Internationally-known farmer dies aged 88

From the Echo, first published Monday 10th Dec 2001.

DORSET farmer Sir Richard Trehane, who became a world leader in the dairy industry, has died at home at the age of 88.

Internationally-known Sir Richard from Hampreston, Ferndown, dedicated his life to agricultural politics and science during which time he dealt with many world leaders and royalty.

He had an insatiable appetite for promoting the dairy industry serving on numerous farming and agricultural committees, associations and organisations both at home and abroad.

Sir Richard was also a Dorset county councillor between 1944 to 1953 and a previous chairman of Dorset National Farmers' Union. In the Second World War he was a Major in the Home Guard.

He built up the second oldest herd of pedigree Friesian cattle in Britain at the family's 400-acre farm and throughout his years of travelling the globe, he always enjoyed getting back to his roots in Dorset.

In his latter years he carried out work for the United Nations as an assessor for many of its development programmes in India.

But it is his role with the Milk Marketing Board where he was chairman for 22 years for which he is most widely known and respected.

Sir Richard joined the board in 1947 and became vice chairman in 1952 before being elected president in 1958 - a role he succeeded from his father James.

His son Guy Trehane, who has taken over the family farm, said: "My father was a man who had an immense intellectual curiosity and did not stop.

"He was always a young man in a hurry and stayed very active until his stroke seven years ago.

"He was someone who was very comfortable with diplomacy. With people like Mrs Ghandi and prime ministers from Churchill to Thatcher he could hold his own.

"But he never lost his love of the Dorset countryside and even when there was a great political battle such as joining Europe in the 1970s and changes in agriculture, he came back every weekend and ran the farm."

Sir Richard was married to the late Elizabeth and had three sons, Nicholas, Piers and Guy.

The funeral was strictly family-only but a special memorial service in Sir Richard's honour is being held in Wimborne Minster on January 9 at 2pm.

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