AGRISCOT has announced the three finalists for its Scotch Beef Farm of the Year Award.

The finalists are: Midtown of Glass in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, run by Gary Christie and his family; Poldean Farm in Moffat, Dumfries and Galloway, ran by Alisdair and Emma Davidson; and Bielgrange farm in Dunbar, East Lothian, run by Niall Jeffrey.

While the finalist farms operate very different types of beef production systems, the award assessors said that all those involved in running them shared a common enthusiasm to improve productivity and efficiency, and a passion to produce high quality, quality assured cattle.

The aim of the AgriScot Scotch Beef Farm of the Year Award is to showcase excellence in the production of cattle in Scotland and raise the profile of the dedication and stock management skills behind the production of Scotch Beef PGI. The recipient will receive a £500 cheque as well as a £250 voucher to celebrate their success at a Scotch Beef Club restaurant.

The assessors for the award this year are AgriScot chairman Robert Neill, QMS director of industry development Douglas Bell, and last year's winner, Robert Fleming, all of whom visited the finalist farms last week to learn more about each business.

Mr Bell said that he was very impressed with what he, and the others saw on their visits to assess the farms: “We really enjoyed visiting the finalist farms and got a real insight into each business. All three of the finalists would make worthy recipients and are excellent ambassadors for our industry and the Scotch Beef brand.”

As well as evidence of a high standard of technical and financial performance, those assessing the farms looked for evidence of the uptake of new ideas to improve efficiency and profitability and whether the businesses had an eye on the market for the end product.

Kenneth Mackay, partner in the Land and Rural Business team Thorntons Solicitors said: “We are proud to be sponsors of both the Scottish Sheep Farm of the Year and Scotch Beef Farm of the Year awards. Agriscot are keen to recognise all elements of the agricultural sector and we are delighted to be able to help them achieve that goal.”

All farms producing cattle destined to be used for meat sold under the Scotch Beef label – from breeders through to finishers - were eligible to apply for the award and required to be members of QMS’s quality assurance scheme. The award recipient will be revealed on Wednesday November 21 at AgriScot. The announcement will be made at noon in the main ring.