A FORMER Sampford Courtenay resident has snapped up a prestigious award recognising her as the 'Dairy Industry Young Achiever of the Year'.

Talented cattle photographer Lucinda Morgan, 27, was presented the Holstein UK President's Medal award at the 2009 Semex Dairy Conference last week.

Lucinda, whose father owns a farm in Sampford Courtenay, now lives near Axbridge in Somerset and is part of the Devon Holstein Young Breeders.

Lucinda was chosen from three finalists as the winner of the award, which was presented by Holstein UK president Ken Proctor.

A runner-up in last year's final, Lucinda was brought up on the family farm in South Wales and took a keen interest in showing calves at local club shows from an early age.

Lucinda holds a national diploma in Agriculture from Golden Grove College and has shown considerable talent in the field of cattle photography — she trained with professional cattle photographer Sheila Metcalfe and was awarded the 'Rachel Sneesby Memorial Trust' photographic bursary in 2005.

Lucinda said: 'I am absolutely delighted to receive this award. I know how talented my fellow nominees are and recognise that the standard of entrants is consistently high, so for me this is a huge achievement.

'This award is widely recognised as an important means of commending the youth of the industry for all their hard work and commitment, and I am extremely grateful to both Semex and Holstein UK for this recognition and the opportunity to visit the world's largest dairy events.'

Speaking at the conference, Semex UK's Peter Arthur said: 'The calibre of nominees is extremely high this year and as always the task of choosing the overall winner proved to be a challenging one.

'However, there is no doubt that Lucinda is a most deserving winner. She has really impressed us with her commitment to the dairy industry and it is heartening to see her efforts rewarded.'

Along with the award, Lucinda will receive a trip to the Royal Winter Fair 2009 in Toronto, worth more than £1,000.

For more information on Devon Holstein Young Breeders contact Lucinda on 07966 568486.