HOLSTEIN UK'S prestigious President’s Medal Award for 2019 has been presented to Andrew Neilson from the Scotland Holstein Young Breeders Club.

The award, presented at the Semex Conference in Glasgow, is intended to recognise an HYB member who has made an outstanding contribution to the breed, Holstein Young Breeders, and, in particular, their own club. Mr Neilson received an engraved medal and a trip to the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto later this year, funded by Semex.

Holstein UK has also congratulated the two runners up, Cari Thomas from the Cornwall Club and Frances Griffiths from the Yorkshire Club.

The President’s Medal process started with each HYB club being asked to nominate one young breeder aged between 23 and 26 years of age. Six were then shortlisted for interview by a panel of judges, including Holstein UK president Bryan Thomas, industry representative Lynette Steel and Semex's Rodger Mather, following the submission of an essay entitled “What can all of us, as breeders who work in the UK dairy industry, do to reverse the trend of consumers choosing cows’ milk alternatives?”

Following the interviews, the final three were selected and the winner was officially announced. Mr Thomas said: “All three candidates were very impressive and will undoubtedly be great ambassadors for the breed and the industry going forward. The other judges and I were very impressed with the standard of essays and the important points they all made regarding the future of the dairy industry.”