A MEMBER of a West Oxfordshire farming family has won a national award for her expertise in crop protection.

Caroline Smith, whose parents Alan and Anne own Kingham Hill Farm, near Chipping Norton, was presented with the Barrie Orme Shield, which is given each year to the best candidate for the BASIS certificate in crop protection, at a ceremony at the Farmers Club in London.

Caroline came top out of more than 200 candidates entered for the qualification this year.

She received the award from Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board chairman Peter Kendall, a past president of the National Farmers’ Union.

Miss Smith works as a regional business manager and adviser for international agricultural chemicals company Dow AgroSciences, which has one of its two UK offices at Milton Park, near Didcot.