The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, TD, today presented four leading beef farmers with awards in recognition of their exemplary role in sustainable beef production. The Origin Green Beef Sustainability Awards, organised by Bord Bia, in conjunction with the Irish Farmers Journal and Teagasc, were presented on the second day of the National Ploughing Championship taking place in Ratheniska, Co. Laois. Twelve farms demonstrating strong sustainability credentials with regard to carbon footprint, biodiversity and water management were shortlisted for the awards.
Winners were announced in four categories as follows:
- Suckler to beef category: Jonathan Greene, Levitstown, Maganey, Athy, Co. Kildare
- Suckler to weanling/store category: Tim Joyce, Ballinvoher, Turloughmore, Co. Galway
- Weanling/store to beef category: Pat Murray, Pallas, Gorey, Co. Wexford
- Dairy calf to beef category: William Morrow, Demense, Raphoe, Co. Donegal
The shortlisted farmers were selected from the membership of Bord Bia’s Quality Assurance Scheme, which includes over 43,000 beef farms. The final winners were decided following farm visits by the judging panel including representatives from Bord Bia, the Irish Farmers Journal and Teagasc.
An additional Merit Award was presented to John Kinsella, Garrycullen, Saltmills, New Ross, Co. Wexford, to acknowledge exceptional performance in meeting the criteria set out under Bord Bia’s Quality Assurance Scheme.
Speaking at the presentation of the awards, Minister Coveney said, “The Irish food industry has identified sustainability as a strong point of differentiation on the global market, a vision which is being articulated through the Origin Green brand. Credible, measurable proof points are crucial however, and our beef farmers are at the forefront in helping our food industry to achieve this ambitious plan. These awards acknowledge those farmers who are leading the way by highlighting the link between environmental sustainability and efficient beef production at farm level.”
The twelve shortlisted producers will be hosted on a 3-day beef study tour to France in 2015. Each of the category winners also received a set of farm weighing scales for their cattle handling facilities. This is a useful tool to monitor livestock performance and help make management decisions concerning feeding strategy and selection for sale.
About Origin Green
In 2012, Bord Bia introduced the industry-wide, sustainability programme,‘Origin Green’ which sees food and drink manufacturers develop a sustainable plan that sets out clear targets in key areas such as emissions, energy, waste, water, biodiversity and CSR activities. This programme, which is a world first, will see each farm and food business on a journey that is certifiable and audited on an 18-month cycle and independently assessed annually. In the beef sector, a key aspect of Origin Green is the sustainability survey that producers undertake at the time of their Quality Assurance audit. As well as providing a unique selling point for Irish beef, the feedback information from these surveys can help to further improve the farms’ efficiency. For further information visit www.origingreen.ie.
The twelve shortlisted farmers were
Suckler to Beef:
- Winner - Jonathan Greene, Levitstown House, Levitstown, Maganey, Athy, Co. Kildare
- Shortlisted - John Daly, Crura, Riverstick, Co. Cork
- Shortlisted - Michael O'Donohoe, Caherpuca, Ballyglunin, Co. Galway
Suckler to Weanling / Store:
- Winner - Tim Joyce, Ballinvoher, Turloughmore, Co. Galway
- Shortlisted - Paul Hurley, Lisheeda, Innishannon, Co. Cork
- Shortlisted - John Keena, Moyclare, Belmont, Co. Offaly
Weanling / Store to Beef:
- Winner - Pat Murray, Pallas, Gorey, Co. Wexford
- Shortlisted - Aidan Kelly, Churchpark, Taughmaconnell, Co. Roscommon
- Shortlisted - James Hoey, Drumcar, Dunleer, Co. Louth
Dairy Calf to Beef:
- Winner - William J Morrow, Demense, Raphoe, Co. Donegal
- Shortlisted - John Kinsella, Garrycullen, Saltmills, New Ross, Co. Wexford
- Shortlisted - Joseph Farrell, Coolane, Castledermot, Co. Kildare
Merit Award – Quality Assurance
- John Kinsella, New Ross, Co. Wexford