He unsuccessfully challenged for the leadership of the British National Farmers Union and was backed by senior Conservative Party activist Mark MacGregor.
On 6 June 2012, Handley, who leads a group called Farmers for Action, was interviewed on the Today Programme about the price of milk.
He said "we are looking at disruption of the milk supply, and that could come in many forms and this country is now running into something that is going to be very special to a lot of people, and that is the Olympic Games".
In March 2016 Farmers For Action led by Handley marched in London joined by more than 5000 farmers, producers and supporters of British agriculture from across the UK, through Whitehall to 10 Downing Street to present a letter to David Cameron then PM, highlighting the crisis in British agriculture.
He is still called upon by the media to comment on aspects affecting the farming industry[4] and writes a fortnightly column in the South West newspaper Western Daily Press.