Double success for Limerick family at Dairygold milk quality awards

THE HANNON family won on the double at the Dairygold Milk Quality and Sustainability Awards.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin presented the best quality milk in the Limerick region award and overall sustainability award to the Hannons, who farm in Kiltemplan on the border of Patrickswell and Ballybrown parish.

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The two other Dairygold Limerick region finalists honoured for their milk quality at the awards were the Cussen family, of Keylogues, Galbally (pictured below).

And the Carrolls, of Coolruss, Bruree (pictured below).

John and Catherine Hannon, along with their four children Fiona, Mairéad, Shane and Tadhg, milk 230 grassfed Holstein Friesians on the farm which has been in the family since 1966. Investment in technology and overall farm infrastructure over the past three years has allowed the Hannons be as efficient as possible. 

John also credits membership of local discussion groups as being important, with a lot of value and expertise gained from these groups.

Milk quality on the farm is excellent, with an SCC of 73,000 for 2024. The Hannons milk quality efforts were also acknowledged by Animal Health Ireland at the 2024 CellCheck Awards, where they received an award.

As well as the excellent milk quality on the farm, the judges were also very impressed with the Hannons’ sustainability efforts. John’s keen interest in local water quality and his organising of local workshops and discussion groups to highlight the issue was commended by the judges.

He has also applied to the recently launched Farming for Water EIP programme to install measures to protect water quality on his farm including a sediment trap, farmyard bucket and brush and multi-species swards. 

Biodiversity is also very evident on the farm with mature trees and hedgerows throughout the farm. Protected urea is used extensively across the farm and John actively promotes its use at his local discussion group.

The awards were based on 2024 milk quality data from Dairygold’s 2,500 milk suppliers across Cork, Tipperary, Limerick, Clare, Kerry and Waterford. Eighteen finalists were shortlisted from each of the six Dairygold regions and assessed by a team of expert judges.