The thirteenth annual Farmers Weekly Awards took place last night at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane London with fifteen awards, for different categories, presented to the best farmers in the country.
Howard Revell of British Quality Pigs in Stradbroke won Pig Farmer of the Year. A strong customer focus is at the heart of this business – producing pigs in an efficient, high welfare, environmentally friendly and ethical way. Howard is never happy resting on his laurels and is always striving to improve the business as well as drive the UK pig industry forward.
The winners of Diversification Farmer of the Year – Jonny and Dulcie Crickmore of Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk, were innovators in the UK selling raw milk directly to the public. They have added value to their milk and diversified into premium raw milk cheese and butter products, which are sold from a vending machine at the farmgate through to top shops, restaurants and in First Class on British Airways flights.
Jonny and Dulcie’s success has been achieved through hard work, attention to detail and understanding their marketplace. Jonny went to eastern France to buy a herd of Montbeliarde cows whose milk – unlike Holsteins – is specially optimised for cheese production. This is allowing the Crickmores to build a very robust farm and dairy business – and to create some amazing cheese!
Writer broadcaster, and former Conservative Member of Parliament Gyles Brandreth presented the awards in front of more than 1000 guests at the Grosvenor House – AJW Marriott Hotel on London’s Park Lane.
For more information and pictures:
Visit our Press centre at http://awards.fwi.co.uk/press-centre/ or contact
Caroline Morley, Picture Editor caroline.morley@rbi.co.uk
About Farmers Weekly awards
The Farmers Weekly Awards Night has become the night in the farming calendar.
They recognise and reward farmers for innovation, commitment to the industry and hard work. The Awards showcase the best farmers in the country by telling their stories. They aim to spread best practice, inspire others and influence the public about the role that the farmers play in Today’s society. The awards are in their eleventh year and are sponsored by some of the biggest names in the industry.
The distinctive, round, yellow wall plaque has become a symbol of the innovation and achievements of more than 500 outstanding farmers.
About the sponsors
The sponsors of these awards span the whole food and farming chain; from retailers to traditional farming suppliers and farming groups. They are not simply leaders in their own right but a powerful collective force, which wields influence and expertise inside and outside the farming industry. For full details see http://awards.fwi.co.uk/sponsors/
About Farmers Weekly
Farmers Weekly is the leading multimedia information service for farmers and agricultural businesses in print, online and face-to-face.
The magazine and its website http://www.fwi.co.uk/ provide news, market prices, technical advice, opinion and a range of vital interactive services for farm businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Farmers Weekly has been providing a service to the UK farming community for over 80 years and prides itself on delivering authoritative and independent content that farmers can trust. Farmers Weekly is part of the Reed Business Information portfolio.
