Bord Bia will cease its sponsorship of the Farming for Nature awards this year, citing a need to redeploy its funds to other areas in 2024.
The Farming for Nature awards have been running since 2018, and have been sponsored by Bord Bia throughout that period.
The purpose of the initiative is to highlight stories of farmers that manage their livestock and land in ways that “benefit nature”.
A Bord Bia spokesperson told Agriland that it commissioned a report into the Farming for Nature Awards to access its impact and relevance to the general farming population.
According to the spokesperson, the recommendations of this report were shared with the Farming for Nature team, who “were open to taking on board some of these recommendations”.
“Bord Bia’s sponsorship of the awards commenced in 2018 and continued until 2023, when a review of overall budget availability and proposed activities within the organisation necessitated redeployment of funds to other initiatives in 2024,” the spokesperson added.
“Bord Bia recognises the excellent work of the Farming for Nature programme, and its ambassadors, and we will continue to foster a close working relationship with them and the wider Burren Beo trust.”
The Farming for Nature initiative was founded in 2018 under the auspices of the Burren Beo Trust. Much of the impetus for Farming for Nature came from the work of farmers in the Burren region of Co. Clare.
The project runs annual national ambassador awards, the purpose of which is share stories of farmers “making a positive difference to nature on their farms and in their communities”.
These awards have given rise to the Farming for Nature network, which are the farmers who have been cited by the awards for farming in this way (known as Farming for Nature ambassadors).
The network includes farmers across various land types and farming sectors, covering various areas of the country.
Bord Bia
In other Bord Bia-related news, the agri-food promotion body has said it will “reactivate” its €1.6 million promotional campaign for Irish beef and lamb in China, following confirmation earlier this month that beef exports to that country can now resume.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue confirmed on January 17 that Chinese authorities will allow exports of frozen boneless beef to resume, following the suspension of exports in November.
Bord Bia CEO Jim O’Toole welcomed the lifting of the suspension, saying the decision “allows our beef exporters to immediately recommence trade with their Chinese customers”.
“In response to today’s news, Bord Bia has reactivated its €1.6 million EU co-funded beef and lamb campaigns in China,” O’Toole said.
“As part of the campaign, we will be inviting Irish exporters to exhibit at SIAL China, a high profile meat trade show held in Shangai in May. We will also host Irish beef information seminars in Beijing in March and Shanghai in May, inviting beef buyers and stakeholders,” O’Toole added.