On the 23rd September, in the historic grounds of Harper Adams University, BSAS President and Deputy Vice Chancellor of Harper Adams, Professor Michael Lee, presented Professor Jude Capper with the prestigious Sir John Hammond Award 2021. The award was relaunched earlier this year in collaboration with the British Cattle Breeders Club (BCBC)

Jude is the ABP Chair of Sustainable Beef and Sheep Production at Harper Adams, working with farmers, processors, allied industry and policy-makers to find effective, appropriate solutions to improving sustainability throughout the red meat supply chain. Her professional goal is to communicate the factors affecting livestock industry sustainability to enhance the knowledge and understanding of all food production stakeholders. She also works as an independent livestock sustainability consultant, sits on the National Beef Association board; is Chair of the Route Panel for Agriculture, Environment and Animal Care and Vice-Chair of the Green Apprenticeships Advisory Panel at the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

Highly selective, the Sir John Hammond Award is based solely on nominations and is awarded to those who have made significant contribution through research, teaching, knowledge exchange, breeding, farming industry or affiliated professions.

‘Professor Capper has played a significant role in promoting the understanding of sustainable livestock production, building on her research conducted in the USA and the UK. Jude is also helping the next generation of agriculturalists, through her activities in supporting the development of apprenticeships and her contributions to other national industry bodies.  Jude has made an enormous contribution to understanding the role of livestock as part of a sustainable food system over the years and the awarding of the Sir John Hammond Memorial Prize demonstrates BSAS’ appreciation and recognition of all she has accomplished.’ BSAS President and Deputy Vice Chancellor of Harper Adams University, Professor Michael Lee.

This is the Society’s first ever joint award with the BCBC, which Sir John Hammond founded in 1946. The club aims to improve the breeding of livestock, by promoting knowledge through collecting, collating, and distributing available information and data of practical and scientific interest, to breeders of cattle at home and overseas.

‘I am truly humbled to be considered worthy of receiving the Sir John Hammond award. This is an amazing honour - I will do my very best to live up to the excellence exemplified by previous winners, and to continue serving the British food and farming industry that I know and love.’ Professor Jude Capper

Nomination are now open for the 2022 Award, visit https://bsas.org.uk/awards/sir-john-hammond-award for further details and to download the nomination form.

Jude’s award was supplied by ‘The Smithfield Forum’ -  www.royalsmithfieldclub.co.uk.