The Macra na Feirme #OriginGreen #ItStartsHere sustainable Irish farming photo competition is supported by An Bord Bía and sets out to raise awareness about the achievements and beauty of sustainable practices on Irish farms.

Irish farmers can see every day at first hand and throughout the seasons of the year, the beauty and images associated with sustainable farming practices:

  • Good grassland management practices produce lush green grass.
  • Care of natural environments such as wildlife habitats or the promotion of biodiversity.
  • The arrival of young animals through successful and improved breeding programmes.
  • The freedom and welfare of animals grazing outdoors and part of effective herd health management programmes.
  • The innovation and initiative shown on Irish farms to reduce outputs, ranging from water harvesting to energy-saving measures.
  • The spotless hygiene and attention to detail which supports food safety.
  • The social fabric of Irish farming, underpinned by family heritage and country living.

    • Take the snap

    Macra na Feirme president Seán Finan encourages farmers to ‘‘get snapping’’, whether it is on a mobile phone or camera, to showcase Irish sustainable farming practices throughout the seasons of the year, reminding farmers you can enter every month to be in with a chance to win.

    You can enter instantly on Twitter with the handle and hashtags: @MacraNaFeirme #OriginGreen #ItStartsHere. Photographs can also be emailed to jcoffey@macra.ie, with the subject line ‘‘Photo competition, Origin Green It Starts Here’’. All entrants, on Twitter or email, must include their name, location of the photograph, the date the picture was taken and a brief description of what is captured in the picture.

    Please check out the rules of the competition at www.macra.ie/origingreen before entering.

    ‘‘Many Irish farmers have been farming for generations in ways that respect the environment, respect the welfare of animals and are a vital part of the social fabric of their local communities,” said Finan.

    “Increasingly, those who use the carbon navigator as part of Bord Bia’s Quality Assurance Programmes see how they can measure their efforts as part of Origin Green and how they can identify new or expanded ways to make improvements on their farms and, as a result, are part of the Origin Green programme.”

    Share the pride

    “Origin Green is the only sustainability programme in the world that operates on a national scale. Its evidence-based approach, through the carbon navigator and Quality Assured programmes, has become a very important marketing tool to support domestic sales and exports of Irish food,” says Teresa Brophy, consumer and trade marketing manager with Bord Bia.

    ‘‘Research tells us that Irish consumers are becoming increasingly proud of the sustainability work on Irish farms, so we also want to help to forge that bridge by showcasing the sustainable work being done on Irish farms and the benefits to our beautiful countryside and heritage.

    “In light of significant growth in populations, Origin Green contributes towards the security of food and resources such as land and water for the planet; but at farm level it also has real and tangible benefits in relation to improved efficiencies and profitability, as well as protecting the land and farm for future generations,” Brophy said.

    Further details about competition rules and how to enter are available at www.macra.ie Farmers can find out more about becoming part of Origin Green at www.bordbia.ie and about the Origin Green marketing initiative at www.origingreen.ie