Donegal sheep farmer named 2023 Young Farmer of the Year
Dwayne Shiels, 2023 FBD Young Farmer of the Year. Picture: Paul Connor
A pedigree sheep farmer from Letterkenny in Co Donegal has been named the 2023 FBD Young Farmer of the Year.
Dwayne Shiels took the top prize, along with winning the land mobility category at an awards ceremony on Tuesday night.
In addition to farming, Mr Shiels is a lecturer in agricultural sciences at Atlantic Technological University, Co Donegal.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards which were held at the Radisson Blu hotel in Co Sligo, home county of last year’s winner Christopher Tuffy.
The evening saw a number of other young farmers celebrated:
- Patrick Egan of Co Mayo was named overall runner-up, and the winner of the drystock category;
- Stephen O'Keeffe of Co Limerick won best new entrant;
- Philip Tallon of Co Meath won the other enterprises category;
- Sean Kelly of Co Tipperary won the dairy category;
- Conor Doran of Co Wexford won the award for biodiversity.
Macra national president Elaine Houlihan said that the FBD Young Farmer of the Year Awards "acknowledge and celebrate the talent, commitment and hard work of young farmers across Ireland".
She described Mr Shiels as a "shining example of the talent of Ireland’s young farmers".
"In fact, all of the finalists highlight the best and the brightest in the industry. What better way to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the awards than with a slate of such high calibre candidates," she added.
FBD Insurance chief executive Tomás Ó'Midheach said that while much has changed over the past 25 years, "one thing that remains constant is the infectious energy, dedication, and enthusiasm of competitors over all these years".
"Our hope is that these awards will continue to inspire the next generation of farmers to build their farm businesses for a sustainable future," he said.
Irish Farmers' Association president Tim Cullinan said that anything that promotes the sector as a career option is positive.
"Without new entrants, we won’t have innovation or enterprise. I want to wish everybody every good luck in the years ahead," he added.
The aim of the competition is to recognise and reward the top young farmers in the country.
Entrants are judged according to a number of criteria including farm business initiative and innovation, levels of farm efficiency and enterprise quality, farm safety and environmental protection awareness, and agricultural knowledge.
