A GWENT farmer who was one of the leaders of 2000's fuel protests is the winner of a regional dairy industry award.

David Handley, who runs a Jersey dairy herd at Llangovan, near Raglan, with his wife Marilyn, was presented with the annual award at the Bath and West Dairy Show dinner.

The award was presented by Sophie, Countess of Wessex, in recognition of Mr Handley's outstanding contribution to the dairy industry over the past few years.

In addition to his farming commitments, Mr Handley is chairman of the lobby group Farmers for Action, which campaigns for fair prices for producers in all sectors of British agriculture.