BUSINESS and financial adviser Grant Thornton has appointed Gary Markham as director of agriculture for East Anglia and the Midlands with the remit to expand further the firm's expertise in the agricultural sector.

BUSINESS and financial adviser Grant Thornton has appointed Gary Markham as director of agriculture for East Anglia and the Midlands with the remit to expand further the firm's expertise in the agricultural sector.

Gary Markham joined the firm in 1987 and now specialises in setting up farming joint ventures, solving problems in larger family owned agricultural businesses relating to strategic growth and inheritance planning and the development of succession and general business plans.

He has hands-on experience as a partner in a 2,000 acre farming business and is also a governor of Writtle and Shuttleworth agricultural colleges.

Mr Markham is a graduate of Seale Hayne Agricultural College and the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester, and previously worked for the National Farmers' Union and Barclays Bank Group. In 1990/91 he worked in Australia lecturing in farm and equine management at Marcus Oldham Agricultural College.

He is the author of the first and second editions of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Accountancy and Auditing Guide for Farming and a member of the Agricultural Law Association.

Mr Markham said: “Farmers today have to cope with a real financial rollercoaster; just one example is the price of wheat, which has swung between �60 per tonne and almost �200 per tonne. They also face real pressures on cash flow, needing to fund expensive fertiliser and fuel at the same time as paying tax bills due in January and July.

“Coping with this volatility is not easy and now, more than ever, the farming community needs access to specialist agricultural accounting and financial management knowledge. This is why we are strengthening our dedicated agricultural team.”