New Free Range Awards unveiled
Our annual awards are to get a new look. The BFREPA awards, established five years ago, have already become the most prestigious in the egg industry.
Now they are to be improved and enlarged. There will be new categories for winners and the Awards themselves are to be renamed.
The new Free Range Awards will be presented for the first time at the BFREPA annual conference in November.
Association vice chairman John Widdowson said: “Our awards have rapidly become recognised throughout the egg industry and beyond. They were introduced when little was being done from within the industry to promote free range and they have played a significant role in the extraordinary success of our eggs.
“With free range moving into a dominant position within the egg market it is appropriate that the Awards should be developed and expanded. But the emphasis will remain the same. The awards will recognise the promotion of the free range values of food quality and animal welfare.”
First presentations of what were originally called the Good Egg Awards were made in 1999 and broke new ground in promoting and recognising success in the industry.
Winners have included Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose and McDonald’s. Several of these major companies have recognised the importance of their Award by including it in their national advertising and public relations campaigns.
In the past winners received a framed certificate. In future they will also be presented with a specially designed trophy.
The new categories will be:
Retailer of the Year
To mark major achievements in the free range market and/or improving consumer awareness of the qualities of free range eggs.
Food Business of the Year
Which will go to a company that has achieved notable progress in increasing the use of free range eggs either in food products or the catering and restaurant sector.
Promotion of the Year
The Award will recognise outstanding efforts for the promotion of free range eggs. This could be a TV ad or an advertising campaign in the national media or maybe an in-store leaflet, a website or eye-catching graphics on the side of a supermarket delivery vehicle. In fact it could be anything that is helping to spread the free range message.
Breakthrough of the Year
For a development in any part of the industry that has brought about an improvement in free range production or sales. This could include the introduction of a new free range brand; an important development in a breed of layer; or a significant development in feed, housing or flock management. So the winner could be an individual, a breed company, equipment supplier, a packer or feed miller.
Producer of the Year
This award is designed to recognise the work of the men and women who, day in and day out, do the vital work on which the entire industry depends.
It will recognise through an individual producer or partnership the setting and maintaining of exemplary standards or pushing forward with developments in free range production.
Lifetime Achievement
To recognise an individual who over a period of years has played an outstanding role in the development of the free range industry.
Now it is over to you to send in your suggestions for this year’s awards. Nominations can be received from anyone who is involved in the free range sector—such as producers, packers, vets, sales reps, consultants and fieldsmen.
Included with this month’s Ranger is an Awards nomination form so get thinking of worthy recipients and return the form by 31 October at the latest or email your nominations to johnw@bfrepa.co.uk .
