Anthony Snell, a fruit farmer from Pencoyd Court Farm in Harewood End, near Ross-on-Wye, has been crowned as this year’s winner of the prestigious M&S ‘Farming for the Future’ awards. Announced at The Royal Welsh Show, the accolade comes in recognition of his outstanding contribution to sustainable farming.

Anthony won the Outstanding Producer award for his fruit berry growing enterprise, where he supplies a range of soft fruit to M&S through Berry Gardens Ltd.

Anthony, who runs the farm alongside his wife Christine, started the business in 1989 by purchasing 100 acres of land, and originally grew a range of conventional arable and salad crops. In 1998 Rob and Christine made the decision to specialise in berry fruit production and the farm now comprises more than 450 acres of strawberry, blackberry, redcurrant, raspberry and blackcurrant production.

The couple are extremely passionate about environmentally friendly and sustainable production of berries, and have implemented a polytunnel rainwater collection and recycling system, which provides water to irrigate the farm’s crops. To reduce mains energy usage, solar panels have also been installed on the packhouse roof and these supply power to the farm’s freezer system.

The judges were extremely impressed with Anthony’s commitment to the environment and wider agricultural community, as well as his passion and support for the fruit berry growing industry.

M&S Farming for the Future is a programme of initiatives which champions sustainability and innovation. The programme is designed to help farmers identify opportunities for improvement, increase their profitability and provide a sustainable supply chain that can continue to deliver quality and innovation for the long term.

Steve Mclean, M&S Head of Agriculture & Fisheries, said: “We are delighted to honour Anthony as one of this year’s Farming for the Future award winners. Every year it becomes even harder to choose the winners, as each individual on our shortlist has gone the extra mile to set them apart from the competition.”