Salisbury Racecourse has welcomed a new director who plans to make "important and relevant decisions in the future”.

Minette Batters, mother of two, joined the board at Salisbury Racecourse replacing Jeff Smith, who retired as a director and former chairman of the course in December 2023. 

Jeff continues his association with the track as a joint-patron with Michael Wates CBE - another former chairman. 

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Minette said:  “I am delighted to join the board at Salisbury, which is my local racecourse, and where I once rode as an amateur. It is a special place and has such great history, which we know to be at least 440 years.  

"I am pleased to become one of the track’s current trustees, helping to make important and relevant decisions in the future”.

Minette was a former amateur jockey, riding 30 point to point winners.  She also had spells at Whitsbury working for both David Elsworth and James Toller.  

She was the first woman to be elected president of the National Farmers Union (NFU) in 113 years, and has has represented the interests of over 46,000 farming businesses across England and Wales through times of Brexit, COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine.

Minette BattersMinette Batters (Image: Salisbury Racecourse)

During this time she worked with four prime ministers – three of them in one year and six Defra secretaries of State. She stood down from the post at the NFU in February 2024.

In 2020 she led the NFU on one of the most successful campaigns ever seen, bringing together a coalition of chefs, including Jamie Oliver, farmers, environmentalists, consumer groups and animal welfare experts – resulting in over one million people signing the NFU food standards petition.

Minette also co-founded ‘Ladies in Beef’ and the Great British Beef Week. She has regularly engaged with different media, including frequent appearances on the ‘Today’ programme, ‘Question Time’, ‘Any Questions’, ‘Desert Island Discs’, Woman’s Hour and other national print and broadcast media. 

She is also an ambassador for Farm Africa and a passionate advocate and fundraiser for the Junior Diabetic Research Foundation. She has run in four marathons, raising over £100,000 for charity. In 2021 Minette was made a deputy lieutenant of Wiltshire to the late Queen Elizabeth II.