WELL-KNOWN Scottish potato agronomist, Jim Aiken, has been given the 'Above and beyond' award at the recent BP2017 specialist potato event.

The senior field manager for Branston's potato operations in Scotland, he works closely with the company’s Scottish grower group which covers around 2500 ha. He drives the technical agenda across the grower base and is well respected amongst his peers, said the citation.

James Truscott, managing director at Branston, said: “Jim is passionate about getting the best out of potatoes and making sure the end consumer does too. Never one to shy away from a problem, he tells it as it is and will always challenge growers and colleagues if he believes they are falling short of his expectations and is continuously looking to drive improvement.

“He’s always happy to share his knowledge with others. Over the past 12 years Jim has trained and mentored several young people joining the industry and passed on his skills and years of experience."

One of the judges, AHDB Potatoes' strategy director, Rob Clayton, added: “I’ve known Jim for over 20 years and whilst we’ve discussed the technical issues, what has impressed me is Jim’s wider perspective and willingness to account for the reputation of the industry, its producers and its supply chain!”

The award-winner said: “The potato sector is such an important part of UK agriculture and I feel passionate about the role that I play within Branston to ensure the ever-increasing market needs in this industry are met with quality products.

* The Potato Industry Award was presented posthumously to Mark Pettigrew, of PepsiCo. He died in September following a short illness and was remembered for managing the ‘50 in 5’ program, which saw a 50% reduction in the carbon footprint of all potato production for Walkers Crisps and a 50% water reduction in East Anglia over five years.