JAMES GRAHAM has been given the Ed Rainy Brown Memorial Award for 2020.

At the end of March last year, Mr Graham stepped down after 33 years with the Scottish Agricultural Organisation Society, 21 of which he spent as the body's chief executive.

Katy Rainy Brown presented James with the award at last week’s SAOS Annual Conference Dinner at Dunblane Hydro Hotel.

James not only steered SAOS through the last few decades, but has also been hugely influential across the wider food and agri sectors. Described as a passionate proponent for industry organisations working together more effectively, he was a founder member of Scotland Food and Drink’s Partnership Board, and co-chair of Scotland Food and Drink’s Supply Chain Board.

James’s drive and commitment and his vast knowledge of co-ops and co-operation is well-respected, not only in Scotland, but also in the rest of the UK and overseas. He was key in the diversification of SAOS’s activities, and the team itself, broadening the organisation's skills and expertise and building on its values of co-operation, and taking a lead role in some of the most important developments of the last 20 years, including Scotland’s livestock traceability system, ScotEID.

Director and former chairman of SAOS, Gareth Baird, commented: ”For a long time I have felt that James has been the most indispensable man in Scottish agriculture. His intellect, drive, resilience and humility have been of colossal and probably irreplaceable value to Scotland`s rural industries. We have been extraordinarily fortunate to have a man of his calibre at the helm of an organisation which is now the ‘go to’ body in times of both strife and development need for Government and industry alike.”

NFU Scotland chief executive Scott Walker, who worked closely with James throughout his time at SAOS, said: “James is a person who many people in the farming and food industry will have turned to at some point in time and he can justifiably claim to have played a part in the growth and success of many co-operative businesses and the development of many people who work in the industry.

“A strong advocate for the co-operative sector and its benefits, he has championed collaborative working and innovative ways to solve problems and issues. That made him a worthy winner of the NFU Scotland Ambassador award in 2019 and this latest recognition is equally deserved.”

SAOS’s current chairman, Mark Clark, added: “In a quiet and professional way, James has been a driving force right across Scottish agriculture and his influence and intellect have been key to many successful developments and partnerships.”

NFU Scotland and SAOS jointly sponsor the Ed Rainy Brown Memorial Award, in memory of the man who was chief executive of both organisations, before his tragic death in 2003. The award is presented to an individual in the farming, forestry, aquaculture or associated industries who has made an exceptional contribution within their specific field.