Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW JANUARY 2022 11 NPI AWARDS 2021 e Environmental Awardwent to AHWorth, which had embarked on a regenerative agriculture journey. e farm was selected byM&S as a Farming with Nature Indicator and Innovation Farm. eMachinery Award trophy went to GRIMMEUK Ltd for the VARITRON 470 which helps to optimise and improve harvest performance whilst saving operating costs, and theMarketing Awardwent to the Isle of Ely Produce/Chippy Chat which supplies potatoes tomultiplemarketplaces includingmarkets, restaurants and takeaways throughwholesalers andmerchants. is year’s awards night was held at e Old Swan in the centre of Harrogate, on the rst night of the national potato trade show, BP2021, of which Potato Review is also a media partner. Hundreds of people who attended the exhibition came to celebrate at the awards dinner, where comedian Rod Woodward kept everyone entertained. A champagne reception preceded the event and gave people chance to circulate and talk to others from throughout the potato industry. e event is biannual, with the next event due to take place alongside BP2023 in November 2023. “ e feedback from the event was excellent and we’ve already had people asking if they can reserve tables for the next event, which is wonderful,” said organiser Juliet Loiselle, Publisher with Warners Group Publications which owns Potato Review . *Anyone who would like to get involved with the 2023 awards, either through sponsorship, nominations or booking a table at the celebratory dinner, is urged to contact Juliet by calling 07786 336606 or emailing JulietG@warnersgroup.co.uk . Innovation Award Winner : Restrain Company Limited Highly Commended: UPL (ARGOS) Finalists: BASF, Nufarm and Sharda Cropchem; BASF - BAS657; B-hive Innovations; Burgess Farm Produce and KisanHub; Corteva – Zorvec Endavia; i-Spud; Farm Electronics; Fera Science; NuCrop (Nufarm); ProAct - Plant Health Care; Optigro Limited. erewas such a varied and interesting selection of entries in this category that the judgeswere sure to award aHighlyCommendedwhichwent to UPL for its newsprout control product –ARGOS. ewinner, RestrainCompany Limited, began its storywhen it set out to nd a safe, e ective way to prevent sprouting inpotatoes. Its research led to conducting trialswith ethylene, whichwas so successful the companywas born. Since this time, the systemhas beenused to treatmore than onemillion tonnes of seed, table andprocessing potatoes in 38 countriesworldwide. It’s seen as a natural replacement for CIPC inpotato storages. Machinery Award Winner: GRIMME UK Ltd - VARITRON 470 Finalists: Dewulf Enduro; Dubrelle Downs; GRIMME UK Ltd – CleanLoader; Izona – izona ipass; JCB - Fastrac 4000; Metos UK – LoRAIN; Restrain. Additions to the winning product help optimise and improve harvest performance whilst saving operating costs. rough its connectivity and the addition of a reversible bunker, practical impacts of the product include increased output and productivity, whilst improving sta and machine management through live information feeds. e patented Non-stop-Bunker allows re lling of the bunker after unloading, ensuring maximum crop protection and harvest performance. Marketing Award Winner: Isle of Ely Produce/Chippy Chat Finalist: James Wrinch of East Su olk Produce e winner of this category was felt to be very thorough and provided a plethora of detail. is made the judge’s decision much easier. e company supplies potatoes to multiple marketplaces including markets, restaurants and takeaways through wholesalers and merchants. One of its main marketplaces is within the sh and chip sector. It places more than two million bags of potatoes into sh and chip shops mainly via merchants.