The Whyte family from Co Dublin have been announced as the overall winners of the FBD and Irish Farmers Journal FAO Year of Family Farming awards.

The family were presented with their award by President Michael D Higgins at today's International Conference on Family Farming in Dublin, to mark the UN Year of Family Farming.

The Whytes are tillage farmers from Naul. There are 36 members of the family, with 15 of them working on the farm.

Addressing the conference, President Higgins said the family farm was a vital necessity to ensure that no part of Ireland was left neglected.

"It is a vital necessity if we want an Ireland of thriving local communities, not just people who are attached to an economy only. And it is a vital necessity if we want to continue to eat good food, and sustain a living and rich relationship with our natural environment," he said.

The President said it was time to challenge "a flawed assumption, the idea that modernisation and socio-economic progress require urbanisation. I believe, conversely, that sustainable rural development offers a viable alternative to massive rural flight," he said.

Speaking in advance of the conference, IFA President Eddie Downey said: “This conference is a fantastic opportunity to highlight the significant contribution that farm families make to the economic and social life of local communities, producing quality food and caring for the environment."

A number of speakers will join President Higgins in addressing today's conference, including Gerd Sonnleitner, UN Goodwill Ambassador for the 2014 International Year of Family Farming; Professor Mandi Rukuni, Barefoot Education for Africa Trust (BEAT); Rowena Dwyer, IFA Chief Economist; and Dr David Meredith, Senior Research Officer, Teagasc.

Meet the winners of the FBD and Irish Farmers Journal UN Year of Family Farming Awards