A LOCAL farmer looks like continuing in his role as president of the National Farmers Union for another two years. Peter Kendall, who farms 1,000 acres at Eyeworth near Biggleswade with his brother Richard, has been president of the union after being ele

A LOCAL farmer looks like continuing in his role as president of the National Farmers' Union for another two years.

Peter Kendall, who farms 1,000 acres at Eyeworth near Biggleswade with his brother Richard, has been president of the union after being elected in 2006.

Since then he has had to deal with outbreaks of foot and mouth and blue tongue disease as well as bird flu.

Now he has been nominated for a second two-year term and is unopposed at next month's elections.

Mr Kendall has clashed with prime minsters and MPs during his term of office over the handling of the farming industry and has even taken his arguments to Europe to try and get a better deal for British farmers.

Recently he told ministers: "Agriculture realises the central role it has to play in dealing with the challenges posed by climate change and the industry is committed to promoting energy efficiency, delivering best practices and developing the wider potential for land-based industries to supply renewable energy."

Throughout his time as president Mr Kendall has also been critical of government red tape which he says makes farmers' lives a misery.

This week he received support from his local MP Alistair Burt who said: "At a time when the Government should be doing all it can to help and encourage British farmers it lets them down.

"Heaping more regulation on an already suffering industry will do little to improve disease mitigation, the quality of food or the low morale of the industry.

"I support the campaign being waged by local farmers over the issues. They really have had enough of the strangling of their livelihoods.