BERWICKSHIRE farm business Border Eggs have been named as 'Egg Producer of the Year' in the 2018 National Egg and Poultry Awards.

James and Angela MacLean were handed the award at a ceremony at London’s Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington, where awards organiser Simon Lewis said: “These awards have highlighted the breadth and depth of talent, drive and ambition in the egg and poultry sectors and it is a pleasure to recognise the winners, but also all of those shortlisted which in itself is a great achievement.”

British Egg Industry Council chief executive Mark Williams, who was the award's judge, commented: “It’s no surprise we are seeing some fantastic innovation across the supply chain from hatcheries to the end consumer, which are being showcased as part of the National Egg and Poultry Awards. The BEIC is proud to support the awards and is excited to see so many shining examples of excellence in the egg sector.”

Mr and Mrs MacLean said: “We were delighted to be nominated for this national award and to win was a huge surprise! We are very proud of how we have diversified our family farm in Berwickshire to be an award winning egg producer. This recognition, by some of the most influential people in our sector, is a great reflection of the daily efforts of our team to look after our hens to the best standards we can achieve.

"We are currently involved in a number of diversification projects to ensure our farms continued growth and success," added the MacLeans. "Our plans meet governments’ aspirations that farmers become more market oriented and anticipate demand from customers. The team at Border Eggs are proud to be part of a growing sector producing both organic and free-range, welfare friendly eggs that the consumer desires.”