After a year in which the judges of the AgriScot Product Innovation Award have said that their task has been the toughest since the award began, a winner has been crowned.
Emphasising the environmental theme shown by a majority of the shortlisted companies, the title winner this year is a 100% natural and sustainable teat disinfectant for use both before and after milking, delivering benefit to both farmer and consumer.
The AgriScot Product Innovation Award is designed to encourage new products, innovation, forward thinking and potential business benefit, all of which can be seen in abundance among the 250 trade stands at the event.
10 entries were shortlisted for scrutiny by the appointed judges: Scottish Dairy Farm of the Year 2017 winner, David Hamilton; Brian Sangster of BAGMA (British Agricultural & Garden Machinery Association) and Ken Fletcher, Editor of The Scottish Farmer.
The judges noted that a majority of shortlisted businesses presented products which help to the farming sector to improve its environmental impact even further. The winner is Diversey UK with their Deosan Triathlon which kills 99.999% of bacteria after 30 seconds. Out performing traditional chemicals by returning more moisture to the teat and removing dead skins cells, the product performs two crucial rolls by supporting farming’s needs to achieve highest quality of milk and supporting the consumer need to have a more natural milk product.
David Hamilton and Brian Sangster, two of the judges of the Product Innovation Award, said:
“This was truly a tough job for us. Getting down to the top three and then selecting a winner was virtually impossible. We noticed an environmental theme this year with at least 6 of the 10 finalists putting forward a product which helps the farming industry to farm in a more environmentally sustainable way. We are delighted to be awarding three businesses with such potential.”
David Jackson said of the Deosan Triathlon win:
“As a business, our focus is always on food safety and so to develop this product fits entirely within our ethos. It is 100% biodegradable, leaving no residue and so meets the needs of both farmer and consumer. We are delighted with this win, which will strengthen our reputation and further boost our credibility. Farmer feedback has been very positive but further recognition is always welcome.”
Two products were awarded Highly Commended in the award. Kverneland Siloking e Truck is a self-propelled vertical feeder mixer which is 100% electric. The machine can be used for mixing, transporting and presenting feed with very low operational costs (no diesel and the possibility to use renewable energy). The other Highly Commended was the Soltropy System XM10 which is a modular thermal panel that does not require antifreeze. It converts the suns energy into free heat by directing heating water and can freeze without damage.
