Farmers Weekly Awards 2024: Farming Champion of the Year
Nigel Owens, Farmers Weekly Farming Champion of the Year 2024 © Robbie Stephenson/JMP/Shutterstock Nigel Owens is Farmers Weekly Awards 2024 Farming Champion of the Year.
Nigel Owens became a household name as one of the most respected rugby referees in the world – and now he’s winning respect for speaking up for farming.
Having presided over 100 top-level matches, including the 2015 Rugby World Cup Final between Australia and France, retiring as a ref in 2020 has given him the chance to focus more on his farm at Mynyddcerrig in Carmarthenshire.
See also: Farmers Weekly Awards 2024: The shortlist revealed
His connections with agriculture date back decades, but it’s only more latterly he’s become a campaigner on rural matters.
He’s spoken out about mental health, opening up about his own struggles and how at the age of 26 he tried to take his own life – an act he’s said he will regret for the rest of his life.
As a one-time member of Llanarthne Young Farmers’ Club, this was a topic he was keen to highlight during the four years he served as president of the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs.
Mental health champion
Aware that farming can be a very isolating experience with high rates of suicide – especially among men – he said:
“It’s important not to be afraid to ask for help – and to speak up about the issues that are worrying you – because it’s not a sign of weakness, it’s actually a sign of strength.”
As a beef farmer, TB is another topic on which he’s vocal.
Nigel has a closed herd of pedigree Herefords, but is aware of the toll TB takes on others and is lobbying for more to be done to tackle this “awful disease”.
On the rugby pitch, he had a reputation for his witty, to-the-point comments, including a destined-to-go-viral exchange with the Italian scrum-half Tobias Botes when he said:
“I don’t think we’ve met before, but I’m the referee on this field, not you. Stick to your job and I will do mine… this is not soccer, is that clear?”
But nowadays it’s his preparedness to speak out about the financial challenges farmers face at this time of transition that’s won him admirers.
It’s also taken the farming message to new audiences, with Nigel calling for more government support for the industry and rural communities.
He also speaks of the need for everyone – from government to supermarkets – to work together. “Nobody needs to be greedy, we need it to be fair with everybody,” he once said.
Ahead of his field
Awarded an MBE for services to sport in 2016, Nigel also received an honorary degree this summer from the University of Bath.
At the time, Prof Roland Jones described him as an “inspirational figure” – both on and off the field – to the millions who could relate to his determination, pride and fight with mental health issues.
“He battled to come to terms with his sexuality before becoming the first openly gay professional referee.
“He often speaks publicly about mental health issues and is an advocate for ending stigma and discrimination towards people with mental health problems,” said Roland.
While Nigel is passionate about farming, he’s not unaware of its challenges. “Farming is a bit like reffing – unless you enjoy it, you just wouldn’t do it,” he says.
So would this driven and selfless friend of farming ever go back to being a referee? “If they called me up and asked me to ref the World Cup Final I’d say no – there’s cows to be calved,” he laughs.
What makes Nigel our winner
- Honest and brave work on mental health and diversity
- Raising awareness about impact of TB
- Campaigning for Welsh and UK farmers
- Support for the Young Farmers movement
- Sporting role model
The Farmers Weekly 2024 Farming Champion of the Year Award is sponsored by the NFU
“I’m so pleased our industry can finally show Nigel a little bit of the respect, gratitude and affection that he’s so consistently shown us.
“There can be few people who have championed farming more passionately than Nigel.
“Whether it be fairness for farmers, the need for legislators to take action, rather than just say words, on food security, the fight against bovine TB or the positive impact farming and growing has on our natural landscape and the environment, he’s been an eloquent and determined advocate of all that we do.
“His time as one of the best rugby referees in the world game has given him a powerful voice, one that reaches new audiences. The fact he’s chosen to use that voice to champion farming is something we are all thankful for.
“He’s championed us as individuals, too, celebrating our differences as well as our common goals. All of us who have heard Nigel talk so openly and honestly about rural loneliness, and his own struggles with mental health as a young man, have been deeply moved.
“He calls on us to respect and look after ourselves and one another as often, and as effectively, as he calls on governments and the public to respect and look after us.
“Nigel Owens is a selfless defender of Welsh and British farming, one of the faces of the industry, and a hugely deserving winner of this award.”
Tom Bradshaw, NFU president