The Patron of BOAT is Richard Macdonald, CBE, who has recently stood down as the Director General of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU). Richard was born on the southern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
After graduating from the University of London and a short time working in France he embarked on a long and successful career with the NFU. In 1989 he became the Regional Director for the South West and was a strong supporter of BOAT from the time it started in 1991. In 1996 he was appointed Director General of the NFU.