George MacKay has won this year’s British Potato Industry Award for his leading role in potato breeding and genetic research over a 40-year career. 

The award was presented by Potato Council chair Fiona Fell at the biennial Seed Industry Event in Crieff, Perthshire on Tuesday (25 November).

Paying tribute to MacKay, she said:

“During his career, he has o verseen the introduction of new forms of scientific research and has collaborated with a wide range of em inent international scientists whilst supervising many research students.His published articles are testament to his contribution to the advances of our industry’s scientific understanding not only of breeding but across many key factors affecting the crop”.

Beginning with a BSc from Newcastle University in agricultural botany and plant science and an MSc in applied genetics from Birmingham University, Mr MacKay was appointed to the research staff of the Scottish Plant Breeding Station (SPBS) at Pentlandfield near Edinburgh in 1967.

He became head of the potato breeding research unit in the early 1980s.
During this time he streamlined breeding by ensuring it had a sound genetic underpinning, while greatly expanding its scale.
After the merger of SPBS and the Scottish Horticultural Institute into SCRI, now the James Hutton Institute, he was involved in the selection and submission of over 40 potato varieties to the National List.
He later helped build partnerships with the private sector through the institute’s newly created commercial subsidiary, Mylnefield Research Services.
During this time he co-authored over 50 published scientific papers and presentations, and co-edited the book Potato Genetics in 1994, with John Bradshaw.
He has also served as Honorary Lecturer at the Universities of St Andrews and Dundee, and was a member of the British Association of Plant Breeders, the EU Workshop on the Conservation of Old Potato Varieties, and of the editorial board of Heredity.
In 1998, MacKay was elected president of the Potato Section of Eucarpia (European Association of Plant Breeding), and was awarded an MBE in 2001.
George was awarded an MBE for his contribution to plant breeding.