Dr Maitland Mackie

Dr Maitland Mackie  
Dr Maitland Mackie

Dr Maitland Mackie graduated from the University BSc in 1958 and MA 1971. In 1996 he was awarded an Honorary Degree (LLD). Dr Mackie is owner and Chairman of Mackie's, an agri-business, farming 1700 acres arable and dairying, with an ice cream dairy whose produce is the market leader in Scotland.

As a Vice President of the NFU of Scotland he helped to move the organisation from a purely political role towards market orientated self help policies. Dr Mackie was also the architect and implementer of the farm assurance movement in Scotland.

Dr Mackie founded the Scottish Pig Industry Initiatives for the development of the Scottish pig meat sector which was noted for its pioneering of the concept of industry self disciplining to best practice under farm assurance inspection schemes. He received the David Black Award in 1991 for his pig industry work. He also chaired Farm Assured Scotch Livestock, with similar disciplining aims for the red meat sector and has steered the development of a Farm Assurance (best practice manual) for all Scottish farming.

Dr Mackie is a former member of the Agriculture Food Research Council, a former Governor of the Rowett Research Institute, a former Chairman of Grampian Enterprise Ltd, a former Chairman of the Scottish Agricultural College Board and a former member of the Meat and Livestock Commission Research Committee.

He is currently a Board member of the Scottish Traditional Skills Training Centre and a member of the Priorities Board for Research in Agriculture. He also describes himself as a missionary for developing local rural ownership of the renewable energy potential of the rural sector and as "A Boy Scout, - still!"