Brendan Guinan

In 2019, Brendan Guinan embarked on a journey of transforming 10 hectares (6 ac) of neglected forestry into a regenerative farm. Backing on to Cul na Móna bog, this diverse piece of land contains Ash, Oak, Alder, Sycamore and Pine trees. Brendan has carefully thinned the woodland entirely by hand, creating 1/10th hectare paddocks for his grazing and foraging animals. He has worked hard to ensure his farm works in harmony with the native flora and fauna that are present on the land. Coming from a family farming background, Brendan values farming traditions from generations gone while also understanding the importance of progression in farming systems - “I want to maintain traditional ways of farming but with a modern twist”.

Brendan combines Planned Holistic Grazing and Agroforestry to ensure his animals get a rich and varied diet, while simultaneously enhancing soil biology and capturing carbon. Brendan produces free-range veal, free-range Gloucestershire Old Spot pigs, free-range turkeys as well as free-range eggs. The animals are pasture fed and remain outdoors year-round, sheltered by the cover of the trees during the wintertime. There is a natural spring on the land where Brendan plans to build a pond to keep brown trout and create a water habitat. On the farm there are pine martins, foxes, pheasants, cuckoos, buzzards, frogs, dragonflies and more. Brendan sells his eggs, veal sausages and burgers, pork sausages and dry cured ham direct to his local community. He has built his customer base through social media and he loves welcoming visitors, neighbours and customers to his farm. He is passionate about sharing good quality, local produce with his local community.

NOMINATOR: Blatnaid Gallagher, Farming for Nature Ambassador
NOMINATION:
I met Brendan via an Alumni Gathering for MSc Ag Innovate Graduates from NUIG. He immediately stood out as an outstanding spokesperson for Farming with natural environments. I was so taken aback by his knowledge and passion for producing food , beef, pork, chicken, turkey and honey without any chemical intervention whatsoever. Brendan's Farm is one of a kind in Ireland. The livestock all live outdoors under the canopy of trees both mature and newly planted, without any state subsidies initiative he has dug, a large pond to attract wildlife to the farm and all of the conservation he has done without any state or scheme funding. An excellent communicator and hard worker Brendan would be a fantastic ambassador for Nature. Farming with nature and without chemical fertilizers, sprays or antibiotics. They provide minimum processed nutrient-rich and tasty food directly to local families. They work using forested land in collaboration with nature and animals to produce healthy happy nutrient-rich food. The pastures are forested, with natural ecosystems and no artificial inputs.