THE fourteenth annual Farmers Weekly Awards took place recently at the prestigious Grosvenor House Hotel in London, with 15 awards for different categories presented to the best farmers in the country, including a local farmer.

The farming champion award went to Sylvia Crocker, who has been on a mission to get supermarkets to display milk in more prominent spots to encourage shoppers to choose it in preference to fizzy and sugary drinks.

Her campaign began with asking her local Tesco at Launceston to display fresh milk in the ‘food to go’ area next to the sandwiches and it has since grown massively. The positive response from customers, and lots of lobbying by Sylvia, resulted in Tesco trialling selling milk outside of the dairy aisle in 60 stores this summer.

Her hard work and commitment also contributed to Waitrose’s decision to sell milk in its ‘food to go’ section in 60 stores since February. Sylvia said: “Milk is healthy and nutritious so this is good for the customer, good for farmers and ultimately good for supermarkets, as it helps them build more positive relationships with farmers. We all need to support each other in farming.”

The farming champion of the year was sponsored by NFU. Writer, broadcaster and former Conservative Member of Parliament Gyles Brandreth presented the awards in front of more than 1,000 guests at the Grosvenor House — AJW Marriott Hotel on London’s Park Lane.