There is a well known saying, 'no pain, no gain' and that will be ringing true in the minds of Milk Link’s 1,600 producers, who are on the brink of reaping just reward for 12 years of loyalty and investment.BBC reporter wins award for TB story
THE poignant manner in which TV farming programme presenter Adam Henson reported on bovine TB testing on his Cotswold farm was one of the reasons for being chosen the first winner of the new Farmers Union of Wales Bob Davies Memorial Award.
In a recent episode of BBC ONE’s Sunday evening Countryfile programme, Adam could barely disguise his emotions after losing one of the two splendid Longhorn steers he had spent months training to work as draft oxen.
The FUW award, in memory of Wales-based agricultural journalist, Bob Davies, who died last November, is offered to a media personality who has raised the public profile of Welsh farming.
The award was presented last night (Wednesday, July 21) during an FUW reception at the Royal Welsh Show.
As well as managing more than 1,000 commercial sheep on his 1,625-acre mixed farm in the Cotswolds, Adam also runs the Cotswold Farm Park which has more than 50 flocks and herds of rare-breed farm animals including pigs, cattle and sheep.
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Readers' comments (4)
Anonymous | 22 July 2010 10:52 am
yes well done Adam,you have been able to show the viewers what farming means to us,we dont do it for fun,we love the life and the animals,we have to make a profit to live. Yes there is something not right with all this testing,did the vet use a smaller needle on some breeds you shouldas their skin is a differant thickness I had Gurnseys have, still actually. Their skin is different to others.Toots
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Anonymous | 23 July 2010 2:16 pm
I saw this programme and felt that Adam gave a poor, very biased report on badgers and TB. In fact, it was so one-sided and anti badger that I was almost inclined to complain to the BBC about it. But little wonder that the Farmers Guardian have seen fit to give him an award. The problem is that many farmers are simply not basing their views on the evidence and Adam is no different in this respect, I'm afraid.
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Anonymous | 23 July 2010 3:55 pm
Adam is, I suspect, rather unique - he's a 'good guy' but few farmers are as lucky to have such a wonderful mixed farm. Even a pro badger person, as I am, doesn't dispute the grief suffered when stock are lost. What stuns me is the mindless stupidity of the industry [individuals excepted] which continues to blame badgers when ALL the science points to abysmal testing, husbandry, cattle movements and basic overstocking as the reasons why bTB continues to infect and reinfect stock. When farmers genuinely start to critically analyse the way they farm livestock and stop looking for a scapegoat, then we might see some progress.
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bill carr | 24 July 2010 12:35 pm
when farming in 1997 i had an outbreak of tb. the ministry vet said that i would be years before the farm would go clear of tb.during the winter a badger was picked up by a member of the public taken to the rspca,it later died of tb it was taken to the ministry and they said it had died of bovine tb.no more outbreaks of tb on that land has their been again.do we need any more.
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