A rising young star in the north-east poultry sector has won a prestigious scholarship.
Hazel Kennedy – a second-year student at SRUC from Longside, near Peterhead – is one of two students to win an annual scholarship from international poultry breeding company Aviagen.
The firm, which is based in Huntsville, Alabama, US, is the world’s leading poultry breeding company and renowned for producing high performance broiler chickens.
It has operations across the UK, Europe, Turkey, Latin America, India, Australia, New Zealand and the US.
The scholarship will enable Ms Kennedy to spend a year working with the firm.
“This is an important opportunity for me,” said Ms Kennedy, whose family keep 8,000 free-range hens to supply eggs to north-east egg business Farmlay.
“Gaining a year’s practical experience with such a key placer in the international poultry sector will be exciting and invaluable.”
SRUC professor of poultry science, Nick Sparks, said: “I was delighted to learn of Hazel’s success in gaining this prestigious award. The experience gained at a world-leading breeding company, underpinned by SRUC’s teaching programme and her obvious enthusiasm and drive, will stand Hazel in excellent stead in the future.”
An Aviagen spokesman said: “Our aim is to raise the profile of the poultry industry and encourage young adults into the sector by awarding an annual scholarship, we are delighted to welcome Hazel to undertake this fantastic opportunity.”
Ms Kennedy will start her year working with the company in August, before returning to SRUC’s Craibstone campus to complete her degree next year.