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‘SAM MAGUIRE’ OF DAIRY FARMING AWARDED
Our Top Dairy Farmer Started Out With One Pig…

The overall winners of the 2011 National Dairy Council Quality Milk Awards are dairy farmers Michael & Thomas Enright from Ballynorth, Askeaton, Co Limerick.

The father and son are suppliers of milk to Kerry Agribusiness. They were presented with the NDC perpetual cup and a €5,000 prize by special guest Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh at the NDC national awards ceremony in Dublin’s RDS on 11th October, 2011. The judges also commemorated the Enrights as the Top Manufacturing Milk Suppliers in the national competition, which sets out to identify and reward our top dairy farmers.

The Dairy Farm that Started with One Pig ..... click here for their story

National Runners Up & winners of the Top Liquid Milk Supplier Category Award, are Michael & Gerard Gowing from Kilminchy, Portlaoise, Co Laois (suppliers of milk to Glanbia)

A total of 11 farmers from 8 counties were commemorated for excellence in the 2011 NDC Quality Milk Awards:

• Michael, Loretta & Thomas Enright from Ballynorth, Askeaton, Co Limerick (suppliers of milk to Kerry Agribusiness) - Overall winners of the 2011 National Dairy Council Quality Milk Awards & Top Manufacturing Milk Supplier Category Award
• Michael, Kitty & Gerard Gowing from Kilminchy, Portlaoise, Co Laois (suppliers of milk to Glanbia) - National Runners Up (2011) & Top Liquid Milk Supplier Category Award
• Tommy & Emma Culloty from Tralee, Co Kerry (Lee Strand Co-op) - Judges’ Award for Excellence in Fresh Milk
• Michael & Una Cully from Carrowreagh, Tubbercurry, Co Sligo (Connacht Gold Co-op) - Judges’ Award for Diligence
• Daragh & Claire Kennedy from Kippagh, Dunmanway, Co Cork (Lisavaird Co-op) - Judges’ Award for Low SCC
• Charles & Davina McCandless from Lisnacara, Culduff, Co Donegal (Donegal Creameries) - Judges’ Award for Sustainable Use of Existing Facilities
• Donal & Anne McCarthy from Bishopland, Drimoleague, Co Cork (Drinagh Co-op) - Judges’ Award for Sustainable Breeding Strategy
• Vanessa & David O’Connor from Russell Hill, Upton, Co Cork (Bandon Co-op) - Judges’ Award for Milk Quality In a Herd Under 50 Cows
• John, Joan & PJ O’Keeffe from Court-na-Boola, Callan, Co Kilkenny (Callan Co-op) - Judge’s Award for Sustainable Development
• Norman & Colette Tuthill from Brookfield, Burleigh, Bandon, Co Cork (Barryroe Co-op) - Judges’ Award for Year Round Protein Excellence
• Paschal & Irene Walsh from Ardbash House, Edenderry, Co Offaly (Glanbia/ Virginia) - Judges’ Award for Facilities

Speaking at the awards ceremony in the RDS, NDC Chief Executive Zoë Kavanagh said that consumers in this country enjoy extremely high standards of food quality and food safety assurance.

“It is absolutely fitting that we should reward the continuous everyday dedication that achieves such high standards in dairy farming - within a national award programme that takes into account the broad components of excellence, including animal welfare, care of the environment, efficiencies and sustainability as well as the quality of the milk,” said Ms. Kavanagh.

“Identifying excellence in dairy farming drives high standards but also gives us role models for the many young farmers who are recognising that Irish agribusiness now looks set to make a very important contribution to our economic recovery.”

Reputation Must Be Maintained to Support Exports

Ms. Kavanagh said that despite the economic conditions of 2010, total dairy exports rose by an estimated 17% to €2.3 billion last year. “Consumers at home benefit from the high quality pasture based farming systems we are lucky enough to have – but we can only win and increase our export business if the quality of the product is right and also if there is confidence in the product on the domestic market.”

Ms. Kavanagh said that the NDC has concerns about the potential reputational issues that could take years to reverse if the Broadcasting Authority proceeds with its proposals to ban the advertising of cheese to children under the age of 18, potentially categorising cheese as ‘junk food’ because the nutrient model the BAI proposes to use does not fully take into account many of the positive nutrients in cheese.

“This has the potential to cause significant confusion amongst consumers at home; but could also send a very negative message to our export markets,” said Ms. Kavanagh. She confirmed that the NDC has made a formal nutrition-based submission to the BAI calling for an exemption for cheese from the BAI’s new proposed Code.
“This should be an exciting time for the dairy sector with a growing sense of optimism after a long period of economic hardship for many Irish farmers,” said Ms. Kavanagh.

Ms. Kavanagh said that The National Dairy Council is constantly working to support milk and dairy products in the Republic of Ireland as part of a balanced diet and in line with Government dietary guidelines with an extensive amount of work undertaken by the NDC nutritional team based on up-to-date scientific information, which involves engaging with consumers and many specialist audiences such as health professionals on a daily basis.

Gratitude

At the NDC Awards Ceremony, National Dairy Council Chairman, Jackie Cahill, thanked all of the dairy co-ops who took time to select and submit nominations for this year’s awards and offered congratulations to all of the finalists and winners.

Mr. Cahill also extended particular thanks to the national judges for the NDC Quality Milk Awards for the considerable investment in time that goes into assessing the detailed technical results and physically visiting the farms of all of the finalists. The judges 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.

 

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Media Enquiries to:
Antonina Ni Dhuinn, Progress Communications | 01-276 6117 | nina[at]progresspr[dot]ie | www.progresspr.ie

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