An Aberystwyth professor has been honoured with a lifetime achievement award for his contribution to the environmental and land-based industry.

Prof Wynne Jones was presented with the honour at the Gwobrau Lantra Cymru Awards.

He has spent half of his career in Aberystwyth, working at the Welsh Agricultural College in Llanbadarn and the other half of his working life, just over the border in Shropshire where he was appointed vice principal and director of research at Harper Adams University and then was appointed principal in 1996.

Prof Jones is a well-known figure in the farming world.

His personal contributions have been recognised by the industry, as in 2009 he was awarded the OBE for services to agricultural higher education. In addition, he has held many appointments to agricultural strategic boards and advisory committees because of his knowledge and expertise.

Since his retirement, he was appointed president of Future Farmers of Wales, and more recently as chair of the Farming Connect Strategic Advisory Board.

Prof Jones said: “It’s a great privilege to be honoured to tell you the truth, especially to have something in Wales, considering I’ve spent a lot of time across the border.

“There’s a lot of big changes ahead of us as an agricultural industry and the food supply chain and the development of skills, new technology, and new ways of running a business will be vitally for the future.”

See this week’s south papers for the full story, available in shops and as a digital edition on Wednesday