Accolade for Arrabawn Tipp farmer
12th annual CellCheck Awards
The 12th annual CellCheck Awards took place on November 27 at the Killashee Hotel in Naas, Co Kildare, celebrating farmers who consistently demonstrate outstanding milk quality and strong udder-health practices. The ceremony was attended by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, as well as leaders from across the agriculture and dairy sector.
The CellCheck Milking for Quality Awards, sponsored by FBD and supported by Ornua, highlight the top 500 milk suppliers nationwide with the lowest annual SCC from the previous production year, acknowledging farmers who maintain exemplary herd health standards.
Each co-op also nominated an individual ‘CellCheck Champion’. These farmers demonstrate leadership in their co-op achieving consistently low SCCs, continuous improvement, and a commitment to sustainable dairy farming for this and subsequent generations.
Joe and Mary Hayes were nominated as the Arrabawn Tipperary CellCheck Champions.
CellCheck Programme Manager, Finola McCoy, said: “The farmers we’re recognising tonight with these awards are real life examples of how low somatic cell counts and effective herd health can be maintained by being brilliant at the basics. We are also continuing to see a reduction in the number of cows in this cohort receiving antibiotic dry cow therapy, as the implementation of selective dry cow therapy continues to grow. Our CellCheck Champions are setting a standard for all dairy farmers. It is encouraging to see all of our winners achieve SCC levels below 76,000 cells/mL, which is a significant accomplishment.”
AHI Chairperson, James Lynch, also addressed attendees. He stated: “The CellCheck Awards recognise and pay tribute to the commitment to excellence by Irish dairy farmers. Our dairy farmers are world-class food producers, and the CellCheck programme has, for over 10 years, supported them on the journey of improved herd health, reduced SCC, and the continued application of selective dry cow therapy.”
Michael Berkery, Chair of FBD Trust, remarked on the long-standing partnership with the awards: “FBD has supported this initiative since its launch in 2014, and it is encouraging to see how it continues to develop. The CellCheck Programme, and the work of Animal Health Ireland overall, has delivered tangible benefits for farmers, with improvements in milk quality directly contributing to increased farm income. I congratulate all of this year’s award recipients. Their efforts reflect the ongoing progress in Irish food standards and reinforce our competitiveness as a leading food-producing and exporting nation.”