Brexit programme wins overall agri-journalism award

The Guild of Agricultural Journalists this weekend announced the overall winner of the 2018 Guild of Agricultural Journalism Awards as TV production company Crawford McCann for its ‘Brexit – Farming on the Edge’ TV programme produced for RTE in January 2018. The programme, which explored the impact of Brexit on Irish farmers North and South of the border, was selected by an independent judging panel of industry and media experts as the overall winner from a shortlist of 28 entries.

Chair of the judging panel Zoe Kavanagh, chief executive of the National Dairy Council said: “I am delighted to present the overall prize to Crawford McCann for this excellent TV production which was the unanimous choice of the judges to receive the overall prize. The entry was the clear winner for the range and scope of its analysis in a series of on-site interviews of the problems facing Irish farmers and the clear presentation of the threats Brexit poses to their livelihood, to rural communities and to the economy of the country as a whole.”

The awards which are held every two years and supported by FBD Insurance aim to encourage excellence in the coverage of farming, food and rural life on the island of Ireland. Chair of the Guild of Agricultural Journalists, Ciara Leahy said: “We received more than 200 entries into this years awards and the quality of entries is testament to the hard word and dedication of our agricultural journalists and communicators. We are incredibly grateful to our judging panel who had a mammoth task in both selecting the shortlist and the overall winners. I would like to thank FBD Trust for once again sponsoring this industry showcase and finally, I would like to commend all of those who entered our awards for doing your part in encouraging healthy competition and promoting excellence in the reporting of agricultural and rural issues year round.”

 

Fiona Muldoon, CEO, FBD Insurance plc further said: “FBD Insurance is delighted to once again sponsor the Agricultural Journalism Awards and celebrate the high standards in agri-journalism and communications. These men and women set high standards in agri-journalism and are of  great service to our industry.  FBD Insurance plc is proud to work alongside the Guild of Agri Journalists on this important event.”

 

The overall winners in each category were announced as follows:

Television:

Crawford McCann Ltd for RTE for ‘Brexit – Farming on the Edge’ – a TV series  which aired in January, 2018 which highlighted the impact Brexit is having onfarmers and farming as it becomes a reality North and South of the border.
 

Print – News Article

Thomas Hubert and Pat O’Toole, for ‘Exposed – Revenue’s Kerry Co-op Project’ – a series in The Irish Farmers Journal documenting how the Revenue Commissioners targeted Kerry Co-op shareholders for tax.  

Radio

Damien O’Reilly, Countrywide, RTE for a live programme on ‘The Fodder Crisis’ that explored the impact this year’s severe drought had on farms throughout the country. 

Print – Feature

Lorcan Allen and Eoin Lowry, Irish Farmer’s Journal for ‘Ireland’s Infant Formula Sector’ a feature which investigated the importance of the infant formula sector to Ireland’s dairy industry.

Targeted Communications

Joe Coffey, Macra Na Feirme for the ‘Macra Farm Safety Campaign’ which highlighted the dangers of working on the land and promoted safeguards to address this vital issue.  

Technical

Padraig O’Connor and Mark Moore, Teagasc Today’s Farm, for ‘Standard Operating Procedures’ which was a highly practical and educational series that demonstrated how farming and farm life could be improved and made more efficient

Online

Claire McCormack, Agriland for ‘Your Past Should Not Limit Your Future – Pat Smith  - an extensive and revealing interview with the former chief executive of the IFA.

Best Coverage of a Guild Event

Agri Aware for ‘Engaging our Audience through the Magic of Mojo’ which demonstrated the practical benefits of using a workshop in mobile journalism run by the Guild to learn how to make the best use of social media to promote itself and its objectives.

Photography

Julien Behal Photography for ‘Bloom Champagne Celebrations’ – a photograph capturing the sheer spontaneous joy of coming first at Bloom 2018 and wasting good champagne in the process!   
 

Judging Panel

The judging panel was Chaired by Zoe Kavanagh, Chief Executive, National Dairy Council and included Anna Marie McHugh, National Ploughing Association; Johnny O’Hanlon, Director, Local Ireland - representative body for local newspapers; Pat O’Keeffe, Head of Farmer Relations, Glanbia; Professor Karina Pierce, UCD School of Agriculture & Food Science; Richard Wright, former Agricultural Correspondent, BBC Northern Ireland.