LORD Don Curry of Kirkharle has been honoured by his peers with a lifetime achievement award.

It’s the latest in a long line of accolades that recognises Lord Curry’s long and distinguished contribution to agriculture.

The writer, broadcaster and former Conservative MP Gyles Brandreth presented Lord Curry with his accolade at the annual Farmers Weekly Awards at Grosvenor House in Park Lane.

A spokesman said: “Lord Don Curry is a name that’s known across agriculture. Fellow farmers, companies, organisations, charities and politicians respect him as a man who has been a tireless advocate of the industry.

“Whether it’s at home on his Northumberland farm or in the House of Lords, where he’s been a crossbench life peer since 2011, Lord Curry of Kirkharle has always been a champion of farmers.”

Best known for his role chairing the Policy Commission on the Future of Farming and Food following the devastating outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001, the resulting recommendations became known simply as ‘The Curry Report’.

Knighted in 2001, ‘Sir Don’, who lives with his wife Lady Rhoda near Barrasford, was chairman of the Meat and Livestock Commission, helping steer the beef sector through the 1996 BSE crisis. He was also chairman of NFU Mutual. He has been chairman of the Prince’s Countryside Fund (PCF) charity since 2015.

PCF director Claire Saunders described him as “quite simply the wisest, brightest, kindest and most creative and energetic person it has ever been my privilege to work with”.

Meanwhile, Curry commission member Mark Tinsley said: “He is articulate, but he also listens to people. He knows the industry inside out.”

“‘Good’ is a word that is rather overused, but it’s absolutely the right word for him. He is a really good man – not just in terms of what he does for the industry, but what he does in his personal life. He cares about people. That’s why people admire him and will work for him.”

This sentiment chimes with the citation made by professor Patrick Chinnery, when the then Sir Donald was awarded an honourary doctorate at Newcastle University in 2008 in recognition of his “outstanding contribution to British farming and his equally important charitable work”.

It described how his “insight, vision and industry has reshaped British farming” and talked of his “remarkable ability to find solutions to complex problems”.