Retired UCC Professor and former MEP, Tom Raftery has received a special award from the Agricultural Science Association (ASA) for his outstanding contribution to the profession of agriculture and to the agriculture and food industry.

The ASA Distinguished Members Award, which is sponsored by AIB, was presented to Professor Raftery at the 2007 ASA annual conference in Trim. Professor Maurice Boland, Head of the UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine summarised Professor Raftery's long and distinguished career in the following citation.

Pictured making the presentation to Professor Tom Raftery at the ASA Conference Banquet, held on Thursday 13th September 2007, in Trim, Co. Meath, were Professor Maurice Boland, Head of the UCD School of Agriculture, Food Science and Veterinary Medicine, Michael Dowling, AIB, sponsors, Professor Tom Raftery and ASA President, Dr Dermot Ruane.

"Tom Raftery has given more than 50 years superb service to the agriculture and food industry and to his country.

"He was born on a mixed tillage and dairy farm in Galway. In 1956, he graduated with an honours degree in agricultural science from UCD. Having worked for two years in soils and grassland research at Johnstown Castle in Wexford, he returned to UCD to pursue a post-graduate degree in animal production.

"In 1960, he spent a year studying European agriculture, concentrating particularly on Holland and Denmark. On his return, he was appointed Lecturer in Agriculture in UCD. A year later, he played a key role, in conjunction with the late Professor J B Ruane, in buying the 1400 acres Lyons Estate for UCD. The purchase price was 100,000 pounds.

"Having fixed UCD up with all the resources it needed, he left Lyons Estate in 1964 and was appointed Professor of Agriculture in University College Cork. He had then reached the ripe old age of 31. For more than three decades, his name was synonymous not just with the Faculty of Food Science but also with the many achievements of UCC.

"He served as a Governor of the College for four successive terms and also held the position of College Vice-President. He was also a guiding force behind the establishment of the Centre for Co-operative Studies at UCC and was the centre's first Chairman. At national level, he served on the Council of the Agricultural Institute and as a member of the Higher Education Authority.

"He was also the chief architect behind UCC's purchase of the Fota Estate in Cork and in subsequently persuading Dublin Zoo to join with UCC in establishing a wildlife park in Fota. He is still a member of the Zoological Society of Ireland, the body responsible for running Dublin Zoo and Fota wildlife park.

"In 1984, his career took a different direction when he was elected as a Member of the European Parliament for the constituency of Munster. During his five years in the Parliament, he took a particular interest, not surprisingly, in the food industry. He was the architect of a major report on the European food industry and also took a strong stand against the hormone ban and was one of just eight parliamentarians who produced a minority report arising out of the Committee of Enquiry into Meat Quality.

"Following his term in the European Parliament, he returned to national politics and in 1989 was elected as a member of Seanad Eireann where he served until 1992", concluded Professor Maurice Boland.