The Northern Ireland farming industry put on the glamour last week for the 12th annual Farming Life awards, in association with Cranswick Country Foods.
The annual event, held in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, was attended by around 200 people from all sectors right across the industry.
The awards are an opportunity to throw the spotlight on some of the individuals and businesses that help to make the Northern Ireland industry so special.
Compere on the night was popular weather man and TV personality Barra Best and the charity was Air Ambulance NI.
Farming Life editor Ruth Rodgers commented: “This year, as always, entries across all categories exceeded our expectations in both numbers and the calibre of those involved. It has made judging an incredibly difficult task, but one that was very enjoyable as we read about the history of businesses and their developments and about people and their successes and achievements and indeed challenges.
“As we celebrate our industry here tonight, it must be remembered that we are facing a time of uncertainty and difficulty in the months ahead.
“We are fortunate that we have an industry which has resilience and a ‘can do’ attitude at its core. And I have no doubt that our farmers will adapt and evolve to meet the challenges head on.”
The annual event, held in the Crowne Plaza Hotel, was attended by around 200 people from all sectors right across the industry.
The awards are an opportunity to throw the spotlight on some of the individuals and businesses that help to make the Northern Ireland industry so special.
Compere on the night was popular weather man and TV personality Barra Best and the charity was Air Ambulance NI.
Farming Life editor Ruth Rodgers commented: “This year, as always, entries across all categories exceeded our expectations in both numbers and the calibre of those involved. It has made judging an incredibly difficult task, but one that was very enjoyable as we read about the history of businesses and their developments and about people and their successes and achievements and indeed challenges.
“As we celebrate our industry here tonight, it must be remembered that we are facing a time of uncertainty and difficulty in the months ahead.
“We are fortunate that we have an industry which has resilience and a ‘can do’ attitude at its core. And I have no doubt that our farmers will adapt and evolve to meet the challenges head on.”
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 We are going to start with the Northern Island Affiliate Award which is sponsored by HSCNI.
00:07 And please welcome Harry Sinclair to announce our winner.
00:11 [Applause]
00:16 This award celebrates individuals or groups who have done the most to promote health and safety in the farming community in the last year.
00:23 The finalists are Northern Island Safety Group and Rural Health Partnership.
00:30 Judges believe the winner presented an excellent submission and invested significant effort in effectively conveying the message of health and safety.
00:39 They exhibited a strong dedication to promoting farm safety within the local farming community,
00:45 actively reaching out to farmers and their children to impart the safety message.
00:50 Furthermore, they collaborated with other stakeholders to ensure that health and safety remains a central focus in all their endeavors.
00:57 So Harry, let us know who the winner is.
01:00 This year's winner is Northern Island Safety Group.
01:03 [Applause]
01:19 [Music]
01:35 Innovation in Agriculture sponsored by Moore-Pontmoy Park.
01:39 Please welcome Gary Leslie, Director of NI Operations Fresh to announce the winner.
01:44 [Applause]
01:50 This award celebrates innovation of products, services, business models or initiatives.
01:55 And the finalists are Mark Ive, Northern Island Sheep Scat Program and Spreadpoint SXA Auger System.
02:06 Now, judges believed all the nominees submitted outstanding entries.
02:10 They recognized the significant influence the eventual winner had on the agricultural industry.
02:15 Their contributions included making livestock markets accessible to individuals who couldn't attend sales in person
02:22 and developing innovative technology that greatly benefited the farming community, especially during the pandemic.
02:28 So over to you Gary.
02:30 The winner of the Innovation in Agriculture Award is Mark Ive.
02:34 [Applause]
02:43 [Music]
03:06 The Innovation in Training Initiative Award.
03:08 This is sponsored by Landra and I'm delighted to welcome to the stage Paula Smith to announce our winner.
03:15 Thanks Paula.
03:16 [Applause]
03:21 This award recognizes individuals or companies who can demonstrate their understanding of the importance of training
03:27 and the subsequent impact of this on their job or workforce.
03:30 And the finalists are Balliotogue Training and Rural Support.
03:36 [Applause]
03:38 Now, both entries were excellent, but the judges chose the winner for the dedicated efforts in training and promoting training within the sector.
03:46 This winner has built up a strong training business by upskilling themselves across various areas
03:51 and using their expertise to train individuals or different backgrounds and ages in agriculture.
03:58 The winner understood the importance of proper training for machinery operation, aiming to make the agricultural industry safer.
04:05 So Paula, let us know who the winner is.
04:08 The winner is Balliotogue Training.
04:11 [Applause]
04:38 Well done, congratulations.