A Lanarkshire dairy farmer has been announced as the regional winner of this year’s Animal Welfare Award in the M&S Select Farm Awards.
Stuart Currie, of Hamilton, was invited to receive his award during the M&S Select Farm Awards ceremony on the stand at this year’s Royal Highland Show.
The judges commended Stuart for his continual improvement in animal welfare, which has contributed to him attaining gold status in the M&S standards.
Stuart told Lanarkshire Live : “M&S is a great retailer to work alongside.
“In particular, we receive regular, invaluable adivce and guidance from their consultants and auditors which further enables us to provide the quality product their customers have come to expect.
“We have worked closely with our vet to target key areas such as foot and calf health and are pleased that these improvements have helped us secure a position in the main M&S milk pool.”
As a third-generation dairy farmer, Stuart’s 220-cow herd – started by his grandfather in 1954 – has steadily increased in size over the previous 10 years.
He has been a reserve supplier of M&S since 2014, and this year joined as a full member of the milk pool supplying milk to M&S all year round.
Steve McLean, from M&S, told us : “Every day, our Select Farmers and suppliers go to extraordinary lengths to deliver great quality M&S produce, whilst demonstrating best-in-class innovation, animal welfare, sustainability and biodiversity.
“Stuart is an exceptional example of this who has consistently demonstrated a continuous improvement, mindset and focus on the M&S standard.”
As regional winner of the Animal Welfare Award, Stuart was presented with a certificate and M&S hamper on the M&S stand during this year’s Royal Highland Show.
