Lintz Hall up for agricultural Oscar

A County Durham-based egg producer has been shortlisted in the Poultry Farmer of the Year category in the 2013 Farmers Weekly Awards.

Regarded as the “Oscars of the agricultural world,” the competition is now in its ninth year and aims to recognise farmers for innovation, commitment and hard work.

Brothers Richard and Stephen Tulip run the farm at Burnopfield which coincidentally is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Richard, 36, who is sales and marketing director, and Stephen, 40, production director, will find out on October 3 at a glittering ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London’s Park Lane if they have done enough to beat the two other egg producers from West Sussex and Aberystwyth in Wales, shortlisted in their category.

But winning would cap off a remarkable last 12 months for the venture which had its genesis with Richard and Stephen’s great grandfather George.

Last September Lintz Hall bought out Northumberland-based Sunny Hill Free Range Eggs at Belford which also included the Oxenrig brand. And just before Christmas last year the Tulips acquired another 100 acre farm complete with 12,000 bird free range unit just a mile from their current base in the heart of the Derwent Valley.

The RSPCA Freedom Food and British Lion Code approved company which supplies Asda, Morrisons, Tesco, Nisa and Costcutter in the North East, Borders and South East Scotland as well as scores of independent outlets with its Lintz Hall Premier Quality and Derwent Valley egg brands, is now home to nearly 300,000 hens.

They are also the sole supplier of locally produced free range eggs to both Tesco and Asda throughout the North East. And recently they received a local supplier award from Asda for ‘active sales growth,’ while they have seen their ‘Large’ pack of six Derwent Valley Free Range Eggs achieve the highest unit rate of sale in Tesco nationally.

Last night Richard said he and Stephen were “surprised and humbled” to have been shortlisted in the Farmers Weekly awards, which in total will see 45 businesses across 15 categories including pig, beef, sheep, dairy and arable farmers of the year, competing to be named the best of the best on the night.

Richard said: “The Farmers Weekly awards celebrate the best of British producers and are highly coveted and respected being judged by experts in both farming and retail circles.

“Just to have made the shortlist – and to know that you were nominated by your peers – is extraordinarily exciting and helps you stand out against your competitors.

“To win would be phenomenal after what has already been an incredible last 12 months for Lintz Hall Farm, and would help to push a business that has been quietly growing and improving for six decades onto a whole new plane.

“It makes retailers sit up and take notice, opens doors that might otherwise have been closed to you and helps raise awareness about you and your business.

“History has shown that those people who have been shortlisted and then gone on to win have gone from strength-to-strength. We are already well down that road.”

He added: “But perhaps more importantly this nomination reflects well on the hard work and dedication of everyone here at Lintz Hall. Without them this business could not and would not survive.

“Stephen and I are very much looking forward to going to the awards ceremony in October and hopefully bringing back the winner’s trophy to the North East.”