Ian Pye, Old Holly Farm wins McDonald’s Farmer Innovation Award 2016
Lancashire organic dairy farmer Ian Pye of Old Holly Farm, Garstang, has been awarded the title of McDonald’s Farmer Innovation of the year at its annual Supply Chain Awards. The winners were announced at a glittering black-tie event on the evening of Thursday 10th November 2016 in London.
McDonald’s UK works closely with its suppliers, and is incredibly proud of the 17,500 British and Irish farmers who supply the 1250 strong chain with quality ingredients needed to serve 3.7 million customers daily. McDonald’s is committed to supporting the farming industry, and this award recognises outstanding farmers in their field and champion good practice across their supply chain and in the wider farming industry.
As an Arla dairy farmer, Ian Pye of Old Holly Farm and his 120 strong dairy herd, were shortlisted from all sectors of the farming industry, including dairy, beef, poultry and potatoes. The finalists were then judged by the McDonalds team, who were looking for famers demonstrating a forward thinking approach, with a real dedication and passion for building a sustainable and innovative farm business, as well as being prepared to share this knowledge with others.
Nina Prichard, McDonald’s Agriculture Manager said “Ian is a progressive farmer who applies innovation by thinking inquisitively to find practical solutions. His attention to detail, whilst also adopting a ‘keep it simple’ approach works well, and the focus on soil health and management, grass growth, technology to assess animal health and welfare and adoption of new techniques such as underfloor heating and solar automatic gate latches, is truly innovative as well as sustainable. This is why Ian was the overall winner of this award.”
The award was collected by Ian and Alison Pye at the Supply Chain conference in London. Ian Pye, said “We are delighted to have won this award and it’s fantastic recognition for all the team who work at the farm. We are committed in making our dairy farm the best it can be, and to adopt a sustainable approach in everything we do. We must also thank McDonald’s and Arla for putting on such a great evening, and our award is pride of place at home.”
The farm has also had further success at the annual Wyre Business Awards, this year held at a black-tie dinner at Marine Hall, Fleetwood on the 24th November, where the team picked up “Best Tourism Attraction of the Year”. The celebration event was attended by 250 business people from across Wyre. There were over 100 nominations for the awards across fifteen different categories.
Alison Pye, said “what an exciting month it’s been for us and we are thrilled to receive this award, especially when you consider all the other fantastic businesses we have locally in Wyre. Congratulations to all our team for this achievement."