Julie Liddle elected President of The CAAV

The 81^st Annual General Meeting of the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV), was held at The Dalmahoy Hotel, Edinburgh on Friday 27^th June 2025, where members elected Julie Liddle a Director of PFK Rural to the position of President, meaning Julie becomes the first woman to hold this position in the Associations long history.

The CAAV is the national specialist professional body representing, briefing and qualifying those acting and advising on agricultural and rural property and business matters across the whole United Kingdom.

Founded in 1908 by local valuers' associations to provide a national organisation with professional authority to represent valuers and ensure professional standards. Long established experience, enthusiasm and forward-looking members have maintained the nationally recognised status of the CAAV for over a century.

Julie is a Director of PFK Rural Limited, in Penrith, Cumbria and also a Board Member of the parent Group. She is a farmer's daughter, raised in County Durham. Her key work experience relates to landlord and tenant arrangements (both rural and commercial).

She became Chairman of the Junior Valuers of the Northumbria & Cumbria Branch of the CAAV in 2002 and started a successful examinations self-help group. She qualified as a Fellow in 2004 and became Tutorial Organiser of the Branch shortly thereafter. In 2017 she joined one of the CAAV National technical committees (Property) becoming chairman for four years in 2020, then followed appointments to CAAV Council and election to the Executive Committee of which she is still a member.

Her principle area of work is dispute resolution. Julie was appointed to the RICS President's Panel in 2017, and to the CAAV Panel from inception in 2020. She is also a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (MCIArb), and also receives private appointments.

Julie was involved in appointing arbitrators through an interview process to the newly formed CAAV Panel in 2020, and thereafter appointed to the Oversight Board of the CAAV which oversees governance for their dispute resolution service.

Further involvement in dispute related matters and training came in 2022 by way of election onto the Association of Rural Dispute Resolvers (ARDR) (formerly Rural Arbrix) organising Committee. The Association comprises Chartered Surveyors, Agricultural Valuers, Solicitors, Barristers, and other professionals active in the field of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) within the rural sector.

In her Presidential year Julie will continue to meet members of the CAAV around the country and continue to enjoy seeing the differing farming systems and issues around the UK. In these challenging times for the farming sector, it should prove to be a very interesting period in post.