Danny Metters, who is taking over as the new principal of Bishop Burton, talks to Wendy Short about his path to the role.

Danny Metters is set to take over as principal of Bishop Burton College in late summer. He has a long association with the college, although his roots lie a long way from agriculture.

Danny is a native of West Yorkshire and grew up on a council estate in Featherstone, a town noted for its coal mining history. His father was originally a coal miner and later worked in a factory, and he finds it difficult to pinpoint his fascination with animals and the countryside, which started in childhood.

“I have no family links with these subjects and they were certainly not a feature of my upbringing, although we always had domestic pets. I think that they represented something completely different and exciting. As soon as I left school, I took a course in animal management. It included wildlife conservation, both British and exotic, and it inspired me to travel abroad working with wildlife, both before and after I went on to study for a degree in animal management and applied science.

“My interests took me to South Africa, where I was involved in wildlife conservation, and I also spent time in Greece working with turtles. It was college life that sparked my enthusiasm for educating the next generation and one of my former lecturers asked me to give a presentation about my experiences.”

This single lecture led to a teaching position at City College in Leeds, where Danny specialised in animal science and exotic species conservation. After six years in the role, he joined Bishop Burton College in 2009 as a programme manager, overseeing the courses and teaching a range of subjects, including animal science and biology.

“I progressed through the ranks and ended up as vice-principal at Bishop Burton,” he said. “Following the college’s acquisition of Riseholme College in Lincolnshire, I was made vice-principal of the organisation and made a move to the county. It was a time of great activity, with £35m having been invested in setting up a brand new campus.”

The next career move saw Danny employed as principal of East Riding College and Scarborough TEC. It prompted a relocation to Whitby, where he and his wife, Amy, bought their smallholding.

Danny’s new role at Bishop Burton will make good use of his board membership of the Yorkshire and Humber Institute of Technology. Extensive communication with employers in the agricultural sector has highlighted the need for student training in the use of modern technology.

He said: “Bishop Burton is involved in a national initiative to review educational needs and skills. Feedback from employers in the agricultural industry has strongly indicated a requirement for colleges to equip students with a higher level of agri-tech skills. This encompasses all sectors and covers everything from robotics and artificial intelligence, to the use of technology for livestock management and the precision application of crop inputs.

“These challenges will be addressed at Bishop Burton, where we already showcase a range of technologies on our own farm by using a robotic sprayer and robotic weed identification. A number of related new courses will be offered in the years ahead and they will be developed in close collaboration with employers.”

Danny, who will replace outgoing Principal, Bill Meredith, has built up a sizeable collection of animals on his smallholding.

“Amy works in the veterinary industry and comes across various animal waifs and strays, which we welcome to our small plot of land. We have horses, alpacas and goats, as well as various types of poultry. I describe myself as an educator by day and a farmer by night and it brings a great work/life balance. I look forward to taking up the role as principal of Bishop Burton and Riseholme College and a return to my land-based roots,” said Danny.

  • Danny is a member of the North Yorkshire Schools and Education Forum and a Scarborough Ambassador Education committee member, as well as being a former board member of the Trustees for the Lincolnshire Agricultural Society.
  • Bishop Burton farm has a 120-hectare arable rotation, which is managed with a focus on soil health and the use of technology to reduce artificial inputs and increase soil organic matter. It has introduced a direct drilling system. A key priority for the livestock enterprises is net feed efficiency. The farm has a herd of 85 Stabiliser suckler cows, while the Aberfield composite sheep flock is bred for low-input/high output. The college also has the state-of-the-art Centre for Pig Industry Training, which is run in collaboration with White Rose Farms (part of Cranswick PLC). The facility can house up to 300 sows, with a projection of up to 10,000 piglets being produced each year. The pig herd management system aims to utilise modern technologies and showcase ethical farming practices.