Former head of comms scoops David Black pig award
Andrew Knowles receives the David Black award from Liz Truss (right) and AHDB Pork chairman Meryl Ward Former head of communications for BPEX and current marketing director for ForFarmers Andrew Knowles has been awarded the prestigious David Black Award for his services to the pig industry.
Mr Knowles was chosen by a panel of independent judges and received his award from Defra secretary Liz Truss at an industry breakfast held in the House of Lords earlier this week.
See also: See last year’s winner of the David Black Award
The award has been given every year since 1960 to somebody who has made a significant and sustained contribution to the British pig industry.
Mr Knowles joined BPEX as the strategy co-ordinator in February 2001 and had a 14-year career with the levy board, during which he was involved in various projects and campaigns, including the BPEX Pig Health Scheme and e-AML2 pig movement service.
Commenting on his accolade, Mr Knowles said: “I was absolutely stunned and I was also in a bit of a dilemma about accepting it as, to my mind, I was simply doing my job and there is nothing exceptional in my work for the industry.
“Everything that has been achieved is down to the hard work of not only my colleagues, but also a large number of people in the industry. Though I was somewhat flummoxed about why I should have been chosen, it is an incredible honour.”