Lucy Ross of Nottingham University, Faye Al-Nakeeb of University of Bristol and Matt McClymont from Myerscough College were announced as the 2020 winners of the RABDF Farm Health Management Award.
The winners were unveiled at Dairy-Tech on Wednesday 5 February on the Skills Studio – the one-stop-shop for students and new entrants to the industry. Miss Ross won the agric university category of the competition and Mr McClymont the agric college category with Miss Al-Nakeeb taking home the veterinary university crown.
Each received a £500 cash prize from competition sponsor Volac. The runners-up for the agric university and agric college categories were Chloe Geoghegan (Nottingham) and Nikki Smale (Duchy) respectively. Jack Chan (Bristol) was the runner up of the veterinary university category.
The competition requires entrants to write a 1,500 word essay on proactive farm health management - a key element of the Defra/industry Animal Health and Welfare Strategy, and the benefits it brings to animal health and welfare and farm business profitability.
The essays were judged by a panel featuring RABDF Council member and Gelli Aur College farm manager, John Owen; Dan Griffiths from Paragon Vets and John Sumner, dairy consultant and award chairman.
Mr Owen said: “The submitted essays were of an excellent standard and all candidates displayed knowledge of the common diseases affecting cattle and understanding of the fundamentals of proactive health management – something that is vital for the future success of the industry.”
John Reynolds, head of animal nutrition, at award sponsor Volac said: “We are pleased to support agricultural and veterinary students in this award which brings a focus to the importance of taking a holistic approach to best practice in livestock management. We believe that their heightened awareness towards a proactive approach to farm health management covering all aspects, from housing and nutrition to financial impact, will be of huge benefit in their future careers.”