Tirlán and Baileys celebrate 50 years in partnership with launch of third Sustainable Farming Academy

Tirlán and Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur are celebrating 50 years in partnership by opening applications for their third successive Sustainable Farming Academy.

Twenty farmers are again invited to enrol for the fully-funded year-long University College Cork (UCC) Diploma in Environment, Sustainability and Climate which begins in September.

Announcing the opening of applications for Diploma places, Director of Ingredients at Tirlán, Aoife Murphy, said: “As part of our Living Proof sustainability strategy we are committed to supporting Irish farming communities in addressing environmental, economic and social challenges by giving them the knowledge, skills and know-how to farm more sustainably. We are delighted to say there has been significant interest from our farmers in completing the Diploma.

“This year marks a significant milestone for Tirlán and Baileys relationship as we celebrate 50 years in partnership this year and we are keen to continue to work closely to ensure we deliver a world-class, sustainable product and service. Tirlán first began supplying our high quality cream for the Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur in 1974 through our facility in Virginia, Co Cavan.”

Sustainable Farming Academy Class 23/24

Aisling Gorman, Global Sustainability Marketing Manager, Baileys, said: “We’re proud Tirlán partners for 50 years and it makes sense that we would work together to upskill farmers in sustainable farming practices, so that together we can drive positive change and shape the future of farming in Ireland. We believe the Sustainable Farming Academy can deliver fundamental changes in farming practices and we are immensely proud to support this initiative and to acknowledge this first class of graduates. Together, we are working for change.”

Larry Hannon, Academy graduate and Co Kildare dairy farmer, said: “This is a brilliant programme and I’m delighted that our Co-op is co-funding it. I signed up because I wanted to challenge myself, even though I’ve been farming for over 30 years. It gave me a deeper understanding of what I needed to do on farm to be more environmentally and economically sustainable and how to achieve both.

I’ve applied much of what I’ve learnt. We’re putting in a significant solar project; we’ve fenced off our watercourses and I’ve a greater appreciation of the biodiversity corridor on my farm and how to nurture that. I never thought I’d go to college. I juggled the college workload with farming and rearing a family. It was a challenge but it was so worth it.”

Rachel Creighton, who farms along with her family on the Kildare-Wicklow border, is one of 20 students studying at UCC at present. “The Sustainable Farming Academy is brilliant. I come from a dairy farm.

Water quality is a major focus on many farms. We’ve really good quality water, and the Academy has helped me focus on protecting that by looking at the projected nutrient flow on the farm and what could happen as a result of a significant rain event. Looking to the future, we’re now considering installing a silt tank for yard runoff and planting a riparian margin and/or extra hedgerows in strategic areas on our farm to prevent any potential water contamination.”

The highly sought-after Sustainable Farming Academy Diploma is delivered mainly online and is tailored to fit in with each farmer’s full-time, on-farm responsibilities. It equips Tirlán family farm suppliers with the most relevant and up-to-date knowledge to continue to address sustainability challenges. The Academy is also aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Sustainable Farming Academy Graduates 22/23

The accredited and fully-funded Diploma is delivered through academic partner UCC. As part of the course, participants are required to submit a number of assignments, all of which are scheduled during quieter times in the farming calendar.

The Diploma also recognises prior learning and modules include Earth Science, Climate Change and Sustainable Development as well as Ecology, Applied Geographical Information Systems, Environmental Protection and Practical Environmental Management. All learning is directly applicable on farm.

The recipients of this year’s bursary awards of were also marked at the event. Among this year’s bursary award winners were Joshua Mills from Kilcullen in Kildare, who is currently studying at UCD; Sinead Cusack from Dunmore East in Waterford who is studying at UCC; Daniel Kennedy from Coolgreany, Gorey, Co Wexford who is studying in Dundalk Institute of Technology and Michael Ryan from Ballingarry in Tipperary who is studying at the South East Technological University.

Applications for the Sustainability Farming Academy are now open and the programme begins in September 2024.

Pictured (L-R) Seán Molloy (CEO Designat, Tirlán), Áine Kavanagh (Global Marketing Manager, Baileys),  Michael Ryan, Sinead Cusack, Joshua Mills (Bursary recipients), Aisling Gorman (Global Sustainability Marketing Director, Baileys) & John Murphy, (Chairperson Tirlán).