Obituary for Hugh Roberts

Hugh was a highly active member of the Nuffield Alumni and at the 2015 Nuffield Australia National Conference in Albury, was acknowledged for a 40-year reign as a Nuffield Scholar. 

Hugh was a well-known grains industry advocate, former agri-politician who had a long association with the NSW Farmers Association and other industry bodies. He was also a strong advocate for genetically modified (GM) crops.  

Until recently, Hugh and his wife Jenny lived at “Birralee”, a 485 hectare property which became widely known as the base of a successful registered seed business, specialising in triticale and legume varieties.
 

Hugh was awarded a Nuffield Scholarship in 1977 to study British agriculture, and the British seed industry in particular. You can read Hugh’s final report here.

He has represented the agricultural industry in many roles, including with NSW Farmers Association, Grains Council of Australia and Bio Technology Australia Advisory Council, Australian Seeds Authority and the Australian Crop Accreditation System.

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