Cameron Naughton, a farmer from Wiltshire, has won the ‘excellence in the education of farm animal welfare’ category, in RSPCA Assured’s first-ever awards for pig and poultry members.
Mr Naughton and his wife Muriel, who are both columnists for Pig World, were among the first members of RSPCA Assured when it was set up 27 years ago (then called Freedom Food).
He was recognised by judges of the awards for his work with everyone from trainee chefs and agricultural students to Church and disability support groups, and MEPs and banks to BBC Countryfile and Radio 4’s Farming Today, by hosting around 100 people on their farm each year in a bid to better educate them about the reality of farming and the importance of pig welfare.
One of the judges, Dr Zoe Davies, chief executive of the National Pig Association, commented: “We were blown away by Cameron’s entry. He is a very deserving winner of the education award. He goes above and beyond to host educational experiences for his customers, including chefs and restaurateurs, as well as adults and children from a wide variety of different community groups. It’s clear that he sees the value in educating the consumers of both today and tomorrow about the reality of farming and the importance of pig welfare.”
Commenting on his win, Mr Naughton said: “It is wonderful and humbling to receive this award and I am very grateful to have been nominated. It’s vitally important to me that as many people as possible understand and appreciate the benefits of farming animals well. For our customers, and their customers, it’s critical that they see first-hand how we do things here and the difference it makes.
“I often hear people say that only small farms can deliver higher welfare but I want to show people that isn’t the case and that it is possible for a commercial-scale farm, like ours, to care for animals to a high standard.”
