Agriland's technical beef journalist, Breifne O'Brien has received the Global Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism award at a special event in Croatia, the only Irish journalist to do so this year.

O'Brien, along with six other delegates from Canada, the US, Argentina, Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany, participated in the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ) Alltech Young Leaders in Agricultural Journalism Programme which took place in Croatia last week (Monday, September 14).

The event saw the young leaders participate in a two-day bootcamp involving information seminars and farm tours before joining the international delegates in Osijek, Croatia, for the IFAJ world congress.

The agricultural writers selected from across the globe for the prestigious programme took part in an immersive workshop, led by IFAJ’s Presidium, as well as keynote seminars and discussions.

In addition, the participants were involved in skill-building challenges and career guidance, and heard from several motivational speakers.

This was before the young leaders went on to meet around 200 agricultural journalists from around the world, securing new contacts, fresh skills, and renewed enthusiasm for their work.

The 2026 IFAJ Alltech Young Leader programme participants were:

Breifne O'Brien, Agriland, Ireland;
Juan Ignacio Alaise, Argentina;
Kaitlin Berger, Canada;
Katrin Bremer-John, Germany;
Andrew Castillo, US;
Job Hiddink, The Netherlands;
Emelie Werme, Sweden.

Three additional young leaders were selected but were unable to make it to the international event due to visa issues.

O'Brien, an award-winning journalist, was born and raised on a beef and sheep farm in Co. Cavan.

He has had a life-long passion for agriculture and this is where his flair for agricultural journalism began.

He studied agri-environmental science at University College Dublin (UCD).

As well as matters relating specifically to Irish farming, O'Brien also has global experience working in, and reporting on the agri-food sector.

He has worked on farms as far afield as South Dakota in the US, and his media work has taken him to destinations such as China to report on Irish agri-food trade missions there.

Last year, Breifne O'Brien attended the World Seed Congress in Istanbul, Turkiye with IFAJ, an opportunity he says greatly broadened his perspective on challenges and opportunities facing global agriculture.

He has won awards for his work in agri-media, most recently winning the Best Feature Story at the 2024 Agri Guild Awards.

He previously worked in the agri-news sector and also worked in cattle procurement in the Irish beef sector. 

IFAJ programme

The IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders Award was established in 2006 by the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists and Alltech to recognise emerging leaders in agricultural journalism and communications from around the world.

In addition to global recognition, Young Leaders participate in professional development and networking programmes.

The IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders programme is a key force in developing the next generation of volunteers for IFAJ and its member guilds of agricultural journalists.

Previous participants of the programme have seen exceptional career growth in many cases.

In June, Young Leaders 2014 alumna Amy Roady was named as inaugural director of the James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications, a new undertaking by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, US.

From IFAJ Young Leader to the first director of a global centre dedicated to food and agricultural communications, the IFAJ said that Roady's trajectory "perfectly reflects the purpose and value underlying IFAJ’s professional development programmes".

Commenting on the award, Breifne O'Brien said: "Being selected to participate in the 2026 IFAJ/Alltech Young Leaders Programme is an opportunity which I am hugely honoured to have been awarded.

"The programme has been an aid to my professional development and leadership experience and has also hugely helped to further grow my international network of industry contacts.

"Getting the opportunity to participate in global young industry leader development programmes like this has greatly broadened my knowledge and understanding of the global agri-food network.

"I also want to thank Agriland Media for supporting me in this opportunity."