Lifford dairy farmer Richard Starrett has won the prestigious NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.
Now in its 11th year, the awards, dubbed the ‘Oscars of the Dairy World’, acknowledge and celebrate the highest standards of excellence in dairy farming.
Winner Richard Starrett, supplying Aurivo Co-op, will receive €5,000 in prize money and take home the coveted NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards perpetual cup.
His farm in Lifford is a true family operation where he resides with his parents, his wife Wendy, and children David, Holly and John.
Richard believes sustainability is the biggest and most important aspect of farming and is focused on improving the sustainability of his farm.
The Starret family’s win was revealed live on RTÉ during a special extended ad break of The Late Late Show on Friday.
In a specially produced video, the stories of the 11 finalists were captured and the winner was then revealed on-air to the suspense of all 11 finalists, their families, their co-ops and their communities.
Each of the finalists were judged on sustainable farming practices, milk quality, technical knowledge and animal welfare on-farm practices.
Although a traditional awards ceremony was not possible this year, The Late Late Show announcement allowed families all over Ireland to share in the celebration of the incredible hard work of Irish dairy family farms all over the country.
John Jordan, CEO Ornua congratulated the Starrett family on their win, commenting: “We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate our winners, the Starrett family from Donegal, as they are excellent role models of the resilience and passion that are at the heart of Irish farming families.”
Judging panellist Professor Pat Wall also congratulated the Donegal family on the prestigious win, commenting that the family’s “passion for quality, and commitment to sustainable on-farm practices, technical expertise and animal welfare make them well-deserved winners of this year’s award.”
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