RETIRED king of dairy, Alexander Craig Wilkie, better known as Sandy, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen's birthday honours list.

Recognised for his services to the British and international dairy industry, and to the community in Lanarkshire, Mr Wilkie is one of 1057 people in total to be honoured with various titles.

Before his retirement, the farming legend served the dairy industry for a number of years, at Wilkies, Wiseman, Müller Milk, respectively and, latterly, Milk&More.

He was the business relationship and development director with Müller Milk, and is a former chairman of both the Dairy Council and the Milk Marketing Forum, as well as the European Dairy Association Liquid Milk Group.

He is also past president of the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs, honorary president of the Scottish Food Trades Association and is a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies.

As well as this, he serves as Depute Lord Lieutenant of Lanarkshire, is a past vice-president of the Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland, and is director of both AgriScot and Hamilton Park Racecourse.

Congratulations were posted all over the 67-year-old's Facebook page, after the announcement was made on Friday, June 8, ahead of the Queen's official birthday, on Saturday, June 9.

However, in typical Sandy Wilkie style, he was as modest as ever (the man who simply calls himself a retired milkman), and replied to one Facebook post, praising his success, with: "I hear that HRH had a distinct lack of quality nominations for her birthday this year, hence all the dross being dragged in."

Other honours on the list included; a CBE for principal soil scientist at the James Hutton Institute, Professor Lorna Anne Dawson, for services to soil and forensic science; an OBE for chief executive of The Scottish Grocers Federation, Pargan Singh Cheema, for services to business, to community cohesion, and to charity; an OBE for racehorse trainer at Arlary House stables, Ms Lucinda Valerie Russell, for services to Horse Racing; an MBE for head corporate and forestry support, Roger Charles Coppock, for services to forestry; an MBE for Mrs Kirsty Margaret Letton, for services to Curling; an MBE for former company secretary Border Union Agricultural Society, Ronald Bruce Wilson, for services to agriculture, and to the community in the Scottish Borders and North Northumberland; a British Empire Medal for Miss Doreen Mary Malize Calder, for services to Equestrianism and to the community in Berwickshire; and a British Empire Medal for personal assistant to the chief executive at the Hutton Institute, Mrs Anne Pack, for services to agricultural research, to Scottish culture, and to charity.