Dr. Sam Strain was awarded the “prestigious” BT cup at the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) annual dinner, which was held at the Lough Erne Resort in Co. Fermanagh on Friday, March 22.
Among the 200 guests were Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Minister Andrew Muir, AERA committee chair, Tom Elliott, UK farming unions, and Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) representatives.
Speaking at the annual event, UFU president, David Brown said:
“I’m delighted to award Dr. Sam Strain, CEO of Animal Health and Welfare NI, with the BT Cup. Sam has been instrumental in the development of successful animal disease control programmes.
“Over the past five years, Sam has worked tirelessly on TB as the scientific expert on the TB Eradication Partnership providing expert advice to DAERA on a strategy to eradicate the disease.”
Brown added that his demeanour has gained him huge respect across the agricultural sector and throughout the veterinary profession, which makes him a “worthy” and a credible recipient of this award.
The Mary Wilson Trophy recognises a group’s performances in membership recruitment, securing subscription income, and their success in meetings was awarded to north-west Armagh.
The Cuthbert Trophy was also awarded to north-west Armagh, as they achieved a retention rate of over 96% of their members in 2023.
The UFU president added that the annual dinner enables farmers to spend a night away from the farm and to celebrate NI agriculture and to reflect on the year gone by.
The president added: “We need the support of government and consumers to pioneer a sustainable approach to farming, enabling us to tackle climate change and preserve the land for future generations while feeding a growing population.”
Brown said that the viability of family farms is critical to sustainability ensuring that young farmers have a future, and that they have launched the third tranche of the Next Generation Scheme, which received a high number of applications.
This shows the enthusiasm they have in their family farms, which provides great confidence for future of the farming sector and in the ability to overcome the challenges that lie ahead.
NFU Cymru deputy president, Abi Reader said:
“At NFU Cymru, we are in regular contact with the UFU engaging on a range of matters affecting UK farmers from trade deals to combating climate change.
“Working together as a united agriculture industry is critical to safeguarding our family farms across the UK and delivering for everyone in society.”
