Celebrating Excellence in Irish Dairy Farming | NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards 2026 Opens for Entries
Ornua and the National Dairy Council are inviting dairy co-operatives nationwide to nominate their top-performing milk suppliers for the 2026 NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards, which are now officially open for entries. The closing date for submissions is 30th April 2026.
Now in their 17th year, the prestigious awards recognise the outstanding work of Irish dairy farmers who consistently deliver milk of the highest quality while maintaining best-in-class standards in sustainable dairy production.
The 2025 overall winners were the Ryan family from Moyne, Thurles, Co. Tipperary, suppliers to Centenary Thurles Co-op, whose farm stood out to the judges for its high performance across key areas including environmental sustainability, grassland management, farm infrastructure, and animal health and welfare.
The independent judging panel includes Prof. Karina Pierce, Professor of Dairy Production at UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science; Prof. Patrick Wall, and Dr. David Gleeson (formerly Teagasc).
The judging process begins with a comprehensive review of nomination forms and supporting technical reports covering a 12-month period. From this assessment, a shortlist of finalists will be selected before the judges conduct on-farm visits during the summer months.
The programme is a collaboration between Ornua, owner of Kerrygold, and the National Dairy Council, highlighting dairy farmers who are setting the standard in areas such as sustainability, environmental stewardship, animal welfare, grassland management and milk quality.
Conor Galvin, Chief Executive, Ornua said, “We are pleased to launch the 2026 Quality Milk Awards together with our longstanding partner, the National Dairy Council. Each year, the Quality Milk Awards recognise the commitment, care and expertise of Irish dairy farmers who produce world-class grass-fed milk every day. The global reputation of Irish grass-fed dairy is built on the exceptional standards maintained on family farms the length and breadth of Ireland. As we announce the call for nominations for this year’s programme, we look forward to celebrating these exceptional standards and championing the farm families and their respective co-ops who are proudly leading the way.”
Emma Walls, CEO of NDC said, “Irish dairy farmers continue to raise the bar in producing exceptional quality milk while strengthening their focus on sustainability, animal welfare and environmental responsibility. Through our partnership with Ornua, the Quality Milk Awards celebrate farming families who are setting the standard for excellence and helping to uphold Ireland’s global reputation for premium dairy.”
In addition to identifying the top dairy farm, specific category awards will recognise excellence in environmental stewardship, grassland management, animal health and welfare, and milk quality.
Co-ops and Co-op Farm Services Managers will be invited by the competition organisers to submit their nominations via email. Co-ops wishing to nominate a supplier can contact info@qualitymilkawards.ie to submit their entry.
The winners will be announced at a special awards ceremony in September 2026.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Please note that the minimum qualifying standard for entry for this national competition is TBC of 15,000 or less/ml average per month, with no count greater than 50,000 ml; and monthly average SCC of 200,000 or less/ml, with no count greater than 400,000 ml in any given month of the year in question.
For further information and entry forms please email the team on info@qualitymilkawards.ie
For further information please contact:
Seán P O’Brien, Communications Manager, Ornua | sean.p.obrien@ornua.com | +353 87 910 7740
Niamh Gunn, Farm Advocacy Manager, National Dairy Council | nmgunn@NDC.ie |