CLINTON Devon Estates has strengthened its senior management team with the appointment of Ben Rudkin as Chief of Staff and Sam Briant-Evans as Farms Manager of the Clinton Devon Farms Partnership.

The land and property business, with headquarters at Bicton Arena in East Budleigh, owns and manages 25,000 acres of land across North and East Devon.   

Both Ben and Sam will be supporting Clinton Devon Estates’ (The Estate’s) 2030 strategy which focuses on delivering a range of environmental, business and community initiatives to generate a vibrant and sustainable future in the county and beyond.

Sam Briant-Evans will manage the Clinton Devon Farm Partnership’s two organic dairy farms in East Devon, Otter farm and Dalditch farm, where a herd of 750 cows graze locally and produce 5.4million litres of milk each year.

Sam said: "I am looking forward to managing a profitable family business in a way that’s sustainable and in touch with the environment. At a pivotal time for the industry, we are working towards achieving the government’s objectives to reward farmers for the public benefits they provide.

“As an Estate, we are well placed to get involved in our communities with the various initiatives we lead on and will look forward to learning more about the funding available,” he added.

Sam joins the estate from his previous role as Farms Manager at the Castle Hill Estate in North Devon. He is employed by Europe’s leading farming company Velcourt Limited, which was appointed by The Estate in 2017 to manage the farm’s operations and assist in steering it through the complexities of Brexit. With shared values of achieving the highest standards for farming and milk production, its management plan focuses on improving organic dairy performance in terms of output and productivity, whilst meeting ambitious targets for soil and water quality.