Wexford farmer takes home top prize at EU Innovation Award
From left: Alan Poole, Dr Cheryl Poole and MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú at the awards ceremony in Brussels.
Dr Cheryl Poole, a dairy farmer from just outside Gorey, Co Wexford, has won the Copa and Cogeca’s Innovation Award for Women Farmers.
Ms Poole farms the 103-acre family farm with her husband, Alan Poole, and three children. The farm has been passed down since the early 1700s and now supports a 72-cow high-EBI dairy herd focused on high milk solids, herd health and environmental care.
The Innovation Award for Women Farmers aims to highlight the contributions women make towards rural development, forestry and farming.
This year, the award was entitled 'Women making waves in sustainable water systems', aiming to showcase female farmers who provide critical contributions in addressing water-related challenges.
Ireland South MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú attended the event, congratulating the Wexford woman for representing the best of Irish agriculture at an EU level.
“Cheryl Poole is dedicated to protecting wildlife, rainwater harvesting, reducing waste, and protecting our waterways and is the perfect example of how farmers are living in harmony with their environment,” Ms Ní Mhurchú said.
Ms Poole was one of five finalists attending the awards, pipping her fellow finalists, Sarah Descamps (Belgium), Lidia Moroń Morawska (Poland), Monika Zsuzsanna Horváth (Hungary), and Alessandra Pighin (Italy), to the post.
From her time in research, Ms Poole applies scientific rigour and analytic skills to her farming practices. Ms Poole, with the help of her husband, set out to prove an intensive, conventional dairy farm could remain economically, environmentally and socially sustainable.
The Pooles' eldest son, Jacob, who has a severe disability, finds therapy and joy in the River Bann, which flows through the property, making the protection of water quality a personal and professional mission.
More than 20% of the land is dedicated to biodiversity through wildlife corridors, orchards and hedgerows. Ms Poole also actively participates in national biodiversity initiatives and regular surveys in efforts to support local ecosystems.
Central to her innovation are water-focused measures: a rainfall garden, sediment tanks, a constructed wetland and a system to divert road drainage through natural filtration before it reaches the river.
These actions have helped enhance water quality, protect aquatic life and have involved local schools in learning about climate action.
As a result of her efforts, Ms Poole has reduced nutrient run-off, allowing for a thriving biodiversity on the farm. She has also helped in cutting fertiliser and energy costs.
Socially, the farm has become a hub for education and community engagement, earning national and international recognition.
“Cheryl Poole is showing exactly what the Innovation Award for Women Farmers is designed to celebrate— practical ingenuity, environmental responsibility and a deep commitment to rural communities,” Ms Ní Mhurchú said.
“Her work is an inspiration not only to Irish farmers, but to rural innovators across Europe.”
