HARPER ADAMS graduate Emily Mosley has been named as the winner of this year's Business Skills Competition at AgriScot.

Ms Adams, originally from Derbyshire but now working as as a Farm Administrator in Tain, received a £1000 cheque as her prize.

She fought off stiff competition from her fellow finalists – Ben McSporran, a third year BSc Agriculture student at SRUC Edinburgh, and Stewart Shaw, a partner in his family farming and contracting business in the Scottish Borders and also a keen SAYFC member.

Ms Mosley was presented with the prize cheque courtesy of sponsors, NFU Mutual, during the AgriScot awards ceremony at Ingliston, which was Livestreamed online to a viewing audience.

The final of the competition, which took place immediately before the prize giving, saw the finalists assess and report on an innovative new electrically powered telescopic handler from Merlo. Judges asked each to report on the potential value of the machine to a farm business.

Commenting on her win, Ms Mosley said: “I’m really pleased to have won! The competition was hard. We went to the semi-final on a farm at Laurencekirk and had to answer loads of questions. It was tough; but an enjoyable experience.

“Today was also tough, daunting – a bit like Dragons Den; but I’m so glad to have come through,” she continued.

“Overall, it’s been a great experience and I have enhanced my CV. Today at the AgriScot awards has been a great, networking opportunity.”

Lecturer at SRUC, Heather Kerr, who co-ordinates the competition on behalf of the AgriScot team congratulated Ms Mosley on winning the award:

“It was great to have such strong finalists for the competition," she said. "I am especially thrilled that they came from relatively diverse backgrounds in terms of their education and work experience.

Read more: It's AgriScot awards day! Winners being announced now!

“I know that the judges were impressed by the performance of all three in the final competition and I hope that the experience will stand them all in good stead in their future careers," she continued. "Well done to Emily for going that extra mile to secure the first prize.

“I would like to thank everyone involved throughout the various stages of the competition, from the farmer hosts of the regional heats to the judges and in particular to our mentors from RBS who supported the finalists all the way through and also, of course to our sponsors, NFU Mutual.”

NFU Mutual regional manager, Mark McBrearty, also shared his congratulations: “The finalists all demonstrated a real flare for both practical farming expertise and business knowledge. It was great to see such a high calibre of entries and congratulations to Emily for taking the top prize.

“As the insurer of three quarters of the UK’s farms, NFU Mutual understands the important role young people have to play in the farming sector," he explained. "These young people are the future of our industry and, by encouraging and rewarding their efforts, we hope we can help them make a difference not only to themselves but also within our farming and rural communities.”