Alan and Catherine Doak, Omagh, Co Tyrone, won the Lakeland Dairies supreme milk quality award on Friday at Lakeland’s annual milk quality awards.

The Doaks also won the 0-1m litres Northern Ireland milk production category, for the exceptional quality of their milk supply to Lakeland Dairies.

Dairy farmers from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland were honoured on Friday for the high quality of milk produced on their farms supplying Lakeland Dairies.

The winners emerged from among 3,200 farm families who produce milk for the 1.8bn Lakeland Dairies milk pool.

The awards were presented by Mairead McGuinness MEP, vice-president of the European Parliament, with Lakeland Dairies chair Alo Duffy and group CEO Michael Hanley.

Milk quality award winners

  • John Anthony McNally of Drumroo Farm, Drumrooghill, Lisnalong, Co Monaghan, won the 500,000+ litres milk production category. The runner-up in this category was John Malone, Walshestown, Mullingar, Co Westmeath.
  • David Boyd and Trevor Keith from Glaslough, Co Monaghan, won the 0-500,000 litres milk production category, closely followed by runner-up Patrick Reilly, Cammagh, Moyne, Co Longford.
  • Sustainability award

  • Peter Robinson from Ballinagore, Co Westmeath, won the sustainability category of the awards for outstanding commitment to sustainable milk production, based on measures including carbon footprint, biodiversity, water management and milk quality results.
  • Northern Ireland

  • Iain McLean, Bushmills, Co Antrim - represented at the awards by sons Matthew and John - won the 1m+ litres milk production category. The runners-up in this category were The Johnston Family, represented by Stephen Johnston and his son Isaac, Ballinamallard, Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh.
  • Alan and Catherine Doak, Omagh, Co Tyrone, won the 0-1m litres category. Alan received the award with his son James. The overall runners-up in the 0-1m litres milk production category were Sean and Padraig McKee, Toomebridge, Co Antrim.
  • New entrants
  • In the category for new entrants to dairy farming, Ciaran Boylan, Shercock, Co Cavan, and Ian McClelland, Banbridge, Co Down, both won awards for exceptional milk quality.
  • Tribute

    Lakeland Dairies chair Alo Duffy paid tribute to all of the award winners.

    “Winning a quality award is something really special. The awards symbolise many years of commitment and hard work in achieving the highest possible standards of milk production including sustainability, hygiene, animal health and overall care for the environment.

    “As a globally focussed dairy exporter, we continuously provide reassurance to our customers about the quality of our products, with systems that trace quality throughout the food chain.

    "Our farmers and the litre of milk are the first building blocks in that process. The winners here today understand these requirements.

    "I express my admiration and pride to all of the winners in the Lakeland Dairies milk quality awards.”

    Lakeland Dairies group CEO Michael Hanley said: “Lakeland Dairies is proud to put the work of our farmers at the centre of our business and we are delighted to be able to reward and recognise their commitment to excellence at our milk quality awards.

    “We’re all working in a deeply competitive and globalised marketplace. To succeed in that environment, you need to be able to differentiate yourself based on your reputation and the quality of what you do.

    “Lakeland Dairies is achieving this through the excellence and distribution of our value-added dairy products, the technological capability of our processing facilities and the high quality of our milk pool from our farmers.”

    Safe food

    Mairead McGuinness MEP said: “Ireland has the capacity to meet the demand for safe, traceable and nutritious wholesome food, produced in a sustainable way.

    "The world population is growing and so too is the demand for food of high quality. These awards recognise excellence in quality milk production,” she said.

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