More time to apply for the Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards
The application deadline for the Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards 2026 has been extended.
Applications have been extended until Friday, March 13th for the Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards 2026. The awards aim to recognise and celebrate the actions that individual farmers are taking to improve the overall environmental sustainability of their farming business.
Marking the third year of the initiative that celebrates farmers who are leading the way in sustainable, profitable food production, Dr Siobhán Kavanagh, Signpost Programme Communications & Engagement Specialist, said the awards aim to recognise the huge effort being made by farmers across the country to improve environmental sustainability while continuing to produce high-quality food in a commercially viable way.
“There are a couple of key objectives around these awards,” she explained, “The first is to give recognition to farmers who are making a huge effort on their farms to improve environmental sustainability while at the same time continuing to produce good quality food profitably.”
Dr Kavanagh said the awards are also designed to promote environmentally sustainable farming among other farmers and to raise awareness among the wider public about the positive work happening on Irish farms.
“There has been a huge amount of negative press in this area, and we want to put out some of those good news stories,” she said, “that has been a big part of our promotion, sharing stories from previous winners and finalists to engage the general public and show what farmers are doing.”
€30,000 prize fund
The awards are supported by FBD Insurance, with a generous total prize fund of €30,000.
There are six categories:
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- Improving water quality
- Enhancing biodiversity
- Improving soil health
- Organic farming
- Diversification
Each category winner will receive €4,000. One overall winner will then be selected from the six category winners and awarded an additional €6,000, bringing the overall top prize to €10,000, with Dr Kavanagh expressing appreciation for FBD’s continued backing of the initiative.
Farmers from all major enterprises, along with those operating in other agricultural sectors, are encouraged to apply. However, Dr Kavanagh stressed that technical efficiency and profitability must be clearly demonstrated.
“We have to be able to show that commercial farmers can be technically efficient and profitable and at the same time look after the environment,” she said.
What the judges are looking for
Judges will assess the progress farmers have made in improving sustainability across their farms. This includes measurable action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve water quality, enhance biodiversity and soil health and implement diversification measures.
The judging panel will examine:
- What actions have been taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- The farmer’s understanding of water quality challenges locally and on their farm
- Measures introduced to address those challenges
- Actions taken to enhance biodiversity and soil health in the farm
- Good examples of diversification including solar, biomethane, forestry
- Technologies adopted and the farmer’s understanding of how those technologies work
- Evidence of improved technical efficiency and profitability
For more on the Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability Awards, visit here.
For further insights, listen to an episode of the Tillage Edge podcast below, where Michael Hennessy, Head of Crops Knowledge Transfer, was joined by Dr Kavanagh and Don Somers, overall winner of the Teagasc FBD Environmental Sustainability in 2025: