FastBreeders claim farming innovation award
SOME of Scotland’s ‘most innovative, diverse and imaginative’ rural businesses have been recognised in Scottish Land and Estates annual Helping It Happen Awards.
Supported by headline sponsor NatureScot, the awards returned to an ‘in-person’ ceremony in Edinburgh for the first time since 2019, and saw plaudits go to businesses the length and breadth of the country.
SLaE’s awards were created to champion rural business and entrepreneurship by highlighting the contribution of farms, estates and land-based businesses to their local communities throughout rural Scotland.
The initiative has since attracted wide support from the rural sector and continued sponsorship from a range of organisations.
Finalists were previously shortlisted for each of this year’s nine awards by an independent judging panel. The winners on the night were:
This year’s Innovation in Farming Award, sponsored by Douglas Home and Co, was given to FastBreeders –a collaborative project involving four pasture dairy farms, using data to enable precise genomic selection
decisions to maximise the health and efficiency of crossbred dairy cows;
The Rural Business Award, sponsored by Shepherd and Wedderburn, went to SkyeSkyns, the sole remaining commercial woolskin tannery in Scotland, which produces handcrafted sheep skins, leather and woollen goods;
The Tourism and Visitor Management Award, sponsored by GLM, went to The Fairy Pools Car Park and Off-Grid Toilets Development, on the Isle of Skye, for its efforts to find a solution to the huge increase in visitor numbers to one of Scotland’s most popular rural destinations;
The Rural Housing Award,
sponsored by Velux, went to Stracathro Estates, which built 11 houses all for let to young, local, working families at affordable rents of around 40% less than open market;
The Education Award, sponsored by Bell Ingram, went to the ‘ Be Your Best Self ‘personal development programme, designed and delivered for women in agriculture as part of the Scottish Government’s vision to make Scottish agriculture a fairer, more inclusive industry;
The Working with Communities Award, sponsored by The MacRobert Trust, went to Countryside Learning Scotland, ADHD Rural Connect – a countryside education charity formed in
2003 to provide countryside education, awareness, training, and career opportunities;
The Conservation Award, sponsored by Anderson Strathern, was given to the South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project, the ambitious collaborative project between land managers and conservationists working to increase the breeding population and range of golden eagles in southern Scotland;
The Iver Salvesen Award for Combatting Climate Change, sponsored by Murray Beith Murray, went to Caledonian Climate Partners, an environmental service and consultancy firm working with landholders, communities and businesses to revitalise Scotland’s peatlands;
The Enhancing our Environment through Land Management Award, sponsored by NatureScot, was given to The Mountains and The People (TMTP) – the largest and most complex upland path project ever undertaken in the UK.
This £5.6m scheme created and rebuilt footpaths on some of the Highlands’ most iconic hills, across Scotland’s two national parks.
SLaE executive director, Sarah-Jane Laing, congratulated all the winners, finalists and entrants and commented: “We are delighted that our first inperson awards ceremony since 2019 has seen such an array of wonderful businesses, each doing great things for rural Scotland. Entries were consistently strong and inspiring and judging once again very challenging.
“The highest standards, the latest technology and embracing the expectation to prioritise environmental sustainability are key challenges facing rural enterprises and I take delight in seeing many succeed in meeting these demands. Our rural communities are fortunate to have so many champions and contributors.”
Deputy director of green economy at NatureScot, Claudia Rowse, said: “These awards are an important recognition of the farmers and other land managers who work so hard to help their communities and the environment.
“The wide range of the projects, from supporting young farmers, restoring peatlands and native species like golden eagles, and building mountain paths and much more, is wonderful to see.”