Luke was first elected as the Labour and Co-operative Member of Parliament for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport in June 2017. Luke has served many roles on Labour’s Shadow Environment Team, as PPS to former Shadow Environment Secretary Sue Hayman, and as the Shadow Minister for Fishing, Water, Coastal Communities. He was promoted to Shadow Environment Secretary himself in January 2020. Luke is an energetic fighter within Westminster for fishing and farming across the country.

Natalie, also known Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle, migrated to the UK in 1999 after obtaining a degree in agricultural science from the University of Sydney and working on farms in Australia. She spent two years in Bangkok working with the National Commission on Women’s Affairs, on its report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. She also worked as a consultant with the International Labor Organisation (ILO) on child labour issues and World Health Organization (WHO) on women’s health. She’s a champion of the universal basic income, and is particularly interested in food security and farming issues, and supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She was leader of the Green Party of England and Wales from 2012-2016 and is a member of the board of the European Green Foundation.

Dr Trisha Toop joined Agri-EPI from Harper Adams University and is an expert in sustainable systems development with a passion in transforming agricultural systems through the use of novel targeted smart technology. Dr Toop works with project partners, governments, industry and the international agri-tech community to drive help Agri-EPI’s technological vision and strategy.

Trisha started out in the automotive engineering sector, before completing a degree in genetics and biochemistry. After winning a national competition which funded an interdisciplinary PhD in engineering and biochemistry, the focus of her work has been on the development of novel sustainable products and processes in the agri-food and agri-tech sectors. Trisha has worked with companies of all sizes across these sectors assisting them with innovation and facilitating cutting edge research with a global impact. She has worked as a research scientist, sustainability and techno-economic analysis expert and innovation manager for a number of companies.

Steve is a diversified farm business owner who, for over a decade, combined managing his own businesses with employment off farm, but is now solely focussed on his own business and growing the Millside Wigwams glamping site in particular. Steve’s enterprises include glamping site with Wigwam Holidays, caravan storage and Caravan Club CL, combinable cropping, sheep and cattle, and previously a dairy farm. His off farm work involved agriculture-related roles in banking (HSBC), Regional Feedstock Manager at Qila Energy and Farm Liaison Manager at Whites Recycling Limited.