Three Mayo companies awarded Bord Bia Origin Green Gold Membership

Three Mayo companies have been awarded Origin Green Gold Membership for 2024 from Bord Bia.

Both West Coast Crab Sales and Connemara Seafoods received the accolade for the second year running, while Rockfield Dairy received their third ackowledgment.

A record eight of 110 Bord Bia recognised Origin Green Gold Membership companies this year come from Connacht, with three companies coming from Galway and Mayo respectively, and one company coming from Roscommon and Sligo respectively.  

Gold Membership is awarded to Origin Green verified companies if they make significant improvements in their sustainability target areas. Target areas can include supply chain sourcing, water, emissions, waste reductions, packaging, and social sustainability.

The Gold Members were formally acknowledged at Bord Bia’s annual Origin Green Sustainability Seminar, which was opened by Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD.

Deirdre Ryan, Director of Sustainability and Quality Assurance, Origin Green at Bord Bia, who officially announced the 2024 Gold Members, explained that the threshold is raised each year to ‘drive continuous change and improvement’.

“The record number of companies awarded Gold Membership this year is reflective of the appetite of the Irish food and drink sector to accelerate their sustainability actions,” she added.

Speaking today, Jim O’Toole, CEO of Bord Bia, said: “The record level of companies committing to sustainability targets and achieving Gold Membership is incredibly encouraging and a testament to the collective ambition of the sector.”

He referenced the latest Environmental Protection Agency report, which shows that the agriculture industry is moving in the right direction, with emissions reducing by 4.6 percent in 2023. 

“While positive, the industry must accelerate this progress. Origin Green is committed to working collaboratively with industry and farmers to implement initiatives and measures to grow the sustainability capability of all members, to achieve lasting and meaningful change,” he continued.

The Origin Green Sustainability Seminar featured morning and afternoon panel discussions featuring Origin Green members, while guest speakers included Hakan Nordkvist, Chief Executive of the Net Zero Company; Peter Cosgrove, Founder of Futurewise, and Gavin Barwell, Senior Advisor to PwC.

Throughout the seminar, Bord Bia provided an overview of the new initiatives and supports available within the Origin Green programme. The Origin Green Academy Team highlighted what knowledge and training supports are available exclusively to Origin Green members through the collaboration between Bord Bia, the Sustainable Enterprise Skillnet and 20FIFTY Partners. 

Finally, attendees had an opportunity to experience a demonstration of AgNav, the new farmer focused online sustainability platform developed as a collaborative project between Bord Bia, Teagasc and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.