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Search Starts for Ireland’s Top Dairy Farmer - Nominations invited for NDC Quality Milk Awards
Pictured at the 2009 QMA Winner, Brochan Cocoman's farm in Kill, Co. Kildare are (L-R) Dominic Cronin, Chairman, NDC; Helen Brophy, CEO, NDC; and Brochan Cocoman.
Nominations are now invited for the 2010 National Dairy Council Quality Milk Awards. Dairy co-ops in the Republic of Ireland have until 30th April 2010 to nominate their top dairy farmers for this year’s national awards, which aim to identify and reward high standards of milk production.
The overall winning farmer will receive a prize of €5,000 and the National Dairy Council Quality Milk Awards perpetual trophy. It is also at the discretion of the judges each year to select whether category prizes will be awarded – for instance in areas such as care of the environment or best family/small farm.
This is the second year that the Quality Milk Awards has run with support from the National Dairy Council. The national winner in 2009 was Brochan Cocoman from Kilwarden, Kill, Naas, Co Kildare, a supplier of liquid milk to Glanbia. A national category award was also presented in 2009 to manufacturing milk supplier Michael O’Donovan from Gurranes, Ballineen, Co Cork, who supplies Lisavaird Co-op.
Judging Panel
National judges for the NDC Awards are Professor Paddy Wall, Associate Professor of Public Health at UCD; Dr David Gleeson, Milk Quality Research, Teagasc; and Jack Kennedy, Dairy Editor, Irish Farmers Journal.
Submitting Nominations
Co-ops may nominate farmers living in and farming in the Republic of Ireland who are producing liquid or manufacturing milk.
The minimum qualifying standard for entry is average TBC 20,000 or less/ml average per month; and average SCC 250,000 or less/ml with no count over 400,000 ml in any given month of the year in question. Further information about rules and the number of nominees which can be submitted by dairy co-ops are published in full on the entry forms.
Entry forms have been distributed to dairy co-ops, with a closing date of 30th April 2010 for this year’s awards. Additional entry forms are available if needed from the NDC on 01-616 9726 and can be downloaded from our website by clicking on the following - Nomination Form / On Farm Checklist
The judges will initially select a short list based on the entry form details. The judges will then visit and inspect the farms of the finalists in order to select the overall national winner.
“The NDC Quality Milk Awards create an opportunity to showcase to consumers the top quality of dairy farming in the Republic of Ireland help to build awareness about the dairy farmers who are behind our local dairy brands,” says Dominic Cronin, Chairman of the National Dairy Council.
“From a farming perspective, these Awards provide a valuable platform for co-ops to highlight to their own suppliers the technical requirements, standards and techniques which drive top quality milk production,” said Mr. Cronin. “We were delighted with the level of interest in the NDC Quality Milk Awards last year, from farmers themselves as well as their co-ops – and we would like to encourage as broad an entry as is possible within the criteria and minimum standards.”
For further information please contact Antonina Ni Dhuinn, Progress Communications on 01-276 6117 or nina@progresspr.ie