Farming: Tirlán honours outstanding Waterford suppliers at Dairy and Sustainability Awards
John and Mary Byrne, Coolnasmear, Dungarvan, won the Tirlán Milk Solids Champion Award. Pictured, from left, were Tirlán Milk Solids Growth Programme Manager Bryan Harte, Eamon, John, Mary, Molly and Mary Byrne, and Tirlán Vice Chairperson Ger O'Brien. Photo: Finbarr O'Rourke
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.
The awards, which took place today 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.
A total of 16 awards were presented across a variety of categories, from exceptional milk quality and milk solids to environmental stewardship and innovation.
The highlight of the afternoon was the announcement of the Byrne family from near Dungarvan 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.
Daniel O’Brien from DJ O’Brien & Sons from Tallow was singled out for his dedication and rewarded with the Milk Driver Recognition Award.
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 to 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.”
John and Mary Byrne from Coolnasmear, Dungarvan, were presented with the Milk Supplier of the Year award. John is the fifth generation to farm there and says the family farm is very special to him.
“We put huge emphasis on animal health, whether it be the calves or the cows. We try to keep their nutrition right at all times. Grass is number one and we try to get as much quality grass into them as we can.
“If we don’t look after this country and this earth, nobody else is going to. We have to keep things right on farm.
"The vast majority of farmers are doing that and doing it very well.”
Tirlán family farm suppliers have a long heritage of delivering high quality milk from well-managed, grass-fed herds for consumers to enjoy through many award-winning products, including 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.
