Winners announced – Food & Farming Sustainability Award 2025
The winners of the 2025 RBST Scotland Food & Farming Sustainability Awards were recognised at the Royal Highland Show with a presentation on Thursday 19th June 2025.
A number of these awards for excellence in sustainable food and farming were presented to winners from across Scotland by Jim Fairlie, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity.
Rare Breeds Survival Trust (RBST) is the national charity that promotes the UK’s rare native livestock and equine breeds. The RBST Scotland Food & Farming Sustainability awards celebrate the people and businesses throughout Scotland’s farming and food industry who have placed environmental sustainability and native breeds at the centre of their business
Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie said: “I am delighted to be part of the RBST Scottish Forum’s Scotland Food & Farming Sustainability Awards, as we celebrate the people and businesses throughout our farming and food industry who place environmental sustainability at the heart of what they do. I would like to congratulate everyone taking part and hope that they have a wonderful time at this year’s show.”
The winners of the six categories were chosen from the entrants by a judging panel led by RBST Scotland Chair Rebecca McLellan who said: “Congratulations to all the winners of this year’s RBST Food & Farming Sustainability Awards, who are showcasing the excellence that can be achieved for communities, for the environment and for native breeds in farming, food production and retail. The standard of entries was incredibly high and it was a real pleasure to hear about the fantastic projects, businesses and individuals championing native breeds. RBST is proud to showcase and celebrate such expertise, dedication and innovation in sustainable farming, land management and food production.”
The award winners for 2025 are:
- Sustainable Farm of the Year (sponsored by Burness Paull) – Balcaskie Estate (East Neuk of Fife)
This modern working estate is committed to cultivating and caring for the natural environment, nurturing local business and supporting the vibrant community. Native breeds including Lincoln Red cattle, Tamworth pigs and a range of native sheep are central to Balcaskie’s low-input, sustainable farming system, and to the management of the wider landscape to help promote natural biodiversity.
- Sustainable Small Farm of the Year (sponsored by Smallholding Scotland) – Low Auldgirth Steading (Dumfries)
Rooted in regenerative principles, Low Auldgirth uses native breed sheep, cattle, pigs and chickens as ecosystem engineers to restore soils, build biodiversity, and produce exceptional food with minimal inputs. The farm sells meat directly to customers and through local CICs, and produces raw fleeces promoting wool as a sustainable fibre. Low Auldgirth shows that small farms can be productive, profitable, and powerful agents of environmental change.
- Sustainable Food Producer of the Year (sponsored by Scotland Food & Drink) – Clanfin Native Breeds (Galston, Ayrshire)
Based at Hillhouse Farm, Clanfin Native Breeds encourages customers to visit the farm, explaining where the food comes from and the role of native breeds in benefiting the environment and health. The produce reflects the impact on quality and taste of happy, healthy and slow growing animals, such as grassfed scotch Belted Galloway Beef, scotch Herdwick Hogget and mutton, and outdoor reared pork.
- Sustainable Retail Outlet of the Year – Louise’s Farm Kitchen (Aberdeenshire)
Louise’s Farm Kitchen focuses on naturally good food using home reared rare and native breed livestock. Meat is sold through their pop-up farm shop, at farmers’ markets, for hog roasts, via online sales, a monthly delivery service, and their newly-opened café and farm shop on Deeside. The business also offers a private butchery service to fellow farmers and smallholders.
- Sustainable Product of the Year – Highland Wool Community Interest Company (Sutherland)
Formed in 2022 to address issues around cost-effective processing of local fleeces, the Highland Wool CIC sees farmers, crofters, and crafters come together to add value to local wool at source and create viable products. The CIC is supporting producers raising native breeds such as Hebridean, Shetland, Blackface, Jacob and Herdwick sheep with services including washing, picking and carding.
- RBST Champion of the Year (sponsored by RBST) – Zoe Robson (Aberdeenshire)
A very experienced and knowledgeable keeper of rare breed livestock and equines, Zoe keeps and showcasing a variety of breeds at Loanhead Croft, Huntly. She is particularly passionate about championing rare breed wool. Zoe keeps sheep from a number different rare breeds, using their wool in innovative and imaginative ways and showing its versatility, diversity and unique qualitiesto a wide audience through talks, workshops, classes, trade fairs and social media.
Quotes from the award winners:
Sustainable Farm of the Year – Sam Parsons, Balcaskie Estate (East Neuk of Fife) said: “The Balcaskie Estate team are delighted to receive the award RBST award for sustainable large farm. Our adoption of native breeds to suit our organic pasture-based production system is essential in breeding suitable livestock to match our farm and produce the highest quality meat, with growing demand from retail and chef customers alike. We see that native breeds are essential in the future of differentiating UK farming from our global competition. Moving the dial for some of the rarer and at risk breeds is both good for our domestic gene bank and good for our customers too.”
Sustainable Small Farm of the Year – Ruth Ashton-Shaw, Low Auldgirth Steading (Dumfries) said: “I’m honoured that our work at Low Auldgirth has been recognised with this award, and proud to stand alongside such inspiring voices in sustainable farming. Native breeds are not just echoes of the past, they’re at the heart of a regenerative future, helping us heal the land, nourish our communities, and run thriving, resilient farms.”
Sustainable Food Producer of the Year – Colin Russell, Clanfin Native Breeds (Galston, Ayrshire) said: “We are truly honoured to receive this recognition for producing sustainable food. Our native breeds play a crucial role in building a resilient and diverse food system, especially as we face the challenges of climate change and food security. Their hardiness, genetic diversity, and ability to thrive in low-input, sustainable farming systems make them invaluable — not only for today but for future generations.”
Sustainable Retail Outlet of the Year – Louise Urquhart, Louise’s Farm Kitchen (Aberdeenshire) said: “We are absolutely surprised and honoured to have one this award, we have worked really hard over the last 10 years selling from the farm gate and at farmers markets over Aberdeenshire, Moray and Angus. Having recently opened our first farm shop in February this year it’s a real privilege to have been recognised for this award today. Having rare breeds means we are helping preserve the breeds for the future. Each and every individual who supports our wee business is playing a part in securing the rare breeds future too and we look forward to bringing even more of our produce to our local community in the coming months and years.”
Sustainable Product of the Year – Donna Gillies, Highland Wool CIC (Sutherland) said: “Farmers talk of when the wool harvest would bring in enough to pay the rent. But the team at Highland Wool talk about when every family used to have someone who spun or wove or knitted, when the cottage wool industry supported families across Scotland. Native breed sheep were a crucial part of that industry, their wool clothed the nation. And native and rare breed sheep, with their cultural value and their role in regenerative farming and conservation grazing, are crucial in the effort to build a sustainable future where the Scottish wool industry thrives again, and a ‘Made in Scotland’ label means from sheep to shop.”
RBST Champion of the Year – Zoe Robson (Aberdeenshire) said: “I’m honoured and feel very privileged to receive this award. Wool, meat and characteristics of rare and native sheep are totally different to commercial sheep. These need to be preserved and encouraged through education and promotion. I try to help with my small business Fleece 4 Ewe, and by showing our sheep.”
RBST Scotland is promoting ‘Flock, fibre and the future: The craft of conservation’ throughout the Royal Highland Show, welcoming visitors to the RBST Scotland marquee for a series of demonstrations, displays and discussions.