm experience through her studies and her consultancy work. Mailys is experienced in stakeholder and farmer consultations, data handling and analysis and undertaking scientific literature reviews.

Since joining ADAS, she has worked on various government and private sector funded projects focusing on cost of production and animal health and welfare, with a particular focus on poultry systems.

Mailys has a MSc degree in animal sciences from Wageningen University and Research and a MSc degree in European Animal Management and Sustainability (EURAMA) and a MSc Engineer in Agriculture, Agronomy and Environmental Sciences degree from École d’ingénieurs de Purpan.

Phil is the head of waste at ADAS and a Chartered Agricultural Engineer with 46 years’ experience of waste management in agricultural production and biomass energy conversion.

Through national and international projects, he developed his engineering knowledge in municipal waste management, combustion of broiler litter, energy crop production and livestock manure storage. As part of his role, Phil undertakes evaluations of engineering systems for production, post-harvest treatments, storage and waste recycling.

Phil also offers strategic and technical policy advice for government at national and regional levels on carbon management, renewable energy from wastes and energy crops.

Phil holds a MSc degree in agricultural engineering from Newcastle University, is a Chartered Engineer (CEng), is a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv), is FACTS accredited and is certified by BASIS FACTS in nutrient management planning.

Professor Roger Sylvester-Bradley leads research on crop performance at ADAS and is an Honorary Professor of temperate crop physiology at the University of Nottingham.

He founded and leads the Yield Enhancement Network (YEN) and aims to inspire innovation in crop productivity. Roger seeks to facilitate and improve farm action research – particularly to understand crop and food production and their external impacts. His research goal is for the performance of farms and fields to be routinely measured so that it can be understood, re-designed and enhanced for the good of all worldwide.

View Roger’s previous research on ResearchGate

Robyn is a pathologist in the ADAS Horticulture team, specialising in soil-borne diseases and their control. She has experience working with fruit trees, soft fruit, veg crops and ornamentals. Robyn is skilled in disease identification and molecular plant pathology, with research interests including fungicide resistance, biological control methods and novel disease management strategies.

Robyn holds a MSc and a BSc (Hons) degree in plant pathology from Stellenbosch University and a BSc degree in environmental and biological science from North-West University (Potchefstroom, South Africa).

View Robyn’s previous research publications on ResearchGate

Sarah leads the ADAS Climate and Sustainability team and has spent the last 20 years working in the agricultural sector, helping to improve sustainable production of crops and livestock. Her focus in recent years has turned to reducing the climate impact of food production through emissions reductions and carbon removals. This work has led towards increased understanding of how woodland, soils and natural habitats can be used to store and capture carbon to balance residual emissions.

Sarah has developed tools and measurement approaches to quantify the storage and removal of carbon from different habitat types. She also worked with BASIS to develop the BASIS Certificate in Greenhouse Gases, Carbon and Climate Change Mitigation qualification.

Stuart is an agricultural consultant based in North Wales. He comes from a dairy farming background and manages a small flock of sheep on Anglesey.

He holds a BSc degree in agriculture from Harper Adams University and is now part of the Farm Infrastructure team at ADAS, specialising in planning advice and design. His work involves conducting farm infrastructure assessments in line with current legislation, supporting farmers, utility companies and the public sector.

His expertise covers silage clamps, slurry and organic manure storage, yard drainage, livestock buildings, grain stores, sprayer filling areas and pesticide stores.
Stuart has a particular interest in farmyard design, focusing on cost-effective, business-oriented solutions. He is a Member of the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE), and he is certified by FACTS and by BASIS in soil and water management.

Terry has over 28 years’ experience in the agricultural industry, advising farmers on suitable land management options, sustainable farming incentives, landscape and local nature recovery and regenerative agricultural practices. She enjoys working with farmers and landowners to deliver agri-environmental schemes, with a specific focus on air and water quality, and the potential for natural flood management.

Terry previously worked for Rural Payments Agency in the field and regulatory teams for agri-environment schemes. She also worked for Natural England as a Catchment Sensitive Farming adviser.

During her career, she has also overseen multiple environmental and rural development schemes, providing guidance, training and consultancy services. Terry also advises equestrian businesses on land management as part of the ADAS Equine team.

She holds a HND in agriculture from Harper Adams University and a Certificate in Horse and Stable Management from Brackenhurst College, Nottingham Trent University. She is also certified by BASIS in soil and water management and holds a BASIS Certificate in Sustainable Land Management.

Thomas joined ADAS Land in 2017 and has grown the business by enhancing ADAS’s links with landowners throughout the UK. He has worked extensively on development projects ranging from acquisition to construction. Sustainable development is at the forefront of his projects, which include the development of carbon-neutral housing schemes and state-of-the-art commercial developments.

Thomas manages the entire acquisition and development process using a holistic approach to ensure that all disciplines work in synchronicity throughout the planning and construction phases.

Tim Martyn is a national grassland adviser and an expert in optimising forage production and management. He has over 40 years’ experience as an agronomist and was formerly a researcher at the Institute for Grassland and Environmental Research at North Wyke.

Tim also has a family farm with dairy, beef, sheep and cereals in West Devon/North Cornwall.

Tom Brassington has over 47 years’ experience in agricultural engineering and environmental management consultancy. He provides engineering solutions and strategic planning on a diverse range of disciplines, including agricultural machinery manufacture.

Tom has a special interest in improving the use and management of water and other resources, advising on water and waste management on farms. He has delivered a wide range of catchment sensitive farming (CSF) and other catchment projects, including biobeds/pesticide handling and wash down areas, and farm infrastructure.

Qualifications

• BSc Agricultural Engineering, Silsoe College Cranfield University
• Member of Institute of Agricultural Engineers
• Chartered Engineer, Engineering Council
• Chartered Environmentalist, C Env
• BASIS Soil and Water
• Diploma in Marketing

Tom is a principal consultant in ADAS’s Climate Change and Sustainability team, with six years of climate change, sustainability and environmental consulting experience. He has worked in the UK and North America and has diverse experience across a range of service lines, with previous projects including environmental and sustainability due diligence during M&A transactions, carbon footprinting, climate change risk assessments aligned to the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and IFRS S2, nature risk assessments aligned to the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and development and reviews of sustainability strategies.

At ADAS, Tom focuses on sustainability assessments within the food production sector and developing climate risk and adaptation strategies for clients in a range of sectors. He led ADAS’s work to develop an adaptation plan for the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority – a diverse, culturally important region that includes England’s largest county.

In North America, Tom worked with clients in the agrifood, mining, thermal power and oil and gas extraction sectors, alongside associated investors, to identify and manage sustainability risks. He supported one of the largest farming companies in the USA to develop its sustainability strategy and advised a large pension fund investor with the update of its land-based low-emission farming strategy.
Tom holds a BSc degree in biology from the University of Bristol and a MSc (Distinction) degree in environmental technology from Imperial College London.

Tony is an assistant business management technical director in the Agriculture and Land Management team at ADAS. He has over 40 years’ experience in business management, particularly focused on dairy and arable farming. His role involves advising farmers and agricultural businesses on strategic planning, financial management and operational improvements.

Tony works across England, Wales and the Isle of Man and has advised farmers on behalf of the Isle of Man Government, Natural England, the Environment Agency, Defra, the Welsh Government, Severn Trent Council and Staffordshire County Council.

He is certified in FACTS, BASIS Crop Protection and BASIS Soil and Water Management. He also holds a BSc degree in agriculture from the University of Reading.

Zoe specialises in soil health, nutrient management, agri‑environment schemes and sustainable land management. She works directly with farmers and land managers to improve sustainability, water quality, pasture resilience and overall soil function. Zoe also has expertise in paludiculture and carbon action plans – helping farms reduce emissions and increase carbon sequestration