THE TOP of the crops of Limerick farmers took home awards at the second annual National Dairy Awards this past week.
Marie Louise Ryan was crowned Norbrook Dairy Vet of the Year, while John Hanrahan and Louise Crowley won the MSD Animal Health Tech Innovator Dairy Farmer of the year and Green Acre Marketing Dairy Social Media Ambassador of the Year respectively.
Based in Mulcair Vets, Marie Louise Ryan’s entry to the awards was based on improving animal health, along with improving productivity and farm-profitability for farmers by focusing on reducing antibiotic usage on farms.
The judges said Marie Louise’s project “was an excellent application, demonstrating a high level understanding of challenges facing farmers on a wide range of aspects and clearly committed to a holistic approach to herd health and farm performance”.
Judges also commended the “emphasis placed on the social aspect of being a vet – developing and maintaining relationships and really understanding the social situation and drivers for each farmer”.
Granagh man John Hanrahan took home the award for MSD Animal Health Tech Innovator Dairy Farmer of the year for his investment in technologies to improve efficiency on the family farm to reduce the reliance on skilled labour.
Louise Crowley, meanwhile, was awarded the Social Media Ambassador of the Year title for her work in showing the general public the ins and outs of farming, and advocating for policy makers to understand the importance of farmers to Ireland.
Judges said that “Louise is a really positive advocate for the dairy industry, showing the challenges right across the sector along with the positives. Louise uses her profile for the good of the industry and demonstrates her knowledge in a really informative manner.”
The three Limerick winners were among 21 award winners from across Ireland on the night to celebrate the cream of the crop of Irish farming.
