The Guild of Agricultural Journalists has revealed the shortlist for its 2024 AgriGuild Awards, which will be held at Dublin’s Castleknock Hotel on Thursday next, November 28.

Kindly sponsored by FBD Insurance, the black-tie ceremony will recognise journalists for their outstanding work in national and regional media, along with consultants in the communications sector, across nine different categories.

These categories are: Best News Story; Best Feature; Best Visual Report; Best Use of Audio; Best Technical Report; Best Targeted Campaign; Best Environmental Reporting; Best Photograph and The Rising Star Award.

In addition to cash prizes for each category winner, a prized bronze trophy, ‘The Bull’,  will be presented to the category winner whose exceptional merit will be recognised by the adjudicating panel.

This panel is chaired by former RTE Radio editor Tom McGuire, who is joined by Maeve Dineen (communications consultant and former journalist), Joe Healy (former IFA president and chair of the Agri-Food Regulator), Michele Filippi (PR consultant) and Anne-Marie Butler (Head of Education, Teagasc).

Chair of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists Stella Meehan said:

“The quality and calibre of agricultural journalism throughout the island of Ireland has been suitably recognised by this year’s shortlist.

The diversity of entries has been fantastic and we’re looking forward to celebrating the best of agri-media at the awards ceremony on November 28. We are, as always, grateful to FBD for its continuing support of these prestigious awards.”

The nominees on the shortlist are as follows:

Best Environmental Reporting

• ‘The successful ‘back to basics’ approach of farming in the Burren’ – Anne Kinsella (RTE Brainstorm)
• ‘By Degrees: How climate change is already affecting your farm’ – Caitriona Morrissey (Irish Farmers Journal)
• ‘Anaerobic Digestion, derogations and dairy farmers – can they co-exist’ – Stephen Robb (Irish Farmers Journal)

Best Feature Story

• ‘The dark side of Ireland’s holiday home boom’ – Ciaran Moran (Irish Independent)
• ‘Peter Sweetman: Planning campaign sparked by illegal slurry spreading’ – Caitriona Morrissey (Irish Farmers Journal)
• ‘Video: Cavan farmer ‘lucky to be alive’ after fall into slurry pit’ – Breifne O’Brien (Agriland)

Best News Story

• ‘Israeli dairy farmer recalls morning Hamas attacked his farm’ – Chris McCullough (Fence Post)
• ‘Revealed: Coolmore’s extensive land empire’ – Caitriona Morrissey (Irish Farmers Journal)
• ‘Nutrition shortfalls contained in 2019 ‘Planetary Health Diet’ – Charles O’Donnell (Agriland)

Best Photograph

• ‘Brazilian at Balmoral’ – Chris McCullough (Belfast Telegraph / Sunday Life)
• ‘Playing the Blues’ – Dan Linehan (Irish Examiner)
• ‘Flooded Farmers’ – Claire Nash (Irish Farmers Journal)

Best Targeted Campaign

• Farmer Time – Elaine Crosse (Airfield Estate)
• Learning Hub Series – Niamh Gunn (Bord Bia)
• Collaboration Communications Driving Ireland’s Biomethane Future – Geraldine Kearney & Caroline Nolan (Authenticity)

Best Technical Article

• The successful ‘back to basics’ approach of farming in the Burren – Anne Kinsella (RTE Brainstorm)
• Era of the eco cow: Is it possible to breed for lower methane emissions? – Rachel Martin (Irish Examiner)
• Mining bitcoin on top of an anaerobic digestion plant – Stephen Robb (Irish Farmers Journal)

Best Use of Audio

• The Farmers Yard – Sally Ann Barrett (RTE Radio 1 Morning Ireland)
• ‘We’re being left behind’ says farmer with learning difficulties – Louise Hickey (Agriland)
• Rutting Season – Damien O’Reilly  (RTE Radio 1 CountryWide)

Best Visual Report

• Livestream of Ploughing 2023 – Agriland Team (Agriland)
• Remembering People and Places – Bernie Commins (Irish Farmers Monthly)
• Farmers’ heartbreak over flooding at Lough Funsinagh – Colm Ryan (Agriland)

Rising Star Award

• Noel Bardon (Irish Farmers Journal)
• Sarah McIntosh (Irish Farmers Journal)
• Anne O’Donoghue (Irish Country Living / IFJ).