The former Tory politician was president of the National Farmers’ Union from 1970 to 1979 and was elected MEP of the Kochwolds in 1979. He remained a member of the European Parliament until 1999 and was its president from 1987 to 1989. NFU President Minette Batters paid tribute after his death on Friday. “British agriculture has lost one of its biggest supporters and the NFU has lost its biggest president,” Batters said. “There was no one more passionate about British agriculture than Lord Plump and he remained a great champion of the industry throughout his life. “He worked tirelessly and resolutely to ensure that the importance of agriculture was recognized by policymakers and continued to emphasize the importance of the industry throughout his term in the House of Lords.” Plumb was knighted in 1973, became chancellor of Coventry University between 1995 and 2007, and retired from the House of Lords in 2017. His family originated in Cheshire and worked for several generations, with Plumb managing his father’s dairy farm in Coleshill, Warwickshire, after his death in 1952. Batters said: “He was a really remarkable man. He was devoted, fearless and the most charming man you could ever meet. “His loss will be deeply felt and our condolences are with his family at this sad time.” Science Minister George Freeman wrote on Twitter that Plumb was a “great man,” adding that “it was a pleasure and a privilege to work with him and meet him in the 1990s.”
