Wolfenden Concrete scoops Agri-innovation of the Year at British Farming Awards 2026
Livestock flooring system wins top honour at British Farming Awards
A Kelbrook-based concrete manufacturer has won a national farming award for its livestock flooring system designed to improve cattle comfort and reduce lameness.
Wolfenden Concrete, which developed the AgriStride flooring range, was named Agri-innovation of the Year at the British Farming Awards 2026.
The award was presented at The Vox in Birmingham with the company's Vario hybrid livestock flooring system selected from five finalists.
Vario combines high-grip precast concrete with 40mm rubber inserts to provide secure footing for cattle while maintaining effective slurry management.
The system has been designed to address flooring-related factors associated with cattle mobility and lameness, a key welfare issue for dairy farmers.
Co-invented by Wolfenden Concrete managing director Richard Moody and his daughter Jade Drury, Vario took more than two years to develop in response to feedback from farmers.
Its patented diagonal chevron design is intended to accommodate wider passages and suspended floors, while the interchangeable rubber inserts can be replaced when worn without the need to replace the concrete base.
The AgriStride range has received around £600,000 of investment from the company and is now being used on farms across the UK.
Vario previously won the Engineering Innovation Award and Overall Innovation Award at the Great Yorkshire Show in 2024.
The latest recognition follows Wolfenden Concrete's decision to sign the GB Dairy Cow Lameness Manifesto in May 2025.
The industry initiative aims to reduce lameness prevalence to below five per cent in at least 95 per cent of British dairy herds by 2044, with housing, flooring and cow comfort among its key areas of focus.
Mr Moody said: “Vario was developed around the challenges farmers face with cattle mobility and lameness, so to see that work recognised at the British Farming Awards means a great deal.
“It's a fantastic achievement for Jade, myself and the whole team, and something we're all very proud of.”