TWO West Devon businessmen were elected to the Country Land and Business Association's county committee at a packed meeting of the Devon branch last week.

They were Andrew Cox from Meeth and Charles Huntington-Whiteley from Tavistock.

More than 150 CLA members attended the event at Sidbury Manor and voted in the new committee members. Mr Cox, who lives on a beef and sheep farm, runs a marketing consultancy business with special emphasis on new food products and is an adviser to the Home Grown Cereals Authority. He says he is keen to see rural businesses and agriculture in general adapt in order to be more competitive in the national and international marketplace.

Mr Huntington-Whiteley, a partner in the Exeter office of property firm Strutt and Parker, is a chartered surveyor specialising in rural business, property valuation and tax planning. He also owns a West Devon smallholding incorporated into a countryside stewardship scheme.

CLA regional director Tim Brooks said: 'The Country Land and Business Association has undergone considerable change over the last two years with an expansion of the association's expertise to cover not only rural landowning issues but all aspects of rural business and the rural economy.

'We are therefore delighted that two more experienced rural businessmen have been elected onto the committee which will help to bring added business focus to our activities in Devon.'