The first meeting of the Bord Bia Farmer Forum took place last month, on Monday, June 29.

The Bord Bia Farmer Forum aims to give farmers, and growers a stronger voice in Bord Bia work by creating two-way engagement with scheme members.

It is comprised of approximately 100 Irish farmers and growers, supported by a committee of 15 members.

To find out more about the Bord Bia Farmer Forum, we speak to Bord Bia's Niamh Bambrick, manager of the Forum.

Can you tell us a little about yourself and your career to date?

I grew up on a family farm in Co. Kilkenny, where I first fell in love with farming and developed a real passion for agriculture from my dad.

I completed a BAgSc in Animal and Crop Production at UCD in 2016. Since then, I have completed master's degrees in Supply Chain Management, Digital Marketing & Communications with Analytics, and most recently, Environmental Sustainability.

I began my career on the Tirlán graduate programme, progressing into technical and sales roles across the tillage and ruminant teams.

After six great years with Tirlán, I moved to Chanelle Pharmaceuticals for a short period as a Large Animal Specialist before joining Mullinahone Co-op as the manager for the Livestock Identification and Intelligence Division.

I joined Bord Bia in January 2025 as agri-sustainability manager and have recently also taken on the role of managing the new Bord Bia Farmer Forum.

I am a past president of the Agricultural Science Association (ASA), which was a huge honour being elected the youngest president and it gave me invaluable insights and opportunities to work with some fantastic people within the agriculture sector both here in Ireland and across the world.

Has your own farming experience influenced or informed your work in Bord Bia?

I live on a dairy and beef farm with my fiancé, and the farm work is very much a family affair with both our dads extremely active, whether it is feeding and training calves, milking, or being roped into whatever jobs need doing.

Experiencing an active farm day-to-day significantly informs my work within Bord Bia.

Even when it comes to the Bord Bia audit on our own farm, I experience first-hand what's being asked of farmers.

Being involved in farming gives me a real insight into the challenges farmers face, particularly around generational renewal as a young female farm owner.

There is a strong farming base among the staff on my team in Bord Bia, and we very much try to be the voice of farming internally.

What is your job in Bord Bia? What does the day-to-day job involve?

My role involves supporting and managing some of Bord Bia's sustainability engagement with farmers and the wider industry to ensure we are best supporting the sector into the future. 

A key tool to support farmers is AgNav, the free, voluntary digital platform designed to help Irish farmers understand, measure and reduce their farm’s environmental impact.

AgNav simplifies what can be a complex topic, helping farmers focus on actions that are most relevant and tailored to their farm.

AgNav also provides a “single source of truth” when demonstrating farm-level sustainability, which is increasingly important when engaging with customers and export markets.

My additional role involves running the Bord Bia Farmer Forum, which provides a new and additional mechanism to listen to and engage with farmers and growers.

The vision for the Forum is to improve two-way communication, continue to build understanding and trust, and ensure farmers' perspectives help inform the future direction of Bord Bia.

Can you tell us more about the Bord Bia Farmer Forum?

We recently held our first Bord Bia Farmer Forum on Monday, June 29.

The agenda was developed in advance by the Farmer Forum Committee, which includes representatives from six farming organisations (the IFA, ICMSA, INHFA, ICSA, Macra, Irish Grain Growers) alongside independent farmer representatives.

Discussions focused on three key themes: Bord Bia's role, farm assurance schemes, and market promotion and development.

The group spent almost four hours discussing these topics, with participants sharing a wide range of perspectives and practical suggestions.

We greatly appreciated the time and openness of everyone who took part.

Bord Bia and the Farmer Forum Committee are now reviewing the feedback to consider how it can help shape future engagement.

We'll also reflect on the format and are happy to evolve it based on participants' feedback.

This was our first Bord Bia Farmer Forum, and we believe it was a positive step in creating an ongoing, constructive dialogue with farmers and growers.

Bord Bia will also run a Farmer Forum regional roadshow this autumn to accommodate the hundreds of farmers and growers who applied to engage with us.

How were participants chosen for the forum?

To choose participants for the Bord Bia Farmer Forum, all quality assured farmers and growers received communication to apply to be members of the Forum.

Six farm organisations nominated 12 members to sit on the forum and the committee. 

Bord Bia created a model to randomly select 100 farmers and growers to fill the remining places based upon several categories: age, farm size, region, gender, farm type.

The numbers per category aim to ensure that the Forum is broadly representative of the Quality Assurance database; for example, as beef farmers are the largest category, more beef farmers were selected.

Once the model had selected farmers and growers, a final check was conducted to ensure they were currently certified.

Finally, why is the work you do in Bord Bia important for Irish farmers?

The work we do in Bord Bia helps ensure farmers are recognised and rewarded for what is already happening on farms.

It supports access to key markets, builds trust with customers, and ultimately protects and adds value to Irish produce.

Our farm assurance audits provide proof points that demonstrate the high standards farmers are working to every day across Ireland.

My role is about making sure farmers' voices and experiences are reflected in this process.