The Silver Lapwing Awards 2024

A dairy farm on the Isle of Man has been awarded the prestigious ‘Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group National Silver Lapwing Award’ from a shortlist of 5 exceptional finalists. Brothers David and Rob Cooil from Ballagawne Farm in Ballabeg on the Isle of Man were chosen by the judging panel for their integration of best practice in soil and habitat management alongside running a profitable dairy farming business.

The Silver Lapwing Award recognises farmers who go that extra mile to protect and enhance the countryside in which they farm, demonstrating how high-quality food production exists hand-in-hand with sound environmental management.

The award is generously sponsored by Kings Crops, who are Frontier Agriculture’s specialist crops and environmental land management business and an industry leader in the provision of conservation, green cover, forage and game cover seed mixtures; and Land App, a digital mapping platform empowering land managers to unlock the full potential of their land through tailored mapping technology, strategic partnerships, and collaborative solutions. The FWAG Association is very grateful to have the support of these organisations.

The celebration for this year’s Awards, which are in their 45th year, took place on Tuesday 18th June 2024 at Hafod y Maidd in Denbighshire, the home of the Davies family, who received the award in 2023. Chris Butler, Chair of the FWAG Association, welcomed guests before host, Iwan Davies, introduced the farm and talked passionately about how the native breeds of cattle and sheep on the farm are the perfect animals for conservation grazing. The farm runs a low input system, grazing animals all year round, making best use of the better pasture by using precision grazing methods. Iwan felt that he needed to do more to showcase the exceptional quality of the meat they produce and the environment they are reared in. His family now sell home-bred and finished beef from a catering trailer at festivals and events under the name Welsh Luing Beef (Eidion Luing Cymreig). After a warm welcome from Iwan, the Silver Lapwing Award 2024 presentations commenced.

After brief introductions from our sponsors, Jim Egan, Sustainable Farming Adviser at Kings Crops and Dan Geerah, Director of Growth at Land App, we moved onto the judging. Silver Lapwing judge, Martin Hole, gave a summary of the five finalists, highlighting the exceptional work going on across all parts of the UK on 5 very different farms. His brief run through of the judging tour concluded with the 2024 FWAG Silver Lapwing Award being presented to David Cooil who was joined in the presentation by his two children and received it on behalf of the whole family.

David Cooil, Winner of the Silver Lapwing Award 2024: “I totally wasn’t expecting to win, I’m in shock! A huge thank you must go to Paul and Hilary Fletcher of FWAG Isle of Man and to the Manx Wildlife Trust who encouraged and supported us to put ourselves forward. We don’t feel like we were doing anything special, just trying to farm well and encouraging the public and schools to get involved with the farm which is a huge passion of mine”.

A recent dairy conversion, they integrate their grass-based dairy system with natural features and habitats including rare species that until recently were thought to be extinct on the Island. The farm has family and nature at its heart, looking after the soils, dung beetles, and invertebrates to ensure that the surrounding wildlife can be found in abundance on what is an intensively grazed and profitable family dairy farm.

During the presentation, Silver Lapwing Award judge, Martin Hole, underlined that the standard of competition was incredibly high this year. There were two joint runners-up: James Bucher of Hall Farm, Knettishall, Norfolk, and Chris Rumming of Park Farm, Swindon, Wiltshire. The judges also congratulated our two additional finalists: Alun Wyn Evans, Penllyn Farm, Gwynedd, Wales, and John Fenton, Elmswell Farm, Driffield, East Yorkshire. Each of our finalists for 2024 should feel incredibly proud to be amongst the most forward-thinking farmers in the UK.

Around 60 invited guests from all sectors of the British agriculture industry and wildlife conservation industry attended the celebrations. After a delicious lunch of home-produced Luing beef, the day concluded with a farm walk and tour of Hafod y Maidd, showcasing some of the reasons why the Davies family were presented with the Silver Lapwing Award in 2023. The farm is involved in Arwain DGC, a Welsh programme designed to help vets, farmers and equine keepers to address the spread of antibiotic resistance. It was fascinating to hear how the use of rumen boluses has significantly reduced the use of antibiotics on the farm and allowed much closer monitoring of animal health. Despite unseasonably chilly conditions, the views from the top of the farm at over 1000 feet were spectacular and a fitting end to a great day of celebration.

About the FWAG Silver Lapwing Award

To win this prestigious and longstanding award, a farm has to demonstrate a real commitment to species and habitat conservation and be able to show how they integrate their environmental management in their overall farm business. Understanding and conserving historic aspects of the farm is also important. In addition, consideration is given to the farm’s approach to conserving natural resources; this includes good soil management, the protection of water quality and efficient use of water and energy. These are all areas that the judges consider on their tour of the competition finalists.

About the Silver Lapwing Competition Judges

Martin Hole grew up on the (mainly rented) family farms on the Southdowns around Lewes, East Sussex, before doing his degree in Rural Environmental Studies at Wye College, graduating in 1985. After a spell back in Sussex milking cows and helping with the arable enterprises, he went to work at Elmley, on the Isle of Sheppey by the Swale Estuary, where some three and a half thousand acres of grazing marshes were being entered into a National Nature Reserve agreement, where he was the first head of conservation.  After 6 years managing what is now the highest concentration of nesting waders in the UK he married Gundrada and returned to East Sussex to run a small family farm on the Pevensey Levels, taking this from just over 200 acres to some 700, and running this too as a wetland nature reserve, supported by Natural England, organic beef and sheep and some diversification. This farm was voted UK Lapwing Champion back in 2004. Martin is currently county chair of East Sussex NFU, Founder and Chair of the Pevensey Farmers cluster and a founder member of the Nature Friendly Farming Network. Passionate about wildlife, Martin, father of three daughters, is also a keen canoeist, former fast bowler and regular fives player.

Chris Butler has a 1500 acre family arable farm, near Halstead, North Essex. Chris is keen on regenerative farming, minimum cultivation (less than 50mm) for over 8 years and third of the farm is direct drilled. Part of a stewardship schemes for 30 years, currently in mid-tier which includes AB8, AB9, AB15, AB12, SW1, SW3, SW4, hedge coppicing and hedge management. Started diversifying in 2007 with the conversion of a thatch 17th century barn into Café/Restaurant, Post Office, and Farm Shop. The farm yard now also includes a pre school nursery, forestry school, hair dresser, dog groomer, animal feed retail outlet, beautician, ceramic and pottery studio and small events barn. The majority of which are heated by a 200kw biomass burner supplied by the farm’s hedges and woodland. Chris has been involved with FWAG since the early 80s, has been Essex Chairman, and a natural trustee and is currently National Chairman of the FWAG Association. The farm was the Essex LEAF demonstration farm from 1997 to 2012. Chris is married to Tania and has three children, 2 daughters and a son and 2 grandchildren. His son David, is now back on the farm and pushing to get Dad into an old people’s home! Chris is a keen tennis player and game shot.

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