WELL-KNOWN North-east farming and business leader Brian Pack has received an honorary degree from Aberdeen University. The former chief executive of ANM received the award last week as a member of the University Court.

After working as senior agricultural economist with the North of Scotland College of Agriculture, Mr Pack joined the Mackie family's extensive farming and ice cream business, becoming managing director in 1984. Six years later, he joined ANM and then played a prominent role in the industry, particularly the red meat sector.

He had a particular interest in financial management and developed a ground-breaking software programme at Mackies which is still in use today – it won a national award for innovation in farm business management.

Mr Pack is also a past director of Grampian Enterprise and a member of Grampian Food Forum, advising the government on food distribution. More recently, on behalf of the Scottish Government, he chaired the inquiry into future support for agriculture in Scotland and published his report in 2010 and in 2014 published a report aimed at reducing red tape for the industry, which was formally accepted by the Scottish Government.

A former chair of the Rowett Institute governing body and a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies, Mr Pack was made an honorary member of the Institute of Auctioneers and Appraisers in Scotland in 2004, and was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 1999 for services to agriculture, food and marketing.