A fresh focus on sustainability
Last month, Tirlán launched its first dairy and sustainability awards. It is urging its farmer suppliers to enter, or nominate, fellow farmers in recognition of their work to deliver high quality milk sustainably. The Tirlán Dairy and Sustainability Awards 2025 will celebrate the achievements of dairy farmers who demonstrate ‘excellent practices in milk quality, animal welfare, farm management and adopting sustainability practices’ according to the co-op.
John Murphy, Tirlán chairperson, said it is important to recognise and drive awareness among consumers and the general public of the great work carried out by Tirlán farmers.
“Our family-farm suppliers have a long heritage of striving to deliver the highest quality milk from well-managed, grass-fed herds for our consumers to enjoy through our many award-winning products, including the number-one dairy brand Avonmore. They have 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.”
Entries
Nominations for the inaugural awards are now open online on
www.tirlanfarmlife.com, where all information can be found about the award categories. Suppliers will also be selected to go forward for entry based on criteria including both milk quality test results, technical reports, and sustainability data.
The closing date is February 14. All applications shortlisted will be assessed by a judging panel. The overall award, general awards, and special recognition category winners will be announced at a ceremony on April 29, 2025.
The Cathal Moran Innovation Award will also be offered in recognition of innovative practices on farm within the Tirlán catchment area. Cathal Moran was always recognised as an enthusiastic adoptor of new technologies as part of the Tirlán Teagasc Future Farm programme and always strove to be innovative and lead by example. “We would like to offer this award to recognise those who strive to innovate with a vision of improving their farm sustainably for the future,” said John. Two further special recognition awards will acknowledge exceptional contributions of Tirlán milk drivers and farm employees.
Dawn Meats’ solar project
Meanwhile, in Co. Waterford, Dawn Meats continues its quest for sustainability by investing €1.5m in a newly completed solar panel project at its Grannagh site. The 18-month project involved the installation of 3,500 solar roof panels covering 8,397 square metres. The panels will produce 1,560,000kWh of power annually, which is ,the equivalent of 40 per cent of the yearly electricity usage at the Grannagh site. The energy generated is enough to power 210 homes for an entire year and is expected to deliver a return on investment in four and a half years, depending on future electricity unit price rates.
The Grannagh site was deemed suitable for the use of solar panels as its southern location offers optimal sunlight exposure. It also had available roof space, which meant the project did not require additional planning permission. The move is part of the company’s wider plans to maximise renewable energy generation at its sites and similar solar facilities are due to be installed at other Dawn Meats plants in Ireland and the UK.
Since 2020, Dawn Meats has sourced 100 per cent renewable energy to power its sites. With further investment, the company is working towards on-site renewable energy generation across all sites as part of its Plan Four Zero sustainability strategy.
Finding value in waste
Veterinary pharmaceutical company, Norbrook, recently published its first-ever sustainability report, which the company says underscores its commitment to ‘creating positive environmental and community impacts’. The report highlighted Norbrook’s recycling of 98 per cent of its waste, with just 2 per cent being non-recyclable. One 'groundbreaking' process, according to Norbrook, to manage the non-recyclable waste transforms non-recyclable materials into solid recovered fuel (SRF), which is used by the cement industry as a cleaner alternative to traditional fossil fuels. This helps to reduce landfill use and methane emissions and lower the demand for oil, coal and gas. The cumulative effect of greener energy transition efforts since 2016 have led to a 63 per cent decline in carbon emissions.
Sustainability-linked loans for tillage farmers
Irish Distillers is partnering with Bank of Ireland to offer sustainability-linked loans to tillage farmers for the very first time. These Enviroflex loans are designed to incentivise farmers to continue implementing sustainability focused improvements on their land.
Irish Distillers is now the first to partner with Bank of Ireland to support the roll-out of these loans to the tillage sector, with sustainability-linked financing now available to participants of Irish Distillers’ Sustainable Green Spring Barley Scheme.
This scheme was launched in 2020 and is a tailored sustainability programme for barley growers to support the long-term viability of the spring-barley sector in Ireland by incentivising and rewarding growers for delivering environmental and biodiversity initiatives on their farms. The programme is founded on three major commitments:
1. Enhancing biodiversity on Irish tillage farms;
2. Improving the sustainability of the spring barley sector; and
3. Supporting farmers in reducing their carbon footprint.
To qualify for an additional financial premium as part of this scheme, barley growers are required to implement eight essential measures, and must also choose an additional three to four measures which specifically have a direct and positive impact on biodiversity.
Graham Caulwell, head of sustainability and compliance, Irish Distillers commented: “Irish Distillers has a proud history of buying quality grain from Irish farmers to produce our whiskeys and we are committed to working in partnership with our growers to respond to the challenges of climate change and to promote sustainable agriculture through initiatives such as our Sustainable Green Spring Barley Scheme.
"We are proud to partner with Bank of Ireland to provide further funding options to tillage farmers to strengthen our shared goal of improving our collective environmental footprint through new practices and innovative technologies and supporting the economic viability of barley growing in Ireland.”
Dairygold’s sustainability bonus
Dairygold recently announced that it is updating its Grassroots Milk Supplier Sustainability Bonus to offer a 33 per cent increase in the payment, which will result in approximately €14m being paid out to participating farmers annually.
The Grassroots Milk Supplier Sustainability Bonus was introduced in 2023, offering 0.75c/L (equivalent) of milk to participating milk suppliers. Since its launch in 2023, Dairygold has paid out more than €17m to participating milk suppliers and 93 per cent of milk supplied to Dairygold is sourced from farms participating in the Grassroots programme.
This updated bonus offers Dairygold suppliers the opportunity to receive 1c/L (equivalent) by participating in impactful sustainability actions, including protecting water quality, use of protected urea to reduce greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions, participation in a soil health programme, engaging in milk recording herd health and genetics programmes along with farmer training and education. It also includes new elements, focused on farm nutrient balance training and action, and on herd genetics. Nutrient balance is a leading metric for water quality impact. Awareness of it at individual farm level will help to drive additional appropriate action to protect water quality. The herd genetics measures, including dairy beef, will further enhance herd performance to support more sustainable and profitable farming.