NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Award winners to host farm walk
A Milk Quality Farm Walk on the Kennedy Farm, Drangan House, Cahir, Co. Tipperary will take place on Thursday, August 28 at 11:30am.
The Kennedys are the 2024 National Winners of the National Dairy Council (NDC) and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.
The Kennedys supply milk to Dairygold Co-op and according to judges excelled through the judging process where they were evaluated on a range of the most important aspects of modern dairy farming.
This included environmental sustainability, animal health and welfare, farm infrastructure, hygiene standards, soil and grassland management, and technical performance amongst other important factors.
Aidan and Derval Kennedy along with their children, Nickolas and Galina, and the farm team are set to open the doors to their farm for milk producers and others in the sector to visit and see the dairy herd in action and how the farm is managed.
With a herd of 390 cows being milked through a state-of-the-art 50-unit rotary parlour, the Kennedy operation is large scale but remains very family focused.
All of the family are involved along with the four farm staff which have 50 plus years’ experience on the farm between them.
The farm walk is organised jointly by Teagasc, Dairygold Co-op, National Dairy Council, and Ornua, and celebrates the excellence of Irish Dairy Farming, highlighted annually, by the NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.
Dairygold chair Pat Clancy said: "At Dairygold, we are immensely proud of Aidan and Derval’s achievements.
"Their ability to produce exceptional-quality milk while caring for their land, animals, and people reflects the very best of Irish dairy farming."
Teagasc Regional Advisory Manager in Tipperary, Donal Mullane has said farmers who get the chance to attend the farm walk on August 28 will see what "excellent practices the Kennedys
He said: "The Kennedys are doing an excellent job producing high quality milk in a sustainable way and this is a great opportunity for all farmers to visit the farm and see the excellent practices being adopted on this farm. It’s really worth attending this farm walk."
Chief executive of the National Dairy Council, Emma Walls added that "Ireland’s 17,000 family-run dairy farms are making immense efforts to farm more sustainably, while maintaining excellent quality standards.
"The Farm Walk is a great way for farmers to get involved and see firsthand the impact innovation can have on milk quality and on farm sustainability."
The farm walk is open to all farmers, industry representatives, and anyone interested in the future of Irish dairy farming. To register, go to the Teagasc website.
