Teresa Brophy, Ireland Market Manager, Bord Bia – Irish Food Board

In order to mark the 50th anniversary of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Commission held the first edition of its Communication Awards in Brussels in December. The Awards aimed to identify best practice in communicating the role of agriculture and the CAP to the general public and stakeholders, and the use of innovative communication methods in this regard. 

At the Awards, the importance of depicting a real picture of agriculture and reinforcing trust in farming and the food chain was highlighted. The innovative use of social media to connect farmers to the general public was illustrated by the US ‘Farmer Style (Gangnam Style Parody)’ posted on Youtube by The Peterson Farm Brothers. It has had over 11 million viewers since it was posted in December 2012.

Agri Aware’s ‘City Farm’ at Dublin Zoo sponsored by Bord Bia took first place in the ‘Communications to the General Public’ category. In addition, the Bord Bia ‘Your Food is our Passion’ campaign for the Quality Mark was also shortlisted out of 118 entries and will be included by the EU Commission in a database which is aimed at highlighting best-practice examples in this field. 

The entries of the top three award winners in each category can be accessed by clicking here.