Farming for Nature has announced details of 21 farmers who have been nominated for their annual Ambassador Awards.
This year’s nominees come from 16 counties across the four provinces. Most farming types and systems are well represented and include dairy, beef, pig, poultry, tillage as well as mixed systems. Of the 21 nominees, eight are organic, three are in conversion to organic and 10 are conventional farms, with farm sizes varying from 10 to 240 hectares. Among the nominees are several married couples, brothers, friends, and a father and daughter duo. There is a wide variety of high nature value habitats on the farms including mountain heath, machair, woodlands, ponds and salt marshes.
From this group of 21 nominees, 12 farmers will be chosen as the 2024 Farming for Nature Ambassadors, bringing the total number of ambassadors to well over 100.
Dr. Brendan Dunford, founder and committed volunteer with Farming for Nature said ‘‘It’s quite inspiring, particularly at a time when things seem so fraught, to hear the stories of these nominated farmers and what they have done for nature on their land while making a decent living and contributing to their communities. Real farmers, farming for profit, people and planet, these are the people that we all – policymakers, scientists, farmers, consumers – need to listen to, learn from and support’.
Each nominated farmer will be visited by the Farming For Nature judges over the coming weeks. The final 12 ambassadors will be announced at the Burren Winterage Festival in October, where they will receive their awards. Throughout their ambassadorships, each farmer hosts a farm walk on their land and takes part in an online Q&A session. Each Ambassador is showcased in detail on the Farming for Nature website and social media channels, giving other farmers the opportunity to hear their stories and learn about the different ways they are working to support nature on their land. The Farming For Nature Ambassador Awards 2024 are supported by the National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
View all profiles of the 2024 Farming for Nature nominees
here
