THE British Poultry Council (BPC) has celebrated rising stars and distinguished service in the sector at its annual awards.
It is the first time that the BPC has held its award ceremony at the House of Commons since 2018, before the coronavirus pandemic.
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BPC chair Graeme Dear and event sponsor, shadow food and farming Minister Daniel Zeichner MP were joined by UK poultry farmers, producers and other key stakeholders, including Minister Mark Spencer, to celebrate people in poultry production.
The BPC Annual Awards recognise long and distinguished careers, contributions to research, the potential for future excellence and individuals who have supported and made significant contributions to the British poultry industry.
This year marked the final term of Mr Dear as chairman of the BPC.
World class
He said: “We are here because we all share a stake in a vision that is incredibly special: feeding the nation quality food produced to world class, sustainable standards.
“Today, we find ourselves at a critical moment.
“The challenges are bigger than ever…but we continue to witness the resilience and strength of our sector. It all comes down to our people – some of whom we are paying tribute to today.”
Mr Zeichner added: “This industry is a hugely important British success story. Feeding the nation is a matter of national security and, as things currently stand, there is a risk we go in the wrong direction and rely on importing more food…healthy and profitable domestic production must be prioritised.”
The full winners at the awards follow:
2019
| AWARD | WINNER |
| Mid-Career | Patrick Hook (PD Hook Hatcheries Ltd) |
| Special Merit | Anne Marie Neeteson (Aviagen Group) |
| Distinguished Service | John Franklin (Franklins Farmshop & Butchery) |
| Distinguished Service | Steven Povey (PD Hook Hatcheries Ltd) |
| Distinguished Service | Tom McKeown (Moy Park) |
| Distinguished Service | David Gurd (Avara Foods) |
2020/2021
| AWARD | WINNER |
| Mid-Career | Greg Koulianos (Moy Park) |
| Mid-Career | Ian Dowsland (Moy Park) |
| Distinguished Service | Steve Turner (Aviagen Turkeys) |
| Distinguished Service | David Gibson (Moy Park) |
2022
| Distinguished Service | Graeme Dear (British Poultry Council) |
| Distinguished Service | John Vincent (Cobb Europe) |
| Mid-Career | Muhammed Maliki (Moy Park) |
| Distinguished Service | John Sloss (Moy Park) |
| Distinguished Service | Andrew Bryant (Noble Foods) |
| Marketing Award | Euan Meldrum (Moy Park) |
| Special Merit | Gordon Hickman (Defra) |
