Paul Howlett, a tomato farmer from the Isle of Wight, has received the highly commended award at this year’s prestigious M&S ‘Farming for the Future’ awards.
Paul came runner-up in the Innovation category thanks to his work as Senior Growing Manager for APS Salads in Arreton. In his role, Paul produces a wide range of indoor-grown tomato varieties – from Slicing to Piccolini Cherry tomatoes, and everything in between.
In order to meet customer demand and produce tomatoes all year round, traditionally indoor growers have relied on sodium lamps. However, in 2011, Paul trialled the use of LED lights to increase the efficiency of production. In 2015, Paul rolled out the process over one hectare of his commercial growing area, and through this, he has significantly reduced the energy consumption at APS’ Isle of Wight site, as well as maintaining the high quality fruit, year round, for M&S customers.
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.
The awards took place at the Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells on Monday (24th July).
Paul Howlett said:
“I’m very proud to have been given the Highly Commended award in the Innovation category. It’s an absolute honour, especially as we’ve been working with M&S for many years now, and we’re very pleased to be a supplier to such a company.”
Steve McLean, Head of Agriculture and Fisheries at M&S said:
“The Farming for the Future awards are now in their tenth year, acknowledging the dedication and commitment our farmers and growers are making towards Plan A and sharing best practice amongst the agricultural community across Ireland and the UK.
“Paul is a very worthy winner who has demonstrated innovative thinking, commercial success and social responsibility in the way that he manages and executes his role.”
