Award Honor For James

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A pig-industry stalwart with a passion for bringing new technology to the sector is the winner of this year’s Royal Northern Agricultural Society (RNAS) David Argo unsung hero award.

This year’s recipient of the award, which recognises an unsung hero employed in the agricultural sector, is James Buckingham.

The 69-year-old hails from Windsor and studied agricultural engineering at Reading University.

He moved to Scotland in 1976 to work for the East of Scotland College of Agriculture, advising farmers on how to select tractors, before moving to work on environmental control in livestock buildings.

“I was both teaching and advising farmers and got involved in the pig and poultry industry,” said Mr Buckingham.

“Eventually, I got another job at the North of Scotland College of Agriculture at Craibstone and I became a buildings adviser, specialising in environmental control.

“I moved to the college in 1983 and we put our roots down in the north-east.”

After a stint working at specialist agricultural buildings company Rapid Construction, Mr Buckingham set out on his own, establishing his own business in 1988.

Fast forward 30 years and the business now has another partner in the form of James’s son-in-law, Adam Charles.

“It’s quite a niche business,” said Mr Buckingham.

“I started off doing what I could, ventilating pig units, and then very rapidly, I got involved in introducing liquid feeding to the pig farmers in the north-east of Scotland.”

The business focuses mainly on pigs, with a small proportion of poultry clients, and the customer base stretches from near Dundee in the south to Tain in the north.

“I have come from the academic side to the practical implementation of these things and ideas – Every project we do is a highlight, getting it working. That’s what I really enjoy,” said Mr Buckingham, when asked what he enjoys most about his job.

“And I do enjoy working out how something should be done, and then seeing it get done. Every new project we do is a highlight, especially when you get it going and working.

“But with pressure and knowing work has to be done, you don’t have long to enjoy the glory of something working.”

Mr Buckingham’s constant dedication to his clients and his efforts to improve the pig industry were all given as reasons for him winning the unsung hero accolade, in the citations submitted along with his award nomination.

One citation reads: “I feel James is deserving of this award due to his dedication to the pig industry in a selfless manner, putting his customers and their pigs before himself and even his long-suffering wife and now grown-up family.”

Another describes him as someone with a “rare mix of technical knowhow and practical experience”.

It continues: “James has always managed to come to the rescue when problems arise and is willing to attend anytime day or night.”

In another citation, Mr Buckingham is described as the pig industry’s “goto guy” for all things relating to buildings and ventilation.

It adds: “Nothing is ever too much trouble for Jim, and challenges are met with a cheery response.

“The result of Jim’s unseen effort is that the north-east pig industry is amongst the most productive in the UK.”

Another reads: “James has been integral to my progressive pig units across the north-east for many years.

“And often what helps them be progressive is the input from Jim. His depth of knowledge of ventilation and feeding systems is, in my opinion, second to none.”

Mr Buckingham will receive his award at a special celebration lunch on Friday November 2 at the Jury’s Inn at Aberdeen Airport.

The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire), 27 Oct 2018, BY GEMMA MACKENZIE