ANDY Gilman from Statfold Farm in Tamworth, David Finlay from Rainton Farm in Castle Douglas and Marshalls Farm Ltd in Billingshurst are all finalists for the Farmer of the Year Award at the Ceva Animal Welfare Awards 2019.

They will join Sarah Tomlinson from Westpoint Farm Vets, Oliver Hodgkinson from Trefaldwyn Veterinary Clinic and James Griffiths from Taynton Court Farm, Gloucester who are finalists for a new award for 2019, the Farm Educator of the Year Award.

The awards are run in association with R.A.B.I and NADIS and the shortlists were decided following a day of deliberations by a panel of esteemed judges chaired by Chris Laurence MBE MRCVS.

The judging panel included Tony Andrews, consultant and ex-director of RUMA, Andrew Biggs, veterinary surgeon and director at The Vale Veterinary Group in Devon and Andrew Davies, managing director of Synergy Farm Health.

Award judge, Tony Andrews, said: "So often the public has the perception that animal welfare is poor on farms. This is so very far from the truth and the Ceva Animal Welfare Awards help to dispel these myths and misconceptions.

"This year there were two farm categories – Farm Educator of the Year and Farmer of the Year. In each group the standard of entries was exceptionally high and resulted in the judges having prolonged and rather animated discussions about the winners and runners up.

"Any one of the entries was entitled to be the winner but unfortunately only one could be named as such. I hope that in future years we will have even more entries so that we can help show all the consuming public just how generally excellent animal welfare is on farms whilst they still provide us with high quality, nutritious food which we all buy at minimal cost."

The awards celebrate the achievements of remarkable people from the farming, veterinary and charity industries, who go beyond the call of duty to improve the lives of animals around the world. Nominations were submitted by friends, family, clients and colleagues.

The shortlist for the remainder of the 2019 Ceva Animal Welfare Awards is as follows:

Chris Laurence Vet of the Year Award supported by Vet Record

• Chris ‘Sid’ Parker, Scarsdale Vet Group

• Hannah Capon, Canine Arthritis Management

• Alison Thomas, Blue Cross (London)

Vet Nurse of the Year Award supported by Agria Pet Insurance

• Libby Smith, Westover Vets, Norwich

• Hayley Telling, Canine Partners, Midhurst

• Rachel Wright, TOLFA

Charity Team of the Year supported by PDSA

• Cavy Corner, Doncaster

• Ebony Horse Club, Brixton

• The Asociacion de Proteccion Animal La Troupe, Granada, Spain

Charitable Contribution of the Year supported by Blue Cross

• Annette and Colin Faulkner, Lincolnshire Bat Group

• Fiona Gammell, Wicklow Animal Welfare

• Georgina Groves, Wild Welfare

International Cat Care Welfare Award

International Cat Care will be choosing the winner of this award from its extensive membership base. The winner will be announced at the awards’ ceremony.

The judges have granted an award in special recognition of an individual’s lifetime commitment to animal welfare. The Outstanding Contribution to Animal Welfare Award is supported by Your Dog and Your Cat magazines and will be announced on the night of the awards.

Winners will be revealed and presented with their awards during a glitzy ceremony held in Birmingham ahead of BSAVA Congress on April 3, 2019. To find out more about the awards visit www.cevawelfareawards.com