Potato Review

10 POTATO REVIEW SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER NPI AWARDS “We are extremely heartened by the level of interest and number of entries received. The awards dinner is going to be a well- attended event where we recognise some of the real achievers and trailblazers.” T he shortlisters for the rst National Potato Industry Awards have now been announced and those in with a chance of receiving an award on the rst night of BP2019 have been individually noti ed. Judges met on August 15th to go over the entries and make their nal decision at e George Hotel, Stamford. e judging panel was made up of Paul Coleman (Technical and Seed Director for Greenvale AP), established growers from Su olk, Scotland and Shropshire - James Foskett, Euan Grewar and Richard Solari, David Nelson (Agronomy Director for Branston), Mark Taylor (Chairman of the Fresh Potato Suppliers Association), Daniel Metheringham (Director of Agriculture at McCain Foods) and Potato Review founding editor David Mossman. Juliet Loiselle, Publisher of Warners Group Publications, which owns Potato Review and organised the awards, said she was “bowled over” by the response to the awards, considering it’s the rst year they’ve been held and no-one knew what to expect. She said: “We are extremely heartened by the level of interest and number of entries received. e awards dinner is going to be a well-attended event where we recognise some of the real achievers and trailblazers in the industry. It’s sure to be a de nitive diary date for the future.” e number of nominations had doubled in the month before the deadline date, with growers, agronomists, suppliers and manufacturers all put forward by colleagues and customers. Juliet and the judges said they felt even more individuals and projects will be recognised in future, once the awards become more established. “Every industry deserves to celebrate and exchange good practice, and the potato industry is no exception. It’s been a really rewarding exercise to read through the entries, and see what others have to say about their fellow growers, innovators, the impact of new machinery and environmental schemes,” Juliet said. “Being able to share that knowledge with everyone in the potato chain feels like a real achievement in itself.” e awards will be presented on November 20th, the rst night of BP2019, at a celebratory dinner to be held at Harrogate Convention Centre. Well-loved football pundit Kevin Keegan will be presenting the awards and circulating amongst the tables, chatting to those present and sharing some of his anecdotes. “Kevin has presented for our sister magazine in the past, and is very popular because of his down-to-earth approach, wit and ability to make people laugh,” said Juliet. “We’re really looking forward to welcoming him to the National Potato Industry Awards.” If anyone would like to book a late place at the awards dinner, they will need to do so before the end of October. Please contact julietl@warnersgroup.co.uk for more details. Turn to page 12 to see who has been shortlisted for the 2019 awards. Potato Review can now reveal the names of all the nalists for the National Potato Industry Awards . The shortlist Left: Juliet Loiselle and Kevin Keegan

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