Nominations open for farming awards
A prestigious farming awards scheme is back - and nominations are invited.
The AgriScot Scotch Beef and Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year awards, sponsored by Thorntons Solicitors and supported by Quality Meat Scotland (QMS), will showcase the best in beef and sheep production.
Recognising the achievements, innovation and forward thinking of beef and sheep producers, the awards help to raise the profile of farmers producing top-quality Scotch Beef PGI and Scotch Lamb PGI.
The Kingan family, Alistair and Suzi, and Margaret and Russell, of Kingan Farms near Dumfries, were awarded AgriScot Scotch Beef Farm of the Year award in 2019, the last time the competition was held.
A family partnership, Kingan Farms is a beef finishing system with a turnover of approximately 1,400 cattle per year on 475 hectares of owned and tenanted land across four locations.
‘Winning the award was just fantastic. For ourselves and the team, it was really important to be acknowledged for all the hard work that we do,’ said Suzi.
Alistair added: ‘There are other farmers out there who are doing equally as good a job as us and they should stand proud and put themselves forward for these awards.’
Their delight was mirrored by Kevin Stewart from Sharpitlaw Farm in Kelso, who was announced as AgriScot Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year in 2019.
Operating on 500 hectares across three predominantly upland units from a base at
Sharpitlaw, the farms carry 1,250 ewes and 1,080 feeding lambs. ‘We applied for the award because we knew we did things a bit differently, but we also knew we were pretty good at it. Winning it was wonderful recognition for a lot of years of hard work, not just by me but by the people that work with me as well,’ said Kevin.
The winners of both awards will receive a £500 cheque plus a £250 voucher to celebrate their success at a restaurant in the Scotch Beef Club – the club run by QMS with members serving top quality Scotch produce. The awards will be presented at AgriScot at Ingliston in November.
AgriScot chairperson Robert Neill encouraged beef and sheep farmers across Scotland to nominate someone they know or apply themselves for either award: ‘No matter the size or location of your farm, breed of livestock, or grazing system, we strongly encourage entries from producers across the country.’
To nominate a farm for either award, email details to lstrang@qmscotland.co.uk.