BIM awards to celebrate Irish seafood sector’s finest
Entries from the fishing, fish farming, seafood processing, and retail sectors have been received for the awards.
Ten experienced judges headed by Joe O’Flynn, director, AgriFood Business Partners, will be looking for excellence in skills, sustainability, innovation, and competitiveness across the fishing, aquaculture and seafood processing sectors.
Judging panels have been assigned to their areas of expertise. Each will decide on the winners of three awards.
The Responsible Fisherman of the Year, Aquaculture Environmental and Social Responsibility and the Green Processor awards will be assessed by the Sustainability judging panel.
Finalists in the Best New Fishing Practice, Innovation in Aquaculture, and Innovation in Seafood and Processing awards will be judged by the Innovation panel.
The BIM Young Fishmonger, Independent Seafood Specialist, and the Supermarket Seafood Counter of the Year awards will be hosted by the Skills panel.
A separate judging system applied to the Young Fishmonger Award. Eight shortlisted finalists were announced in August.
A Student of the Year will also be announced.
The Competitiveness panel will judge the Fishing Enterprise, Aquaculture Enterprise and Seafood Enterprise/ Entrepreneur of the Year awards.
Winners from each category will be announced at the awards ceremony in the Clayton Hotel, Ballsbridge, Dublin on November 17, with sports broadcaster Des Cahill as master of ceremonies.
BIM CEO Tara McCarthy said Ireland’s seafood sector employs more than 11,000 people directly and indirectly around the coast.
“It is a diverse sector with many strings to its bow with a passion and entrepreneurial spirit that has driven success and weathered many challenges over the years,” said Ms McCarthy.
“We in BIM have developed these awards to recognise an industry that is the cornerstone of our coastal communities and an integral part of our agri-food portfolio.”
