Welshman elected chairman of CARAS
W I Cyril Davies, the newly-elected chairman of the Council for Awards of Royal Agricultural Societies.
The Council for Awards of Royal Agricultural Societies (CARAS), the body which recognises through its award scheme distinguished achievement in agriculture and related land-based industries, has appointed a Welshman as its chairman for the next two years.
W I Cyril Davies of Lampeter, Ceredigion, is the latest representative from Wales to become chairman of the organisation since its was established in 1983 by the UK’s four national agricultural societies – the Royal of England, the Royal Highland, the Royal Ulster and the Royal Welsh.
Mr Davies, who has worked as an adviser to the farming industry in Wales for 40 years, was one of the four directors of ADAS who formed the management buy-out team when the agency was privatised in 1997. Subsequently, as Executive Director of ADAS Holdings Ltd until his retirement in 2000, he was responsible for all ADAS research and development centres and farms in England and Wales with 450 staff and a turnover of £25m.
Mr Davies is a member of the board of management of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society and a member of the Wales Assembly Farmers Appeals Panel. He is a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies and has been involved in setting up most of the grassland societies in Wales. He is an Honorary Life Member of the British Grassland Society of which he was president from 1987 to 1988 and in 1994 received the BGS Award for his outstanding contribution to grassland knowledge.
CARAS awards embrace not only practical farming and the development of new husbandry practices, but also research, technology, economics, education, communication and administration. A Fellowship of the Royal Agricultural Societies (FRAgS) or an Associateship (ARAgS) is a recognition of outstanding contributions to the understanding, efficiency and well-being of agriculture and 1025 individuals have had their contributions recognised by a FRAgS or ARAgS award. At present there are 646 Fellows and 379 Associates.
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