13 families recognised as the ‘cream of the crop’ for Irish Dairy

14th September 2022: The National Dairy Council (NDC) and Ornua are pleased to announce the Connelly family, from Tuam, Co. Galway – supplying the Aurivo Co-Op – as the overall winner of the 2022 NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards. The prestigious annual awards acknowledge and celebrate the highest standards of excellence in dairy farming in Ireland.

The winning family was announced at a special awards ceremony at Ballyvolane House, Co. Cork today following presentations to 13 farming families, representing the very best of Irish dairy. Austin and Yvonne Connelly, along with their four daughters Ava, Anna, Jane and Kate were awarded the coveted NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards perpetual cup for excelling in all areas of the judging criteria, including milk quality, animal welfare and sustainable farming practices.

Speaking on the awards, Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said: “Greatness recognises greatness so it is a tremendous honour for all those farm families who have been nominated for the prestigious 2022 NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards. My sincere congratulations to the Connelly family as well as the rest of the nominees. To be recognised by your own peers and your own co-operative in the first instance is a tremendous honour. The success achieved by winners and nominees comes from a lifetime of dedication to dairy farming excellence and constant improvement. On behalf of the industry, I thank all the nominees and winners for what they have achieved.”

John Jordan, CEO Ornua, congratulated the Connelly family on their win, commenting; “I would like to congratulate Austin and Yvonne Connelly and their daughters on their success today – they are truly deserving winners and indeed all of our finalists are now role models for Irish farming families around the country. 2022 marks a significant milestone for Ornua as we head into the 60th anniversary of Kerrygold – a brand that is produced using the best quality milk in the world. The success of Kerrygold could not be achieved without the passion and commitment of farming families like the Connellys, who uphold the world class standards of sustainable dairy farming that Kerrygold and Irish dairy products as a whole are renowned for. I would like to thank all the finalists for the continued hard work and dedication they put into their farms every single day to create the quality milk that is revered around the world.”

Zoë Kavanagh, CEO National Dairy Council, commented: “I am delighted to congratulate the Connelly family. There has never been a more important time to celebrate excellence in dairy farming and highlight the hard work and dedication of some of Ireland’s top dairy food producers. Our climate and land produces dairy with one of the lowest carbon footprints internationally, primarily due to the unique Irish grass-fed, family-farmed system which is extremely efficient and involves less intensive farming. During challenging times people need to have trust in what they know, dairy is nutritious, accessible and affordable and is recognised as a vital part of people’s diet and general health across the life stages, indispensable to Ireland’s social and economic well-being”.

All 13 finalists underwent a robust and detailed independent assessment by an expert judging panel including Professor Pat Wall Professor of Public Health at UCD, Dr David Gleeson Research Officer Livestock Systems at Teagasc, and Dr Jack Kennedy, Deputy Editor of the Irish Farmers Journal.

For the first time in 2022, specific category awards were presented to finalists, acknowledging excellence in milk quality, sustainable practices – including care for the environment and on-farm animal welfare-, as well as technical knowledge and management of facilities.

2022 NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards Winner and Category Winners

• Overall winner & category award winner for Lowest Somatic Cell Count award – Connelly farm, Co. Galway – Nominated by Aurivo
• Runner up & category award winner for Best in Class Facilities award – Shorten farm, Co. Cork – Nominated by Lisavaird
• Category award winner for Farm Development award – Collins farm, Co. Cork – Nominated by Drinagh
• Category award winner for Sustainable Grassland Management award – Deasy farm, Co. Cork – Nominated by Barryroe
• Category award winner for Farm Infrastructure Development award – Egan farm, Co. Kerry – Nominated by Kerry Agribusiness
• Category award winner for Renewable Energy Innovation award – Hawkes farm, Co. Cork – Nominated by Bandon Co-op
• Category award winner for Soil Nutrient Management award – Heery farm, Co. Westmeath – Nominated by Tirlán
• Category award winner for Herd Genetic EBI award – Hogan farm, Co. Tipperary – Centenary Thurles
• Category award winner for Working with Nature award – Maher farm, Co. Tipperary – Nominated by Dairygold
• Category award winner for Transformational EBI Change award – Moynihan farm, Co. Kerry – Nominated by North Cork Creameries
• Category award winner for Environmental Management award – Nicholson farm, Co. Monaghan – Nominated by Lakeland Dairies
• Category award winner for Future Proofing Animal Health award – O’Brien farm, Co. Kerry – Nominated by Lee Strand
• Category award winner for Best in Class Technical Performance award – Toohey farm, Co. Offaly – Nominated by Arrabawn

For further information please contact:
Cathy Curran, Communications Manager NDC | 086 8777 664 | pr@ndc.ie

For Ornua please contact:
Seán O’Brien, Communications Manager | 087 9104470 | sean.p.obrien@ornua.com
Joanne O’Sullivan, Murray Consultants | 086 052 7999 | Josullivan@murraygroup.ie