The National Dairy Council and Ornua are inviting dairy co-operatives nationwide to nominate their top milk suppliers for the 2025 NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards which are now officially open for entries. The closing date for submissions is 30th April 2025.
The prestigious annual awards, now in its 16th year, champions the highest standards of excellence in dairy farming and milk production in Ireland.
Last year’s overall winners were Dairygold suppliers, the Kennedy farm, from Cahir, Co. Tipperary.
The independent judging panel for this year’s awards comprises Prof. Karina Pierce, Professor of Dairy Production, UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science; Prof. Patrick Wall, Professor of Public Health, UCD; and Dr. David Gleeson, Research Officer – Milk Quality, Teagasc Animal & Grassland Research, and Innovation Centre.
The judges will initially conduct detailed assessments based on the nomination forms and technical reports spanning a full 12-month period, in order to select a shortlist of finalists. The judges will then arrange to visit each of the finalist farms for an inspection over the summer months.
The programme is a collaboration between Kerrygold owner, Ornua and the National Dairy Council. Each year it places a strong focus on sustainable farming practices, shining a light on farmers who are leading the way in areas such as carbon footprint reduction, biodiversity, energy and water conservation, animal welfare and soil nutrient management.
Conor Galvin, Chief Executive, Ornua said:
“We are delighted to launch this year’s Quality Milk Awards with our longstanding partner, the National Dairy Council. These awards offer an opportunity to celebrate the hard work and commitment of Irish dairy farmers who are producing high quality, sustainably produced grass-fed Irish milk for consumers at home and abroad. Ornua’s role is to create value for the sector by bringing Irish dairy products to homes around the world, and we know this is only possible thanks the quality of our producers and the standards of excellence they uphold. We look forward to honouring those who are leading the way and rightly recognised by their respective co-ops as ambassadors for our industry.”
Emma Walls CEO of NDC said,
“Partnering with Ornua for the annual Quality Milk Awards is a highlight of the National Dairy Council year. The Quality Milk Awards recognises the best of the best: Ireland’s global reputation for quality dairy is unrivalled – to identify the best dairy farmers in an already distinguished field is the unenviable task that faces our esteemed judging panel. It is no surprise that the standard continues to rise year on year, given the efforts that we see being made on farms in terms both of quality and sustainability. It’s a genuine pleasure to celebrate the outstanding finalists each year amongst our farming families.”
In addition to identifying the top dairy farm, specific category awards will recognise excellence in environmental stewardship, grassland management, animal health and welfare, and milk quality.
Nominations for the NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards should be submitted by co-ops and co-op farm services managers using the official online entry form. The form is accessible via the following link: https://form.jotform.com/QualityMilkAwards/EntryForm2025
The winners will be announced at an awards event on 23rd October 2025.
Notes to editors
Please note that the minimum qualifying standard for entry for this national competition is TBC of 15,000 or less/ml average per month, with no count greater than 50,000 ml; and monthly average SCC of 200,000 or less/ml, with no count greater than 400,000 ml in any given month of the year in question.
For further information and entry forms, please email the team on info@qualitymilkawards.ie.
For further information please contact:
Seán P O’Brien, Communications Manager, Ornua | sean.p.obrien@ornua.com | +353 87 910 7740
Richard Magnier, Communications, National Dairy Council | 01-290 2451 | PR@ndc.ie
Claire Fox, Drury | claire.fox@drury.ie | +353 86 392 6584
