Michael Berkery awarded honorary doctorate for lasting impact
Agricultural leader Michael Berkery is awarded a UCD honorary doctorate for his outstanding contributions to the agrifood sector, the UCD community and Irish society. Pictured from left are Prof Karina Pierce, Michael Berkery and of University College Dublin president Orla Feeley. Picture: Chris Bellew / Fennell Photography
Agricultural strategist and negotiator Michael Berkery has been awarded an honorary doctorate from University College Dublin (UCD) for his lasting contribution to the Irish agri-food industry and rural society.
Michael Berkery was the Irish Farmers’ Association’s (IFA) leading strategist and negotiator for over 25 years, and is still regarded as one of the most influential figures in Irish farming.
He was appointed general secretary of the association at the age of just 35, a position he held until 2008. Mr Berkery led the IFA’s most significant campaigns, from the pivotal milk quota campaign of 1983-84 to shaping CAP reform and securing the introduction of the beef premium and area aid payment system.
The Tipperary man's leadership extended through critical trade negotiations, including the general agreement on tariffs and trade, the 2001 beef blockade, and the IFA’s strategic approach to the World Trade Organization.
UCD president Orla Feely said: “Michael Berkery has been a tireless champion for farmers and rural communities, a strategist whose leadership has left a profound legacy. His advocacy for science, education and innovation reflects UCD’s mission to shape a sustainable future for agriculture and society.”
Presenting the citation, Karina Pierce, a professor at UCD’s School of Agriculture and Food Science, said: “Michael played a pivotal role in shaping agricultural policy at national and European levels during his 25 years at the helm of the IFA.
Accepting his honorary doctorate, Mr Berkery said: “I am deeply honoured and grateful to UCD for this special recognition, a university with which my personal connection began in the 1960s as a research technician at Lyons Farm.
“I have been extremely fortunate that my life and career have coincided with the amazing transformation of Irish agriculture over the past 50 years. Moreover, I have had the privilege of a professional career as an activist in many of the national and international policy developments that have shaped Irish farming, agriculture generally, the food industry, and rural society.”
Addressing graduates of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Science, he added: “Your generation faces the defining challenge of balancing the world’s growing demand for food, with less inputs per unit of production, while protecting and enhancing our natural environment. Science, research, knowledge, and technological innovation have always surmounted the challenges faced in agriculture and food production.
“The university’s commitment to a world-class UCD FBD Agricultural Science Centre at Lyons is a strong vote of confidence in agriculture and a clear signal that UCD sees agriculture and food production as industries embedded in Ireland with a long-term future. With the talented and ambitious agricultural scientists graduating today and in the coming years, I believe the future of farming and food production is in good hands.”
Mr Berkery currently serves as chairman of the FBD Trust, which this year marks its 50th anniversary. Since 1975, the Trust has invested over €50m in philanthropic initiatives promoting Irish agriculture through research, education, and knowledge transfer.
