Top honour for A-A veteran

Aberdeen-Angus cattle breeder William McLaren, of Netherton Farm, Blackford, Perthshire, is the 2011 recipient of one of the livestock industry's most prestigious prizes, the Sir William Young Award, from the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.

Born at Netherton in 1932, William McLaren followed his father and grandfather in to breeding Angus cattle - he has twice been president of the Aberdeen-Angus Cattle Society- and has developed Netherton into one of the world's most progressive embryo transfer herds.

• The new chairman designate of the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland is Allan Murray, Redden, Kelso.

He was elected at this month's meeting of the board of directors and in July 2012 will become chairman, the first time in the society's history that a previous chairman has been re-elected for a full second term, having served in the position in 2006-8. He will succeed Fife farmer J A Clark Stewart, Kininmonth, Cupar, who was re-elected to serve the second year of his term as chairman.