Claire is a specialist in communications within agriculture, food, and the rural environment. She grew up on a farm on the West coast of Scotland, going on to study politics and International Relations at Edinburgh University. She is a passionate storyteller and writer, with almost a decade of experience working with the BBC and the Scottish Farmer – first as a reporter and later as political editor. She is also a regular columnist in the Herald newspaper, where she shares her views on the issues that shape rural Scotland.
Claire is vastly experienced and well-connected and she has energy, creativity, and kindness. Claire has been embedded in the land-based sector for many years and has approached her new role with her trademark enthusiasm and serene tenacity, getting to the heart of a great story every time. Claire has slipped into an area of communications that is new to her with grace and ease, demonstrating her great versatility. With a breadth of knowledge across multiple industries, Claire was awarded a Nuffield Farming scholarship and will be traveling all over the world studying her chosen topic, 'Turning the tide on the anti-farming agenda.'
Farming is coming under increasing fire on multiple fronts, and the industry has a job to do, to rise above the noise and present a stronger, more united voice against many of the criticisms thrown at its door. Throughout her scholarship, Claire hopes to uncover brilliant examples of countries where farming has a voice at the decision-making table and strong relations with policymakers, the media, and members of the public. She hopes to share these stories back home and encourage farmers to step outside the agricultural echo chamber and better communicate with members of the public, media, and politicians, to ensure their voices are not only heard but valued.
Over the past decade working with the media, following the different challenges which have been thrown at farming’s door with both close interest and frustration, and with farming practices being scrutinized more than ever, Claire felt it was so important to think critically about how farmers can better unite and present a stronger voice, to rise above the noise. And thus, the chosen research topic is ‘Turning the tide against the anti-farming agenda’ and she hopes through the Nuffield Scholarship to travel to countries where farmers have a voice at the decision-making table and have built strong and steadfast relationships with the media, politicians, and members of the public, as well as those countries where farmers feel ignored by the government, targeted by the media, and disconnected from consumers. She aims to share some of these examples; what can we learn from them and what can practicably be implemented here? There are big changes ahead for farming, not least a new policy direction on the horizon and farming will have to implement some big changes to keep pace and shout ‘smarter’ not necessarily ‘louder’ to be heard. She would like to encourage farmers to communicate better and arm them with the tools to step outside the farming echo chamber – which is where it counts – and to take personal responsibility for the industry’s communications. There is too much division right now across many sectors and she hopes that this piece of work will extend past any divides and unite farmers under a common cause.
Find out more about the finalists for the Helping it Happen Awards 2023