Edward Adamson received a MBE in the King’s Birthday Honours list thanks to his work with the National Sheep Association. The local man has decades of experience in the industry, and runs the family farm at Kilroot along with his son. “My grandfather came to the area from Ballyclare direction in the 1920s, so I’m the third generation farming here,” he said.
“I’ve always enjoyed it; when I left school, I couldn’t wait to get out onto the farm.” Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with an ad-lite subscription to NorthernIrelandWorld, you get 70% fewer ads while viewing the news that matters to you. Edward has held a number of roles with the NSA’s regional branch, which was established in the mid 1980s.
“I was chairman in 1997-98, and then secretary; that grew into Northern Ireland development officer and regional manager. I always thought the sheep sector needed someone to fight our cause.” The role has been an immensely varied one, with Edward representing the interests of NI’s sheep farmers across the globe, including Russia, New Zealand and mainland Europe.
He has been involved in the transportation of sheep embryos to the USA as part of ongoing work to introduce a greater diversity of breeds to America. In 2000, Edward founded the Antrim Quality Lamb Group, of which he remains a director. Advertisement Advertisement He was also involved in the establishment of the Samuel Wharry award, a travel bursary set up in memory of former NSA Chairman, Sam.
