Homegrown talent nominated for farming award

Tuesday 25 June 2019

A local organic farmer receiving high praise in his ‘field’ has been nominated for an award celebrating sustainable farming and produce.

With the ‘growing’ focus on sustainability and organic methods in the farming industry, the Soil Association’s Best of Organic Market (BOOM) awards aim to celebrate those who are breaking new ground.

Justin Le Gresley of Anneville Farm in St. Martin has been nominated by members of the public for the prestigious farming award. Justin’s vision for the farm is to ensure that they are constantly thinking about best ecological practice. 

Perched above Anne Port, Anneville Farm boasts 48 acres where only seasonal vegetables are allowed to grow. While Justin and his family used to export to the UK and Europe, including 6.5 tonnes of chilli one year, they have recently been focusing on the local market.

One of the changes Justin has made since moving back to work on his parents’ farm is replacing all plastic packaging with plant-based bags which are biodegradable and compostable. This is part of the farm’s efforts to get certified by the Soil Association as it transitions to a fully organic operation. 

Pictured: The farm has ditched plastic in a bid to get its Soil Association organic accreditation.

Now, Justin has been shortlisted for the ‘Best Organic Farmer’ award alongside four other finalists.

Of making the shortlist, Justin told Express: “This came as a great surprise but is a huge encouragement for us here at Anneville Farm. We have been working hard to build supply of local, seasonal, fresh produce for a long time now so it is great to have been nominated and recognised for our work, we still have a lot of work to do but good to know we are heading in the right direction."

“We are not quite fully certified organic yet but will hopefully gain this certification in December following a two-year transition period, so still a lot experimenting and learning to do as we steward the land we cultivate," he added.

Justin will be heading to London this week to attend the BOOM Awards Ceremony.