Sustainable farming organisation Linking Environment and Farming (Leaf) has announced the death of its CEO Caroline Drummond MBE, after a short illness.
Drummond, 58, spent 30 years at the helm of Leaf, which said she had helped transform the organisation “from small beginnings to where we are today”.
Well known as a passionate advocate for sustainable food production across the food sector, Drummond was married to husband Philip Ward and had a daughter called Gabrielle. They lived on the family dairy farm near Liskeard, Cornwall.
She graduated in 1986 from the former Seale-Hayne agricultural college in Devon with a BSC (Hons) in agriculture, and after a period as a lecturer and training manager at Shuttleworth College in Bedfordshire, joined Leaf in June 1991.
Her death elicited a flood of tributes on social media, with almost 1,000 interactions with Leaf’s announcement of her passing within hours of it being posted.
Drummond was described as a “powerhouse” that pushed for better farming by Food Ethics Council CEO Dan Crossley, a “respectful and respected person” by Organic Farmers & Growers and “one of the most positive people you would ever hope to meet” by former NFU deputy president Guy Smith. Many more lauded her as a “hero”, “mentor” and “leader”.
Leaf chairman Philip Wynn said Drummond was “an inspiration”, adding it was “her passion, determination, foresight and energy that has transformed Leaf from its small beginnings 30 years ago to the globally recognised and respected organisation it is today”.
He added: “There really are no words to express how much Caroline will be missed within Leaf and the farming industry, but most deeply by her family, to whom we extend our greatest sympathy.”
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