30th November 2009

“This House believes that all farmers should retire at 60” will be the motion for debate in the Oxford Union at the Oxford Farming Conference on Tuesday 5th January 2010.

“The motion is sensitive and emotive and I’m fully expecting some heated exchanges of views to get the temperature rising in the magnificent surroundings of this famous Union,” says Jack Ward, organiser of the debate and one of the Conference directors.

Proposing the motion will be Joanne Moss, a Barrister at Falcon Chambers and opposing the motion will be Andrew Densham CBE, former senior partner at law firm Burges Salmon and current Chairman of RABI. Seconding the legal heavyweights will be Douglas Jackson and Katherine Sealy respectively, both office holders with the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs.

“We are delighted to have pulled together such a well qualified team of debaters to share their ideas and thinking with the audience; I have no doubts at all that this will be a thought-provoking and entertaining evening,” Mr Ward adds.
The Oxford Union Debate welcomes contributions from the floor and anyone attending is encouraged to prepare their views on the motion.

“There have been many erudite, exceptional and highly amusing contributions from the floor over the years of Oxford, so we’re encouraging conference delegates to spend some time over Christmas preparing some verbal ammunition to throw into the ring!” he notes. “What’s more, we’ll make it worth your while; not only will the winning contribution from the floor win a prestigious accolade of a debating award at Oxford University, but we will also present them with a bottle of champagne.