The National Sheep Association Cymru (NSA), has named David Pittendreigh as the 2024 recipient of the NSA Bob Payne Award which recognises the work of an unsung hero within the organisation.
The award is specially selected from the many volunteers and officeholders who are at the heart of the work of NSA.
Pittendreigh, who farms near Llandysul, Ceredigion, has dedicated his entire working life to the sheep industry, from his early days in Scotland and latter years in Wales.
NSA Cymru region development officer, Helen Roberts said: “I am delighted David has won this award. Since knowing David, he has always been willing to help in any way he can with the running of NSA Cymru Region and NSA Welsh Sheep.
“His knowledge of the industry is second to none and there is no one more deserving of this accolade.”
Following his diploma from the North of Scotland College of Agriculture in 1962, Pittendreigh began as a shepherd on the Black Isle in the Scottish Highlands, with a flock of 600 North Country Cheviots, before moving to the Scottish border to manage a flock of 1500 Scottish Blackface sheep.
With land prices lower in Wales, Pittendreigh ventured south in 1971 to buy a farm in Llandysul and purchased some Llanwenog sheep at the farm dispersal auction.
He became one of the pioneers of flock recording in Wales and was instrumental in forming the Llanwenog Group Breeding Scheme in 1979 alongside five other breeders.
Realising the potential the North Country Cheviot (NCC) breed could offer Welsh hill farmers, he purchased 50 ewes from his former employer on the Black Isle who was retiring.
This proved to be a lucrative venture and Pittendreigh went on to help establish more than 50 other flocks of the breed in Wales and around the Borders, with many young shepherds seeking his help and guidance.
He helped set up the NCC Welsh Breeders Club, that now has its own breed sale at Usk, Monmouthshire, on the back of it.
Pittendreigh was honoured with the presidency of the NCC Sheep Society in 2009 – 2010 and was proud to invite and host many of his fellow breeders from Scotland to the AGM, dinner and flock visits held in West Wales – the breed’s first AGM in Wales.
In 2015, he was awarded the much-coveted Michael Peters Quaich Award for his lifetime contribution to the NCC breed and the society.
On top of this, Pittendreigh has carved out a career as a reknowned judge at many shows, from the Royal Cornwall to the Orkneys, including the Royal Welsh and Royal Highland.
He has exhibited widely and has been selling at the NSA Wales and Border Ram Sale on a regular basis.
The award winner is also a past NSA Cymru chair and continues to work tirelessly for the NSA and the Sheep industry, with the association declaring that his dedication, interest and mentoring show no signs of waning.
“I am delighted that David has won this award. He is a lifelong supporter of NSA and the whole sheep industry.
“He is a voice of reason and encouragement who can be depended on to always help without fuss or expectation of recognition. He is a true unsung hero,” NSA Cymru region chair, Kate Hovers added.
