Michael and his father Martin Carroll from Granagh, Co Limerick have been announced as the winners of the Dairygold Milk Quality and Sustainability Awards for 2025.
The Carroll family are milking 140 cows across a 54ha milking platform with an emphasis on excellent milk quality, maximising milk output from grass and exceptional herd genetics.
Michael is farming alongside his parents Martin and Mary, wife Stephanie and their three children, Donagh, JJ and Eliza.
The awards recognise excellence in milk quality and on-farm sustainability among Dairygold’s 2,400 strong supplier base.
The awards took place in the Springfort Hall in Mallow, Co Cork on Thursday night with Minister for Agriculture, Martin Heydon in attendance.
Standards
“The standards showcased through these awards are among the very best in the world, reflecting a deep-rooted focus on quality, sustainability and continuous improvement,” Minister Heydon said.
Dairygold chairperson Pat Clancy added: “These awards are an important opportunity to recognise the hard work, dedication and consistency of our milk suppliers. The standards we continue to see across our farming base are a credit to our members and are central to the success of our co-op.”
Judging
As part of the judging process, Dr William Burchill of UCC and I visited the 18 finalists shortlisted for the award.
The quality of farms on show throughout the judging process was top class, with the families involved showing a real depth of knowledge and understanding of their respective businesses.
Ultimately, it was the Carroll family who won the overall award with a number of other families recognised for outstanding performance in areas like sustainability, generational renewal and innovation.
The Carrolls will now go forward to represent Dairygold in the national NDC and Kerrygold Quality milk awards for 2025.
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