Limerick farmer Sean Condon, who manages an extensive dairy farm in Crecora, has been announced as the winner of the Farming For Nature (FFN) public vote award.
Condon focusses on taking a holistic approach on his organic farm to ensure that both he and his livestock are economically and ecologically well. He has also set aside 25% of his holding for nature, biodiversity and wildlife.
The winner was announced at the 2022 FFN Ambassador Awards, which were held in Corofin, Co. Clare on Saturday evening (October 29).
At the event, five examples of farmers supporting nature on their lands were presented, before the FFN network, which is now in its fifth year, welcomed 15 new ambassadors.
Ambassadors in the network span the beef, dairy, sheep, tillage, forestry and horticulture sectors. FFN officer Lucy Bowler said:
“I think every farmer in Ireland will be able to relate to at least one of these farmers and admire what they have managed to achieve on their farms.
“These ambassadors are not only managing farming systems that are agriculturally progressive, ecologically sound and economically viable, but they are also actively engaged in sharing their work, stories and practical knowledge with their community.”
Deirdre Ryan, director of Bord Bia’s Origin Green Programme, which sponsored the awards, said the FFN programme is a “worthy and progressive initiative”. She added:
“Farming For Nature has had an important role to play in guiding the discourse around Irish agriculture by raising awareness of the variety of valuable habitats that are carefully managed by Irish farmers.
She added that the Farming For Nature network puts farmers at the core of the conversations around environmental management and protection, and allows them to inspire others in the sector.
“On behalf of Bord Bia, I’d like to congratulate all the new ambassadors and Sean Condon for winning the public vote,” she said.
Bowler added that the network recently commissioned a short film on five of the featured farms so that the public could see first-hand the valuable work that so many farmers are doing to support nature on their land.
“We had an outstanding response to this campaign in terms of video views and votes cast over the last few weeks,” she concluded.