A DAIRY farm near Yate has won a prestigious award for using innovative farming methods.

Brothers Mike and Chris King, who run Laddenside Farm in Iron Acton, scooped the award at this year's Royal Welsh Show during the Marks & Spencer Select Farm Awards ceremony.

The fourth-generation dairy farmers were praised for their 'outstanding efforts' in promoting animal well-being. 

The brothers renovated an old site in 2012 to house a purpose-built modern dairy unit with a strong focus on animal health and welfare.

They incorporated cow comfort into every aspect, from cubicle and bedding design to calving areas and have used natural airflow instead of fans. 

Mike said: “The milking parlour features a sprinkler system to keep the cows cool in summer.

“It uses larger water droplets instead of mist, which is more effective at cooling. 

“There were none available in the UK, only in America, so we collaborated with a glasshouse company to create a bespoke unit.”

Gazette Series: Chris and Mike King at their dairy farm Chris and Mike King at their dairy farm (Image: Marks & Spencer)

Gazette Series: Mike and Chris King with their award and Steve McLean from M&SMike and Chris King with their award and Steve McLean from M&S (Image: Marks & Spencer)

Steve McLean, head of agriculture and fisheries at M&S, said: "Every day, our select farmers and suppliers go to extraordinary lengths to deliver great quality M&S food, while demonstrating best-in-class innovation, animal welfare, sustainability, and biodiversity.

"We are extremely proud of the dedicated farmers in the M&S milk pool that work to industry-leading standards and Mike and Chris are fantastic examples of a business that is working at the highest level. 

“With top-tier health and welfare results and the lowest carbon footprint in the pool, Mike and Chris are embracing new technologies and investing in cutting-edge facilities to enable them to continually improve."

As the regional winner of the innovation award, Mike and Chris received a certificate and M&S hamper at the M&S stand during this year’s Royal Welsh Show in Builth Wells. 

Mike and Chris have also collaborated with Nottingham University and various consultants to advance health and welfare research. 

The pair say they are also committed to reducing their carbon footprint through regenerative agriculture techniques such as minimal soil disturbance and direct drilling. 

They employ twin cropping on certain fields to enhance biodiversity and invertebrate numbers, reducing monocultures.