Niamh Bambrick comes from a farming background and remains active in farming along with her fiancé in Co Kilkenny.

She is an Ag Science graduate with masters degrees and is also a past president of the Agricultural Science Association.

In Bord Bia, Niamh is the agri sustainability manager and has just taken on the role of managing the new Bord Bia Farmer Forum.

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What does the agri sustainability manager do in Bord Bia?

It isn’t just enough to say that our farming and food production system is one of the most sustainable, we have to be able to demonstrate it. My job is supporting and managing some of Bord Bia’s sustainability engagement with farmers and the wider industry to ensure we are supporting the sector in the best way possible.

What exactly is AgNav?

AgNav is a free, voluntary digital platform designed to help Irish farmers understand, measure and reduce their farm’s environmental impact.

Sustainability can often feel like a bureaucratic nightmare for farmers and it is a broad and complex topic.

There are challenges such as cutting emissions by 25% by 2030, maintaining the nitrates derogation and improving water quality.

For many farmers, it can be difficult to know where to start and there is also growing pressure to demonstrate sustainability at farm level. AgNav removes much of the guesswork.

It combines existing data from Bord Bia sustainability audits and ICBF plus research from Teagasc, meaning farmers don’t have to spend time re-entering information.

What benefits is it delivering?

AgNav has delivered real, practical benefits by answering the question many farmers are asking: “what is my number and what changes will actually reduce my emissions?”

It simplifies what can be a complex and confusing area, helping them focus on actions that are most relevant to their own farm.

AgNav provides a reliable “single source of truth” when demonstrating farm-level sustainability, which is increasingly important when engaging with customers and export markets.

For farmers there are tangible benefits - participation can unlock incentives through processor sustainability programmes and bonus scheme payments.

Over 17,000 farmers are now using AgNav.

It covers more than one million hectares of land, and over 47,000 on-farm actions have been committed to — actions that can be tracked and verified.

How will the Farmer Forum operate?

The Bord Bia Farmer Forum is an opportunity for farmers, growers and Bord Bia to take part in open dialogue, share constructive feedback, and help shape the work that supports Irish farming and the wider agri-food sector.

The Farmer Forum will begin with a meeting of approximately 100 active Quality Assured farmers and growers, who will have the opportunity to share constructive feedback, insight, and dialogue with Bord Bia.

The Farmer Forum will be supported by a committee of 12-18 members who will develop the agenda for each session and consolidate and agree actions arising.

This committee comprises of representatives from Macra, IFA, ICMSA, ICSA, INHFA, IGGG, and members of the Farmer Forum.

Bord Bia will also run a Farmer Forum regional roadshow this autumn. This will create an opportunity for the farmer and grower members, who applied to engage with us, to have the opportunity to have genuine and meaningful engagement with Bord Bia.

What will success look like for the Farmer Forum?

Success for me looks like Bord Bia, farmers and industry working together to market and promote Irish produce – with farmers confident their voices are heard and that their feedback genuinely shapes the process.

Many of us working in Bord Bia are from a farming background and understand the pressures on farmers.

We want to hear farmers issues and where possible address them. In Bord Bia our focus is to maximise the value of Irish food and drink.

The Farmer Forum will be a platform where we can explain our work and get farmer feed back on what we do.

As well as maximising value, we want farmers experience engaging with Bord Bia to be as positive as it can be.