The winner of the Environmentally Sustainable Farmer of the Year 2026 has been announced.

Kerry dairy farmer William Dennehy was announced as the winner of the top award of the Teagasc/FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards, which have taken place in Co. Laois.

The awards were presented across a number of categories: reducing greenhouse gas emissions; enhancing biodiversity; improving soil health; improving water quality; and farming with innovation.

There were also five special recognition awards for: preservation and utilisation of heritage grains; establishing agroforestry; management and improvement of breeding; managing hedgerows for ecosystem service delivery; and protecting waterways with targeted riparian margins.

Teagasc said William Dennehy’s farm demonstrates how productivity, profitability and environmental sustainability can work together

His spring-calving herd produced 497kg of milk solids per cow in 2025 from a predominantly grazed-grass diet, with strong breeding performance and an EBI (Economic Breeding Index) of €156.

High-CBV (Commercial Beef Value) calves are produced for beef farmers, supporting earlier finishing.

Over 55% of the milking platform is carrying clover, and 98% of nitrogen is applied as protected urea.

Strong soil fertility, regular soil testing and lime use are features of Dennehy's farm grass production.

He has worked with the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) to identify water-quality risks, and introduced riparian buffers, hedgerows and a reedbed.

Dennehy uses decision-support tools including PastureBase, AgNav, NMP and ICBF, while participating in sustainability programmes.

Teagasc also cited the farmer's role in 'Social Farming', and involvement in his local community.

Commenting at the event, Alex White, chairperson of the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC), said: "I would like to congratulate the overall winner William Dennehy and other nine finalists on their achievement.

"I extend my congratulations to the category and special recognition award winners who each committed to developing a sustainable future for the agri-sector.... These farmers are leading the way in environmental sustainability," White added.

Chairperson of FBD Trust Michael Berkery commented: "The quality of entries highlights the commitment of Irish farmers to delivering real progress in areas such as water quality, soil health and biodiversity.

"These awards provide an important opportunity to recognise those achievements and to showcase examples of how environmental sustainability can be successfully integrated into profitable farming businesses," Berkery added.

Prof. Frank O'Mara, director of Teagasc, said: "These farmers are an inspiration to all farmers in their local area to continue to adopt the key technologies that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality and enhance biodiversity."

The winners across the five categories were as follows:

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions – Aileen Sheehan and Philip O’Leary;
Enhancing biodiversity - Peter and Thomas O’Hanrahan;
Improving water quality - William Dennehy;
Improving soil health - Matt Hennessey;
Farming with innovation - Alan McCann.

The winners of the five special recognition awards were:

Establishing Agroforestry - Michael Gleeson;
Protecting Waterways with Targeted Riparian Margins - John McSweeney;
Management and improvement of breeding - Aonghusa Fahey;
Preservation and utilisation of heritage grains - Maurice Deasy;
Managing hedgerows to enhance biodiversity, capture carbon, and protect farming heritage - Pat and Kayleigh Durkin.