Cork families in milk award finals

Four Cork farming families are among 13 to have reached the finals of the 2022 National Dairy Council (NDC) and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.

The Deasy family, from Ahafore, Timoleague, the Hawkes family, from Keel, Innishannon, the Shorten family, from Woodfield, Clonakilty, and the Collins family, from Caheragh, have all been shortlisted for the award, dubbed the ‘Oscars of the Dairy World’.

Representing eight counties and 13 dairy co-ops nationwide, the NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards celebrate the highest standards of excellence in dairy farming, with a focus on milk quality, animal welfare, and sustainable farming practices.

The awards, now in their 11th year, reward farming families that produce high-quality dairy through sustainable production methods.

John Jordan, CEO, Ornua said: “We’re proud to the Quality Milk Awards each year and to celebrate the ionate farming families, who work tirelessly to produce world-class dairy and maintain Ireland’s global reputation as a leading sustainable producer of quality dairy products.”

Zoe Kavanagh, CEO of the National Dairy Council, said: “With more scrutiny than ever on how farmers produce milk, dairy’s reputation depends upon demonstrating greater commitment to practices that protect the environment, the single most important challenge facing the Irish dairy farmers’ ‘social licence to produce’. The Quality Milk Awards are so important as they highlight and reward the high standards of dairy production being carried out by dairy farmers all over the country, respecting the land, protecting the precious biodiversity, and operating at the highest standards of responsible food production. It is in all our interests to continue to nurture that approach and future generations to farm with excellence.”

The winner of the 2022 NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards will be announced at a ceremony in Ballyvolane House, Co Cork, on Wednesday, September 14.