Lakeland Dairies has paid tribute to the McCoy family having won a national award at the 2019 National Dairy Council (NDC) / Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.

David and Gladys McCoy took home the Pioneering in Dairy Award at the national ceremony which took place at ceremony in Dublin this week.

David and Gladys McCoy from Smithboro in Co. Monaghan supply milk to Lakeland along with their four children Clive, Mark, Deane and Stephen.

The McCoys have expanded their cow numbers while still focusing on increased performance and efficiency on the farm. In 2018, they milked an average of 75 cows with an impressive performance of 596kg of milk solids per cow. The cows averaged nearly 8,000 litres last year with protein of 3.33% and 3.92% butterfat.

Quality is key for the McCoys with a 2018 average somatic cell count (SCC) of 78,000 and TBC of 8,000.

Lakeland Dairies chairman Alo Duffy paid tribute to the McCoys.

“We are both delighted and proud of the McCoy’s achievement. To win such a prestigious national award underlines their commitment to excellence at farm level. The Kerrygold / NDC Quality Milk Awards recognise standards of excellence in dairy farming. The McCoys’ desire to constantly innovate has rightly been rewarded by winning the Pioneering in Dairy award,” Mr Duffy said.

The McCoys were nominated by Lakeland Dairies and, after a rigorous selection and judging process, they were shortlisted in the final 13 farms from across the country.