In response to a comment on the previous article, here is a link that confirms that, up to his resignation in 2013, disgraced ex-councillor Graham Brown was a local National Farmers Union representative to the East Devon Business Forum:
Would one call that ” agricultural business”?
And here he describes himself in 2009 as “a farmer”:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/8273029.stm
and here
“East Devon Branch of the National Farmers Union
Graham Brown representing the NFU, reported that there was huge frustration amongst his members that single farm payments had not been made in England. Concern was expressed that there could be a huge change in the British landscape as farming was facing a financial crisis. He was keen to take members of the Business Forum on site visits, with up to 3 possible visits lined up.”
Click to access east_devon_business_forum_minutes-25-01-07.pdf
East Devon Watch 
His Register of Interests with EDDC http://www.eastdevon.gov.uk/roi_graham_brown_2012.pdf also says that in 2012 / 2013 he was a farmer.
Also interesting that he was apparently representing two separate bodies on the EDBF – seems to me to be a conflict of interest as far as him representing EDDC properly.
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Former Cllr. Brown was listed as representing the NFU at EDBF meetings, but the list of attendees showed the title of Cllr. Graham Brown, as was Cllr. Philip Skinner, who was representing a commercial organisation. This was questioned at the time, but the practice continued.
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What I found outstanding about the EDBF was the number of excellent businesses in East Devon who were NOT members- then I worked out that those I might have exepected to be on the EDBF had no land to develop, or associated connections with developers. No wonder Minton referered to the Local Mafia in her piece for Spinwatch (http://sidmouthindependentnews.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/scaring-the-living-daylights-final.pdf page 17)
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