William Dennehy, a spring-calving dairy farmer from Co. Kerry, has won the overall Environmentally Sustainable Farmer of the Year title at the 2026 Teagasc/FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards, held in Co. Laois.

The judges did not have to look hard for numbers. Dennehy's herd produced 497kg of milk solids per cow in 2025 from a predominantly grazed-grass diet, with an Economic Breeding Index (EBI) of €156. Over 55% of the milking platform carries clover, and 98% of nitrogen applied on the farm is protected urea — a combination Teagasc pointed to as proof that productivity, profitability and environmental sustainability can pull in the same direction.

Beef and breeding

The farm's breeding programme also feeds into the beef supply chain. Dennehy produces high-CBV (Commercial Beef Value) calves for beef farmers, supporting earlier finishing. Regular soil testing and lime use underpin grass production, with strong soil fertility cited as a feature of the operation.

Water quality work has been a deliberate priority. Dennehy worked with the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) to identify water-quality risks, then introduced riparian buffers, hedgerows and a reedbed on the farm. He runs the business using decision-support tools including PastureBase, AgNav, NMP and ICBF, while participating in sustainability programmes. Teagasc also highlighted his role in Social Farming and his involvement in the local community.

Dennehy completed a double on the night, also taking the category award for improving water quality.

Category winners

The awards were presented across five categories, with the following winners:

• Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: Aileen Sheehan and Philip O'Leary;
• Enhancing biodiversity: Peter and Thomas O'Hanrahan;
• Improving water quality: William Dennehy;
• Improving soil health: Matt Hennessey;
• Farming with innovation: Alan McCann.

Five special recognition awards were also presented:

• Establishing agroforestry: Michael Gleeson;
• Protecting waterways with targeted riparian margins: John McSweeney;
• Management and improvement of breeding: Aonghusa Fahey;
• Preservation and utilisation of heritage grains: Maurice Deasy;
• Managing hedgerows to enhance biodiversity, capture carbon and protect farming heritage: Pat and Kayleigh Durkin.

Industry reaction

Alex White, chairperson of the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC), congratulated the overall winner and the other nine finalists. "I extend my congratulations to the category and special recognition award winners who each committed to developing a sustainable future for the agri-sector… These farmers are leading the way in environmental sustainability," White said.

He added: "We all have a role to play in sharing the stories of these winning farmers, and hopefully be an inspiration to other farmers to follow."

Michael Berkery, chairperson of FBD Trust, said the quality of entries underlined the commitment of Irish farmers to delivering real progress in areas such as water quality, soil health and biodiversity.

"These awards provide an important opportunity to recognise those achievements and to showcase examples of how environmental sustainability can be successfully integrated into profitable farming businesses," Berkery said.

Prof. Frank O'Mara, director of Teagasc, said: "These farmers are an inspiration to all farmers in their local area to continue to adopt the key technologies that will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality and enhance biodiversity."

What it means for farm decisions

Dennehy's winning formula is built from technologies available to any Irish dairy farmer today: protected urea, clover incorporation, ASSAP water-quality advice, and the PastureBase, AgNav, NMP and ICBF decision-support platforms. The award citation effectively confirms that the national toolkit — not bespoke spending — can carry a farm to the top of the sustainability rankings while holding milk solids output near 500kg per cow.

Farmers looking to benchmark their own operations against the winning model can engage with ASSAP advisers and the Teagasc sustainability programmes now; the 2027 awards cycle will offer the next opportunity to enter.