Sustainable Livestock Village a new venture for Tullamore Show

IRELAND'S premier Show is always evolving and this year is no exception with the introduction of a Sustainable Livestock Village which will include the “Sustainable Farmers Awards”.

The Tullamore Show and FBD National Livestock Show was delighted recently to launch the Sustainable Livestock Village and the “Sustainable Farmer Awards”for 2023.

The launch took place in the FBD Headquarters with Minister Pippa Hackett officially Launching this inaugural project.

This event was attended by several representatives from the key agencies involved in the project, including FBD and Tullamore Show personnel.

The introduction of a Sustainable Livestock Village provides a relevant and timely platform for farmers to learn more about practices that can further boost the sustainability performance of their farms.

The Sustainable Livestock Village will see key agencies such as the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Teagasc, Bord Bia, ICBF, Animal Health Ireland, Meat industry Ireland and Dairy Industry Ireland working together to  deliver clear, practical advice to farmers in relation to sustainability practices that can be adopted on their farm and highlight the supports available.

The Village will also include a Sustainable Farmer Awards, which will recognise beef and lamb farmers that have adopted best practice across a range of sustainability areas.

They will showcase how farmers across different beef and lamb farming systems have implemented sustainability practices and highlight the impact they’ve had in terms of the environmental and economic performance on their farms.

The Awards are being run in partnership with Bord Bia, Teagasc and the Irish Farmers Journal.

Joe Molloy Chairman of the Tullamore Show & FBD National Livestock Show welcomed everyone to the event and he stated: “We believe that the National Livestock Show is the perfect platform, with well over 60,000 people attending annually, he highlighted how this project started from a brief discussion back in 2022 and we are proud of how it has evolved, and he concluded by stating “Sustainable practices are the foundation of the future”.

Minister Pippa Hackett delivered an informative speech outlining what different elements of  Sustainability mean at farm level.

The Minister highlighted that “the real sweet spot is for a farmer to be able to deliver environmental sustainability alongside economic sustainability, where the economics of the farm enterprise are such that it will be able continue for a long time”.

The event concluded by Chief Commercial Officer of FBD, John Cahalan stating how climate change, resource depletion, and biodiversity loss have become urgent issues for the world we live in today and he wished all involved the very best of luck with this new venture as we look forward to this year’s show.