Donald MacPherson wins Nufffield Bullock Award

The winner of the 2013 Steven and Gill Bullock Award is Scottish farmer and entrepreneur Donald MacPherson, who created the Well Hung and Tender beef brand.

This award recognises those who, in the past 10 years, have used their Nuffield farming scholarship to develop their business, innovate and contribute to industry.

Mr MacPherson was an inspiration for his visionary approach to try and turn UK beef into an unforgettable eating experience, said the judges. He received the £1,000 prize at the Nuffield Conference in Cardiff last week (22 November).

His Nuffield scholarship concluded that the Australian model of breeding cattle for consistent quality and flavour and rewarding producers for it was a better way forward for the fragmented UK beef sector.

He argued that significant changes had to be made here to improve the eating quality of beef. The management of animals through the transport and slaughtering process, along with collaboration and communication in the supply chain all required an overhaul.

Mr MacPherson, who farms at Berwick-upon-Tweed, spent years championing these ideas to the industry and developed his own beef brand using Aberdeen Angus to prove his point. He runs a wide range of innovative outdoor eating experiences, from the Well Hung and Tender Burger Bar to Cajun Moon, Wicked Pizza, Cult Coffee, Betty Goes to Mexico and the Cheesesteak Factory.

The other finalists for this year’s Bullock Award were Clive Blacker of Precision Decisions, Shipton-by-Benningbrough, York, and Steven Lofthouse of Organic Dales, based near Harrogate.