21 August 2019
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NPIA finalists announced
The shortlisters for the first National Potato Industry Awards have now been announced and those in with a chance of receiving an award on the first night of BP2019 have been individually notified.
Judges met on August 15th to go over the entries and make their final decision at The George Hotel, Stamford. The judging panel was made up of Paul Coleman (Technical and Seed Director for Greenvale AP), established growers from Suffolk, Scotland and Shropshire – James Foskett, Euan Grewar and Richard Solari, David Nelson (Agronomy Director for Branston), Mark Taylor (Chairman of the Fresh Potato Suppliers Association),Daniel Metheringham (Director of Agriculture at McCain Foods) and Potato Review founding editor David Mossman.
Juliet Loiselle, Publisher of Warners Group Publications, which owns Potato Review and organised the awards, said she was “bowled over” by the response to the awards, considering it’s the first year they’ve been held and no-one knew what to expect.
She said: “We are extremely heartened by the level of interest and number of entries received. The awards dinner is going to be a well-attended event where we recognise some of the real achievers and trailblazers in the industry. It’s sure to be a definitive diary date for the future.”
The number of nominations had doubled in the month before the deadline date, with growers, agronomists, suppliers and manufacturers all put forward by colleagues and customers. Juliet and the judges said they felt even more individuals and projects will be recognised in future, once the awards become more established.
“Every industry deserves to celebrate and exchange good practice, and the potato industry is no exception. It’s been a really rewarding exercise to read through the entries, and see what others have to say about their fellow growers, innovators, the impact of new machinery and environmental schemes,” Juliet said. “Being able to share that knowledge with everyone in the potato chain feels like a real achievement in itself.”
The awards will be presented on November 20th, the first night of BP2019, at a celebratory dinner to be held at Harrogate Convention Centre. Well-loved football pundit Kevin Keegan will be presenting the awards and circulating amongst the tables, chatting to those present and sharing some of his anecdotes.
“Kevin has presented for our sister magazine in the past, and is very popular because of his down-to-earth approach, wit and ability to make people laugh,” said Juliet. “We’re really looking forward to welcoming him to the National Potato Industry Awards.”
If anyone would like to book a late place at the awards dinner, they will need to do so before the end of October. Please contact [email protected] for more details.
Those shortlisted included:
Agronomy:
- Andy Alexander
- Ben Mitchell
- Dr John Keer
- Dr Mark Stalham
- Emily Kelcher
Environmental:
- Tom Stevenson (Stevenson Brothers) (Essex)
- Chris Wilson (Dillington Farms) (Somerset)
- NSP (The Nematicide Stewardship Programme)
- Vam Watertech
- Syngenta
- Team Sprayers
Grower:
- Douglas Russell (Messrs Charles Russell)
- Robet Nelstrop
- Tim Merrison & Richard Thompson
- Andrew Francis, Elveden Estate, Thetford, Norfolk
- William Gribbon
- Mark Green & Sean Mason
- O.W. Wortley and Sons Ltd
Innovation:
- Howseman Agriculture
- Mount Liming
- Levity Crop Science
- ICL Group
- Fera Science Ltd
- Crop Systems Ltd
- Ray Andrews (Crop Systems)
- Mercian
- JD Cooling
- UPL Europe
- Sencrop
- B-Hive Innovations
- Brillopak
- Catspud
- Grimme
- Roboscientific
Machinery:
- Howseman Agriculture
- Mount Liming
- Agrimech
- Restrain
- Herbert Solutions
- Haith UK
- Brillopack (1)
- Brillopack (2)
- Grimme
Marketing:
- Belchim
- JD Cooling
- AHDB
- Arbikie Highland Estate
- Heygate Farms
- Whole Crop Marketing