(link to presentation below)
John Gilliland lives on the outskirts of the City of Londonderry. After studying agriculture in Scotland he returned to the family farm at Brook Hall Estate, on the banks of the River Foyle, where he has established a thriving agri-business demonstrating new sustainable and alternative land uses. He farms on both sides of the Irish Border and has won numerous awards for innovation and environmental advances in its farming practices.
John is Chair and a Director of Rural Generation Ltd., an R&D company, designing sustainable renewable energy and waste management systems using short rotation willow trees as a multifunctional tool, both here and now in the United States.
From 2002 – 2004 John Gilliland was President of the Ulster Farmers’ Union and prior to that played an active role in managing the Foot and Mouth crisis where he was the liaison person between the agri-food industry and the Department of Agriculture.
John has represented the agri-business sector at numerous meetings with all levels of Government, the EU and worldwide economic bodies; in Copenhagen at the Heads of State Summit; in Luxemburg at the review of the CAP; and at the World Trade Talks in Cancun, Mexico.
In 2004, Gilliland was a guest of the South African Government, where he studied and debated their position in the current Doha Development round of the WTO and the issue of land redistribution and black empowerment. Also, he stood as an independent, cross community candidate in the last EU Parliament elections, in N. Ireland.
In 2005, having been appointed the N. Ireland Sustainable Development Commissioner, he was asked to chair the DEFRA, Rural Climate Change Forum, reporting directly to the Secretary of State, and participated in the Joint EU Agriculture and Environment Informal Council, under the UK Presidency.
Early 2006, John was asked to lead a Food Foresight exercise for N. Ireland, creating a collection of visions and R&D and Innovation priorities, needed to deliver this Industry to 2020. In June, having presented the N. Ireland Sustainable Development Strategy at the United Nations, New York; John was asked as a guest of the US State Department, and completed an International Visitors’ Leadership Programme on Sustainable Development, across the United States.
In 2007, John and his Company were picked to represent N. Ireland and asked to exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute’s annual Festival in Washington DC. This was followed by the awarding of an honorary Degree in the Doctorate of Science, by the University of Ulster and the appointment as a non executive Director of the Scottish Agriculture College, later in the year.
Having now retired from the Sustainable Development Commission, the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission and the Northern Ireland Authority of Energy Regulation, John has many interests and concerns outside his own industry and is a member of the Northern Ireland Economic Development Forum, and a Commissioner on the Londonderry Port and Harbour Authority.
He plays an active part in his local community and is the main sponsor of the charity, the River Foyle Search and Rescue; he is the immediate past chairman of the charity, Rural Support, providing a listening and signposting facility, for farm families and people in the Rural Community; and a Director of the charity, Action Renewables, set up to deliver the promotion of renewable energy in N. Ireland. In 2003 John was awarded an OBE for “Services to the Environment”.
In 2008 John became a Fellow of the Royal Society and subsequently participated in the UK and German Governments’ bilateral on land use and its role in Climate Change, in Berlin.
John, forty three, is married and has three sons and a daughter, attending local schools. Interests include travelling, sailing and swimming.
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