Clyde Higgs Undergraduate Scholarship & Jerman Scholarship: Aimee Smith

 Aimee Smith, 21 from Stafford, is a final year BSc Agriculture student and a recipient of Clyde Higgs Scholarship and a Jerman Scholarship.

“I applied for the Clyde Higgs Scholarship funded by The Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust in order to further my knowledge on the production of British produce; incorporating food safety, traceability and high standards of animal welfare.”

Aimee will use her scholarship to broaden her knowledge of Brexit with regards to the impact it will have on food produce, she said, “During times of great uncertainty with regards to Brexit and trade deals leading to the possible imports of chlorinated chicken or hormone injected beef, the food industry is a fascinating place to be. Therefore, I am using the scholarship money to enhance my awareness of Brexit, the impact of the Agricultural Bill and impact of future trade deals. I also hope to use the award to help conduct my dissertation, looking at the impact of visual blood at stunning on Cattle. I hope that this piece of work will now have a real benefit to the industry.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the support of the Elizabeth Creak Charitable Trust for this scholarship, which will help me not only during my final year of study but also to help me strive towards a career within the food industry as a Technical Manager. The scholarship award is not only fantastic but to have the backing of members within the industry is extremely encouraging.

“Agriculture has always been in my blood, working on my parent’s small Suckler farm, previously a dairy farm with 30 cows milked in stalls by my grandfather. Although I had a passion for agriculture, it wasn’t until I worked for my neighbours, Mr & Mrs Wilson, on their large scale commercial Suckler farm that I realised the opportunities available for women in agriculture. Igniting my drive to gain as much on farm practical knowledge in order for me to be accepted into Harper Adams University to study Agriculture.

“With a background in beef production and an interest in animal welfare and meat quality, I undertook my placement at ABP Langport. Based in the technical department, I was responsible for monitoring site compliance across all aspects including animal welfare, traceability and food safety.

“Following my placement year at ABP, I now wish to pursue a career in a technical role within the beef processing industry. My passion for maintaining high UK food standards whilst providing consumers with consistently high-quality meat products has directed me to a career as a Technical manager.

“My main passion lies in UK meat production and the impact of on-farm and processing decisions on meat quality and safety. British meat production is of the highest quality on the global platform. It is vital we embrace and promote our produce not only to our domestic market but to also develop export relations both within and outside of the EU. UK production of most meat products is more expensive compared to our international peers due to our high standards of welfare. Therefore, it is important that we embrace new technology and research in order to compete with other nations on a competitive commercial scale. Since the Brexit decision on the 23^rd June 2016 and the uncertainty that it has left in its wake, I feel now more than ever we must promote our high-quality produce and demonstrate the care we have for our livestock.”