THREE Scottish farming enterprises have been nominated for a prestigious farming innovation award.

The Innovation in Farming Award is part of the national Helping it Happen Awards scheme organised by Scottish Land and Estates which focuses on states, farms, rural businesses and individuals enabling success in rural communities.

SLaE has announced the finalists for this year’s Helping it Happen Awards, supported by headline sponsor NatureScot, including the Innovation in Farming Award, sponsored by Douglas Home and Co.

The finalists for this year’s Innovation in Farming Award are:

  • Arbikie Highland Estate in Angus. Owners of Arbikie, the Stirling family, have been farming for over 400 years, and since the three brothers who currently run it, Iain, David and John, added the distillery to their operation, they have made it their ambition to develop a ‘field to bottle’ model of growing, harvesting and distilling everything on-site. The estate is leading the way in the decarbonisation of the drinks sector with their game-changing pea-based gin Nàdar, setting the tone for a sustainable supply chain for other distillers to follow.
  • Wilson’s Farm and Kitchen at Cowbog Farm, Montbattle, near Kelso. Cowbog Farm has been home to the Wilson family since 1938, with three generations managing and protecting the land that is set in the Scottish Borders. Seasonal, locally sourced food is the philosophy of Wilson's Farm and Kitchen and ingredients are sourced locally wherever possible to create the delicious menus they serve at their farm tours and food experiences which they run throughout the year.
  • Farming Partners. A group of professional farmers who have come together to run a number of dairy farms in Scotland and Ireland. The business model is a partnership approach where landowners become partners in grass-based farming. growing as much green grass as possible and turning it into high quality milk. By combining resources they have been able to make the farms more efficient and profitable.
  • We Hae Meat Ltd, a farm diversification business based in Cairnhill, near Girvan, Ayrshire, has been nominated in the Rural Business Award category. We Hae Meat was launched in 2007 by farming husband & wife team Alex & Carlyn Paton. Starting from one butcher’s shop which the couple opened, the business now employs 60 local people and supplies meat products across Scotland.
  • Heads of Ayr Farm Park has been nominated in the Tourism and Visitor Management category. It is an award-winning tourist attraction situated in Ayr, on the coastal route towards Dunure. Originally, it was a sheep farm owned by the Rankin family who continue to own and run the park today.

Other awards will be presented for outstanding contribution to rural Scotland, contribution to the environment, tackling climate change, conservation, education, communities, rural business, tourism and property.

SLaE chief executive Sarah-Jane Laing, said: “We are delighted to receive a record-breaking number of nominations for this year’s awards and these stories of success from all over Scotland are inspirational. A number of categories have been being hotly contested and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate with our finalists and winners at the awards ceremony in October.”

Claudia Rowse, NatureScot’s deputy director of green economy, and a judge on the Helping it Happen panel, said: “It has been a privilege to review a fantastic range of applications, and this made it so difficult to choose winners.  So many nominees are showcasing how to address the nature and climate crises alongside running profitable businesses that are forward looking and resilient.”

The Helping it Happen Awards ceremony will be held on October 5 at The Sheraton Grand Hotel and Spa, Edinburgh.