A pedigree sheep farmer from Letterkenny, Co. Donegal, has been named as the 2023 FBD Young Farmer of the Year.
Dwayne Shiels was also named category award winner for Land Mobility. In addition to farming, Dwayne is a lecturer in Agricultural Sciences at Atlantic Technological University (ATU), Co. Donegal.
The overall winner was selected from a shortlist of six finalists at an event held at the Radisson Blu hotel in Co. Sligo tonight (Tuesday, August 22).
The evening also saw a number of additional category winners:
- Patrick Egan from Co. Mayo was named runner up and the winner of the Drystock category;
- Stephen O’Keeffe from Co. Limerick won Best New Entrant;
- Philip Tallon from Co. Meath won Other Enterprises category;
- Sean Kelly from Co. Tipperary won the Dairy category;
- Conor Doran from Co. Wexford won the Biodiversity Young Farmer of the Year award.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards which were held in Co. Sligo, the home county of last year’s winner Christopher Tuffy.
Marty Morrissey, who was the evening’s master of ceremonies, entertained the crowd and the past winners in attendance were invited on stage to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the awards.
Macra president Elaine Houlihan said: “The FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards acknowledge and celebrate the talent, commitment and hard work of young farmers across Ireland.
“Tonight’s winner, Dwayne Shiels, is a shining example of the talent of Ireland’s young farmers. In fact, all of the finalists here tonight, highlight the best and the brightest in the industry.
“What better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the awards than with a slate of such high calibre candidates.
“Congratulations to Dwayne and all of tonight’s winners,” Houlihan added.
“We thank FBD for sponsoring these awards for the last 25 years and the IFA for [its] partnership. It is our young farmers who are the future of farming in this country and these awards ensure that the future of farming has its night in the spotlight.”
CEO of FBD Insurance, Tomás Ó’Midheach said: “On behalf of the team at FBD, I would like to extend our congratulations to Dwayne Shiels.
“This award is a testament to Dwayne’s hard work, passion and commitment. FBD Insurance is proud to partner with FBD Trust to sponsor the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards.
“We are delighted to have been working with Macra for the past 25 years to support these awards which celebrate the achievements of our young farmers and their contribution to farming.
“While much has changed over the past 25 years, one thing that remains constant is the infectious energy, dedication and enthusiasm of competitors over all these years. Our hope is that these awards will continue to inspire the next generation of farmers to build their farm businesses for a sustainable future.”
IFA president Tim Cullinan congratulated the winner of the FBD Young Farmer of the Year, and all those who participated.
He said: “This competition, in conjunction with Macra, is an important part of our work to encourage new blood into farming.
“Anything that promotes the sector as a career option is positive. Without new entrants, we won’t have innovation or enterprise. I want to wish everybody every good luck in the years ahead.”
FBD Young Farmer of the Year
The aim of the competition is to recognise and reward the top young farmers in the country.
Entrants are judged according to a number of criteria including farm business initiative and innovation, levels of farm efficiency and enterprise quality, farm safety and environmental protection awareness, and agricultural knowledge.