Two Laois farmers were among the winners this week as Tirlán honoured their outstanding suppliers at the Co-op’s Dairy and Sustainability Awards.
Brian Rohan from Shanahoe was presented with the Farming Ambassador Award, while Martin O’Reilly from Killeshin won the Young Farmer Award.
The awards celebrate excellence, innovation, and commitment among milk suppliers at Ireland’s leading farmer-owned dairy and grain co-operative.
Brian and his wife Norma Rohan founded Embrace FARM in 2014, a support network for farm families who, like the Rohans, have lost a loved one (or suffered serious injury) in a farming accident.
Embrace FARM obtained its fully charitable status in 2017 and is now fully operational as a not-for-profit organisation, the first of it’s kind for the farming community in Ireland.
Each year in June they host an ecumenical remembrance service in Abbyleix.
Meanwhile, Killeshin native O’Reilly’s success follows on from 2024 honours, where he won the Dairy category at the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards and also won the Macra Agricultural Skillnet Biodiversity Young Farmer of the Year Award.
Tirlán’s Dairy and Sustainability Awards recognise the commitment of dedicated suppliers to delivering high-quality, sustainably produced milk from grass-based herds across Ireland.
A total of 16 awards were presented across a variety of categories, from exceptional milk quality and milk solids to environmental stewardship and innovation.
The Byrne family from near Dungarvan, Waterford won Milk Supplier of the Year, recognising their outstanding performance across the board in a variety of areas, key among them milk quality, sustainability, and animal welfare.
There was also a winner from Carlow, with Tullow’s Aidan O’Halloran winning the Farm Employee Recognition Award.
John Murphy, Chairperson of Tirlán, said: “These awards are a celebration of the passion, care and innovation that our family farm suppliers bring to their work every day.
“It all starts on the family farm and it’s about so much more than milk. It’s about the family farm business. It’s about values, progress and pride in doing the right thing.
“The quality of Irish milk and of our Irish family farm model based on grass-fed is our unique selling point around the globe. It’s something we’re very proud of and it is winning us new markets and new customers every day.”
