DAIRYGOLD HONOURS TOP SUPPLIERS
DUO UNVEILED AS WINNERS AT THE SOCIETY’S 2018 MILK QUALITY AWARDS
TWO dairy farmers from north/ mid- Cork have been recognised by Dairygold, for the exceptional quality of the milk produced on their farms.
Timmy Lyons from Berrings and Pat Cronin from Kilnamartyra were unveiled as the Mallow and mid- Cork regional award winners respectively at the 2018 Dairygold Milk Quality Awards at a recent ceremony in the Springfort Hall Hotel, Mallow.
In addition to winning the mid- Cork award, Mr Cronin also scooped the inaugural Sustainability Award, which recognises the efforts of Dairygold’s milk suppliers to make their operations more economically and environmentally sustainable.
The awards were based on 2018 milk quality data for all 2,900 Dairygold milk suppliers across counties Cork, Tipperary, Limerick and Clare, with a shortlist of three selected from each of the society’s six regions.
The finalists were judged by UCD lecturer Dr Karina Pierce and Teagasc dairy specialist Dan Crowley who visited each of the 18 farms, taking into account various factors including milk quality, dairy facilities, herd health and welfare, sustainability and farm health and safety.
Mr Cronin and his wife Noreen milk a high performance herd of 81 cows on their 100 acre family farm and have been placed within the top 1% nationally on the Economic Breeding Index (EBI).
Competition judges said that while all three of the finalists in the mid- Cork region demonstrated “exceptional quality”, the Cronin farm “was an excellent example of what good management and high standards of production can achieve.”
In addition, the panel were impressed with a number of the sustainability initiatives on the Cronin farm, including his use of winter tree planting, hedgerow management and technical efficiencies (notably in the role of genetics), leading to them awarding Mr Cronin the Sustainability Award.
Originally a beef farmer with a suckler herd, Timmy Lyons began milking in 2011 and manages a herd of 150 Holestein Friesian cows in a 12-unit parlour. Married to Marie, they have four boys who have adopted their father’s passion for farming and help rear their own beef calves on the family farm.
Announcing Timmy as the Mallow regional award winner and second overall, the judges praised the Lyon’s for their “excellent cow output and grassland” on the family farm.
The judges were also impressed with Timmy’s “awareness of the issues around labour and succession and his focus on attracting the next generation into farming.”
Addressing the awards ceremony Dairygold CEO John O’Gorman said the awards were an excellent opportunity to reward the “hard work and performance we see all year across our supplier base.”
“The quality of our milk is what makes us successful and these awards are just another way of emphasising that message to our customers, suppliers and across our organisation,” said Mr O’Gorman.
“We want to continue rewarding our suppliers while also ensuring the sustainability and longevity of our industry.”