Alfie Kirwan from Killimor, Co Galway was selected as one of Ireland’s ‘greenest’ farmers at Bord Bia’s inaugural Origin Green Sustainable Producer Awards which took place on Friday night.
Along with seven other beef and dairy producers, Mr Kirwan’s grassland farm was chosen as one of the most sustainable, efficient and environmentally-friendly farms in the country, following a ceremony in Portlaoise attended by over 230 farmers and senior representatives from the farming and agri-food industry.
Nominated in the Suckler to Beef category, Alfie Kirwan rears a suckler herd with one of the highest calving rates in the country. He is switching his operation to organic production, encouraged by the large demand for this niche good.
A total of 28 farms from across the country were selected as finalists for the competition, from which eight producers were awarded as winners of their particular category. As part of its Quality Assurance Scheme, Bord Bia conduct audits and carbon assessments each year on almost 60,000 beef and dairy farms. According to Bord Bia, the winning, and shortlisted entries, are among the top performing beef and dairy farms in the country particularly with regard to their carbon footprint, biodiversity and water management.
Opening the awards Bord Bia’s CEO, Aidan Cotter, commented “tonight we celebrate Irish farmers as champions of sustainable, quality assured and world class food production. Each of the 28 finalists is here on the strength, firstly, of the outstanding scores they achieved in their farm audits and, secondly, the truly impressive commitment they have shown to sustainability in their farming activities. That sense of leadership is what will help us win in the marketplace, is what brings us here tonight and makes this an opportune time to celebrate what is best in Irish farming.”
