Ornua and the National Dairy Council (NDC) are inviting dairy co-operatives nationwide to nominate their top milk suppliers for the 2025 NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.The annual awards, now in its 16th year, aims to champion the high standards in dairy farming and milk production in Ireland and is now open for entries.
Ornua and the National Dairy Council (NDC) are inviting dairy co-operatives nationwide to nominate their top milk suppliers for the 2025 NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.
The annual awards, now in its 16th year, aims to champion the high standards in dairy farming and milk production in Ireland and is now open for entries.
The award places a strong focus on sustainable farming practices, especially in areas such as carbon footprint reduction, biodiversity, energy and water conservation, animal welfare and soil nutrient management.
Ornua chief executive Conor Galvin said this will be an opportunity to celebrate the hard work of Irish dairy farmers who are producing high-quality, sustainably produced grass-fed Irish milk.
“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 to the quality of our producers and the standards of excellence they uphold.”
Deadline
Nominations for the NDC and Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards should be submitted by co-ops and co-op farm services managers using the official online entry form.
The closing date for submissions is 30 April 2025.
NDC CEO Emma Walls added that the awards recognise the “best of the best” in Irish dairy and identifying the best dairy farmers in an already distinguished field is the unenviable task that faces the judges.
“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 among our farming families.”
Judging process
The independent judging panel for this year’s awards comprises UCD professor of dairy production Prof Karina Pierce; UCD professor of public health Prof Patrick Wall; and research officer in milk quality, Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation Centre Dr David Gleeson.
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 winners will be announced at an awards event on 23 October 2025.
Read more
High-profile dairy exits a warning sign
Our top five farmer interviews from social media
Tipperary family scoops top prize at NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards
This is a subscriber-only article
SHARING OPTIONS: