A Westmeath dairy farm, Moon Shine Dairy Farm, has once again swept the boards in the 2009 National Organic Awards, picking up the top overall award for its new Moon Shine Milk product, a bottled non-homogenised farmhouse milk.
The judges at Monday’s awards ceremony were unanimously bowled over by the taste and quality of the milk, describing it as “how milk used to taste”.
Moon Shine Milk, currently available in farm shops and farmers markets across Westmeath and the Organic Supermarket in Blackrock, Co Dublin, also won the Best Local Organic Product award.
Gerry and Mary Kelly of Moonshine Dairy Farm, Lough Ennell, Ladestown, Mullingar, were presented with the awards by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Trevor Sargent TD.
Now in their third year, the National Organic Awards are recognised as an important feature in the organic food and drink industry calendar, and aim to recognise the achievements and raise the profile of Irish organic food and drink manufacturers. Organised by Bord Bia in conjunction with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, this year’s awards attracted over 140 entries from organic companies nationwide.
Speaking at this week’s event, Minister of State Trevor Sargent said “Sales of organic food are continuing to grow, increasing year on year by 13.2 per cent, reaching a value of €124 million in the year to July 2009. From these encouraging retail figures, it is clear that even in these hard times a considerable number of Irish consumers are buying organic products. But the word organic on the label is no longer enough to guarantee a market - people are also looking for top quality. There was no shortage of quality in the entries received again this year.”
The independent judging panel chaired by Hugo Arnold, journalist and food consultant, included Cian Doorley, Musgrave Retail Partners Ireland; Evan Doyle, proprietor Brooklodge Wells and Spa; Darren Grant, proprietor, The Organic Supermarket Blackrock; and Oliver Moore, journalist, researcher, and organic blogger.
For further information, recipes, and a full listing of National Organic Week (September 14- 20 ) events visit www.bordbia.ie
