The dairy industry celebrated industry stalwart Terry Jones at this year’s Dairy UK annual dinner, where he received the Excellence Award in recognition of his outstanding contribution to British agriculture.

Throughout his career Terry has championed food and agriculture. As former director general of the NFU, he has dedicated more than two decades to championing British agriculture, representing farmers and working closely with government and the wider food supply chain.

Terry played an essential role supporting the dairy sector through politically and economically turbulent periods, including Brexit and the subsequent period trade realignment, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. In particular he was recognised for his political acumen and his calm, pragmatic approach during some of the most challenging periods in the sector’s recent history.

Commenting, Dr Judith Bryans, chief executive of Dairy UK, said: “Terry is someone who embodies the spirit of collaboration and for many years has brought people all across the supply chain together.

Terry Jones - Dairy UK Excellence Award.

placeholder image — Terry Jones - Dairy UK Excellence Award.

“His ability to navigate difficult waters in a politically astute and resourceful way has been such an asset to UK agriculture.

“It’s been our pleasure at Dairy UK to work with Terry over the past two decades, and he’s a worthy winner of this year’s award.”

Terry Jones commented: “I am delighted and honoured to receive this award from Dairy UK. It was the privilege of my career to hold the role of director general at the NFU, representing dairy farmers across England and Wales.

“In accepting this award, I want to pay tribute to my fantastic former colleagues at the NFU and also the farmers who give freely of their time to represent their peers with government and the wider industry.”

Terry stepped down as director general earlier this year but is continuing his work to support agriculture, food and the environment through his work with the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution and the Marine Management Organisation.

The award was presented by impressionist and entertainer Jon Culshaw at the dairy UK annual dinner, which brought together industry leaders, farmers, processors, retailers, and stakeholders from across the supply chain.

Also recognised at this year’s annual dinner event was Kim Kettle of Clawson Farms, who was celebrating 50 years of service to the dairy processing sector to the day, having joined at 16 years of age.

Kim was presented with a Recognition Award during this year’s panel discussion at the dinner by Dr Judith Bryans, who added: “Kim’s expertise, dedication and passion for the industry are truly inspiring and people like him are who make the dairy sector such a rewarding place to be. His remarkable milestone shows that people come into dairy and really do build careers that last a lifetime.”

Kim Kettle added: “I’m incredibly honoured to receive this recognition from my peers across the dairy industry. Over the past 50 years, I’ve had the privilege of contributing to the development of Stilton through my work at Clawson Farms.

“I look forward to continuing to work with farmers and the wider dairy community to help secure a multi-generational future for the industry and Stilton, a product and heritage I care deeply about and have been proud to support throughout my career.”