Kilkenny family best in class as they scoop major award at national event

Tirlán, Ireland’s leading farmer-owned dairy and grain co-operative, is celebrating and rewarding excellence, innovation, and commitment among its family farm milk suppliers at its Dairy and Sustainability Awards.

One Kilkenny farming family is celebrating having scooped the Innovation Award, at the event. A total of 16 awards were presented across a variety of categories, from exceptional milk quality and milk solids to environmental stewardship and innovation.

Congratulations to Bryan and Gail Daniels, Bawnlusk, Cuffesgrange, winners of the Cathal Moran Innovation Award. They are pictured below. The award is presented to honour the late Tirlán Council Member and farmer Cathal Moran from Skeoughvosteen, Co Kilkenny. Pictured from (L to R) were Tirlán’s Board Member James O'Brien, John, Eli, Gail, Toby, Bryan, Shannon and Charlotte Daniels, alongside UCD Student Niall Manning and Tirlán Farm Sustainability Development Advisor Michael Hassett. Photo: Finbarr O’Rourke. Scroll down to read more...

The awards, which took place on  Tuesday, April 29, recognise the long-standing commitment of Tirlán’s dedicated suppliers to delivering high-quality, sustainably produced milk from grass-based herds across Ireland. Many farmers have been supplying Tirlán and caring for the land for several generations.

The highlight of the afternoon was the announcement of the Byrne family from near Dungarvan in Waterford as Tirlán Milk Supplier of the Year. The award recognises their outstanding performance across the board in a variety of areas, key among them milk quality, sustainability, and animal welfare.

John and Mary Byrne from Coolnasmear, Dungarvan took the top award and the Milk Solids Champions title. The South Region Award went to John Kirwan Jnr who farms at Ballycashin, Butlerstown, Waterford.

John Murphy, Chairperson of Tirlán, congratulated all recipients: “These awards are a celebration of the passion, care, and innovation that our family farm suppliers bring to their work every day. It all starts on the family farm and it’s about so much more than milk. It’s about the family farm business. It’s about values, progress and pride in doing the right thing.

“The quality of Irish milk and of our Irish family farm model based on grass-fed is our unique selling point around the globe. It’s something we’re very proud of and it is winning us new markets and new customers every day. Our R&D and innovation teams are adding value to this quality milk, allowing us to deliver nutritious food and ingredients solutions for our customers as well as enhanced, consistent market opportunities for our suppliers. Congratulations to our overall Milk Supplier of the Year and to all our category winners for raising the bar for Irish dairy.”

Seán Molloy, CEO of Tirlán, added: “We are incredibly proud of our suppliers and their commitment to quality and sustainability. They are the reason our products are trusted across Ireland and around the world. Working with our suppliers, we continue focus on innovation, enhancing biodiversity, protecting our waterways, embracing new technology and new ways of working to reduce carbon. Our strong focus on farming with nature and animal welfare ensures we are building a better, more resilient future for Irish dairy.”

Tirlán family farm suppliers have a long heritage of delivering the highest quality milk from well-managed, grass-fed herds for consumers to enjoy through many award-winning products, including the number one dairy brand, Avonmore.

Suppliers have also been exceptional adopters of new technologies and continue to further enhance sustainability on their farms through a focus on reducing on-farm emissions and allowing space for nature. Over 99% of Tirlán milk suppliers are signed up to the cooperative’s Sustainability Action Payments initiative.

Just last year, Tirlán became the first company to achieve Origin Green Gold Membership five years in a row. It is the highest form of membership a company can attain in any given year, highlighting its excellence in sustainable food production. Click NEXT for more...