Dairy farmers who have demonstrated excellence have been recognised through the inaugural First Milk Responsible Farming Awards.
The awards are a celebration of some of the dairy co-operative’s highest achieving members across three different award categories: Animal, Environment and People.
Alan Conway, from Morpeth in Northumberland won this year’s Animal category in recognition for his dedication to improving animal welfare and performance.
Mr Conway won the award in recognition of his excellent stockmanship. His success is aided by the regular assessment of data generated from his two robotic milking machines and cow movement sensors, that help him deliver tailored management to each of his animals to ensure optimal performance and welfare.
Collingthwaite Farm, managed by Graham Walker and part of the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire, won the Environment category.
The use of solar energy, biomass boilers, the restriction of livestock access to natural watercourses to safeguard against pollution and excellent slurry management were all cited as reason for his success in the awards.
Joint winners were announced for the People category of the awards, which recognises outstanding leadership and community engagement.
The Prichard family from Pontyphillip Farm in Pembrokeshire and the Maughan family from Gateshawmill Farm in Cumbria were both announced as winners.
Duncan Maughan and his family have shown determination and resolve to re-build their herd after they were forced to cull their herd at Gateshawmill Farm back in 2014, developing a resilient business that utilises technology to improve farm efficiency. In 2018, Gateshawmill in Cumbria, became the first dairy farm to become an Agrii iFarm.
The second award in the People category went to Will and Alex Prichard, who were praised for their efforts to provide an enjoyable, safe working environment for their farm staff and for encouraging the next generation of agricultural workers by running a successful apprenticeship programm
First Milk also awarded an overall ‘Chairman’s Award’ to recognise a farmer who has demonstrated their professionalism and dedication to dairy farming.
This year’s winner was the Struthers family from Auchmeddan Farm in Lanarkshire, who have demonstrated a willingness to embrace farm diversification through renewable energy production, ability to overcome the challenges posed by farming on reclaimed land and commitment to business expansion.
First Milk Membership Director, Mark Brooking said: “The awards are a brilliant example of some of the excellent, dedicated producers that we have working in the First Milk pool.
“Introducing our Responsible Farming Awards has been a great excuse to celebrate the achievements of our members and I extend my heartfelt congratulations to each of the winners,” he added.
Each category was independently judged by representatives from the retail and agriculture industries, including Sainsbury’s, Nestle, The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and Ornua Foods.
The First Milk Responsible Farming Awards have been established to celebrate achievements within First Milk’s membership.
