Dairy farmer and cheesemaker John Alvis has been honoured an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for services to cheese exports, farming and rural communities.
John Alvis, Director of Alvis Bros Ltd, produces Cheddar cheese in the heart of the West Country, at Lye Cross Farm, in Redhill near Bristol
Situated in an area of outstanding natural beauty, the farm has 4,300 acres of the pasture land, which is home to a herd of 1,200 dairy cattle.
The Alvis family’s multi-award winning company has secured a strong foothold in the UK market, and also exports to more than 40 countries.
Whilst Cheddar Cheese is the most famous cheese in the world, Lye Cross Farm also sources other quality cheeses, including Stilton, Red Leicester and Wensleydale.
Today the company employs more than 130 people and has an annual turnover in excess of £26 million.
Mr Alvis is also the driving force behind FarmLink. This is a unique education programme which aims to share farm life and the natural world with school children.
Other winners
Other people in the farming industry awarded an honours includes Ronald Wilson, Company Secretary at the Border Union Agricultural Society. He was awarded an MBE for services to agriculture and the community in the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland.
Jim McCrum was awarded an MBE for services to the Rathfriland Farmer’s Co-op Society and the farming community in South Down, Northern Ireland.
Richard Heckford, Chairman of the Rugby Farmers Market, has been awarded an MBE for services to agriculture in the Midlands.
Fiona Highet, senior entomologist at the Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture, has been awarded an MBE for services to bee health.
Anne Pack, Personal Assistant to the Chief Executive at the Hutton Institute, has been awarded a British Empire Medal for services to agricultural research and Scottish culture.
The Queen’s Birthday Honours List recognises the achievements of a wide range of extraordinary people across the United Kingdom.
