Chewing the cud with… Tom Fanning
Chewing the cud with… Tom Fanning
Each month, we put the spotlight on a Glanbia Ireland employee and for our July newsletter, we’re talking to Tom Fanning
Training coordinator for the Belview plant, Tom Fanning is responsible for the training needs and requirements of over 100 employees. It’s a job the former IT, call centre and medical devices company worker absolutely loves.
“I joined Glanbia in 2017. I live in Tramore so it’s a 45 minute commute on my bike or a short spin in the camper van every morning. I revel in a performance-oriented environment with targets. This role involves a lot of collaboration and is very solutions oriented.
“My typical day starts with a performance review meeting and once that’s over, it’s all about getting learning programmes underway, liaising with Team Leads and plant personnel. Over the summer months, I engage in the process of hiring our temporary staff. It’s an exciting role and particularly around peak season, which starts mid-March when we’re juggling those demands with training and regulatory compliance.
“The day to day bits also involve gap analysis and operations meetings. There’s a very strong collaborative environment here between all the departmental teams. We’re one strong and united team.”
The change in ownership structure is a very good thing for Glanbia, Tom believes. “As a Cooperative, we now have more control of the business and what we do with the product. There are massive opportunities for diversification and adding value and the Royal A-ware joint venture represents huge opportunities for us all.”
And how does Tom relax and unwind, once his shift is over? “I’m a surfer Dad. I was always into cycling and rowing, but now it’s surfing. I love surfing with my kids. My eldest daughter, Alex who is 16 will be competing for Ireland in the Europeans this month. The other two, David, 13 and Jane 10, also love being out on the board.
“We love getting away in the camper and discovering the best places to surf. Tramore is great and we’re members of T Bay. But if I had to choose where the best waves are, it’s probably Waterville in Kerry. That is a very nice spot. I wouldn’t mind it if we opened a plant down there. That would be some work/life balance.”
Supporting Ukraine
Supporting Ukraine
Fundraising efforts by GI employees are helping families in Ukraine and refugees arriving in Ireland
As armed conflict in Ukraine continues to cause devastation, the sad familiarity of the war can distract us from the humanitarian crisis that’s been affecting millions of people since the start of the invasion on February 24th.
Our Glanbia Ireland community and our third-party manufacturers have made an impact, helping Ukrainians both here in Ireland and overseas in Poland and Ukraine.
Added to our €30,000 donation to UNICEF in March, GI employees, friends and family have added another €15,000 which will go directly to the charity’s team on the ground to help millions of displaced children and their families.
Since the first shipment of 100,000 meal kits was sent by Complex Nutrition to Ukraine in March, an additional 250,000 nutritional, milk powder-based meal kits using over 5 tonnes of milk powder from Glanbia Ireland farmers has gone to Ukrainian hospitals, this time proudly displaying our Avonmore branding.
Pictured below are hospital employees from the Department of Health in the Lviv region of Ukraine and the non-profit organization ‘Yurii Lypa Hospital of War Veterans’, along with volunteer soldiers from the Ukrainian army who recently received the meal kits. You can read a thank you letter from the hospital to Complex Nutrition and Avonmore.
Over 25,000 Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Ireland to date, with many being sheltered in emergency accommodation. Having fled their country in haste, some arrived with few belongings and no access to money to purchase essentials. In an effort to help refugees settle into their new lives, Glanbia Ireland employees in Ballyragget, Belview, KFC (Soup Plant) and Purcellsinch generously donated items to make up 200 care packs which have been distributed by Kilkenny County Council throughout Kilkenny and surrounding areas.
GI HR team member Rob Mosse presents some items collected for care packs to Kilkenny Civil Defence for distribution to refugees arriving in the southeast
China – out of lockdown
China – out of lockdown
Three of our Glanbia Ireland colleagues based in China describe what life was like during recent lockdowns and what they’re looking forward to now restrictions are lifting
Barry Deng is National KA Manager
My area in Shanghai is Qibao Town in the Minhang District. It went into lockdown on March 14th and it was lifted on June 1st, so about two and a half months in total.
During the lockdown, we had to stay indoors and in order to get enough exercise and not be bored, I learned to cook and began to run on the treadmill.
I worked from home during the lockdown, which has been a mixed experience for me; on the good side I had more time to stay with my family and pets but on the bad side, the lockdown has really caused a lot of inconvenience. I really missed the additional monitor in the office when I was working on forms and documents and of course I also missed colleagues working together in the office.
Restrictions eased around the end of May, life began to return to normal and we got freedoms back. I returned to the office as soon as possible and began working every day from there, but unfortunately the Minhang District was locked down again for another 14 days from June 21st.
With restrictions easing again, I’m looking forward to the normal freedoms of walking and jogging. I really hope the world returns to normal soon – no more lockdowns, no war, full of peace and love!
Steven Zhang is Head of Food Services Channel
I live in Shanghai Puxi which has been locked down for two entire months since April 1st.
To be honest, I’ll say it’s been a horrible experience in people’s lifetime caused by the lockdown. Initially it was announced for a week and then another and then eventually, lasting for two months. This period seemed extremely hopeless in Shanghai, where we have the best economy and finance in China.
To tide over that difficult time, I was reading and working out at home in order to keep both physical and mental health and I was really enjoying time with family. I should mention that during that two months, Glanbia Ireland China twice provided high quality daily food stuffs to all employees; it wasn’t easy to deliver to dozens of different places during the lockdown period. I’d like to express my appreciation to the team for bringing employee confidence and pride over that tough time.
I worked from home during the lockdown period and I really appreciated the company’s flexible and agile operation system – for example I could ask for help from ServiceDesk to solve some problems when I was working from home.
I really missed the freedoms we take for granted and I wish to never experience it again. Since June 1st, the restrictions lifted and now I’m back to the office fulltime during weekdays.
It’s been exciting to meet and communicate with colleagues and clients again but unfortunately, we haven’t been allowed to travel out of Shanghai yet. Hopefully the epidemic will fade away as soon as possible and the economy and normal way of life will get going again.
Lesley Zhu is E-commerce manager with our team in China
I live in Shanghai with my family and we all went into lockdown in my city on April Fool’s Day this year.
In April, we were confined to our homes every day and because of the disruption in supply chains, it was hard to buy groceries. We had to take a Covid test almost once every two days. The circumstances became better in May, as many online shops and supermarkets reopened. We could order online and fast delivery recovered. Then finally, we could walk in our neighbourhood.
Lockdown finished on Children’s Day, June 1st and we are now all back in the office full time – it’s been great to reconnect with colleagues once again. I like to keep active, so getting outside again has been what I’m enjoying most. I’ve loved the freedom of going for walks, jogs and going out on my bicycle again.
I’m really looking forward to being able to travel again and restrictions were lifted at the end of June.
Now, we can go to other cities and I’m excited to think about where I will go. There are so many places; maybe cycling along the river in Shanghai, then perhaps I’ll go to Suzhou or Hangzhou, as they are near Shanghai. I can go there to enjoy my weekends and there are many hills to hike in these two places. In autumn, I’d like to go to Sichuan Province to see the pandas.
Glanbia 300
Glanbia 300
Raising almost €40,000 for charity, this year’s Glanbia 300 has been a resounding success
The 2022 edition of Glanbia 300 finished less than a month ago and since then, the organising team has been busy collecting the final donations and capturing all the kilometres completed.
Thanks to the efforts of our cyclists, our colleagues across Ireland and the generous contributions of family and friends, in excess of 20,000km of activity were completed and nearly €40,000 was raised for charity.
All money donated will be divided evenly between Focus Ireland, Carlow Kilkenny Homecare and The Ford Counselling Centre.
Please click on the image gallery below to see images from the cycle and from across Ireland as colleagues participated in the week-long Glanbia 300.
The next edition of “Glanbia 300” will take place in September of 2023, but as our company will no longer carry the Glanbia name at that time, the name and the event will be updated for a new era – watch this space!
Below is a seven-minute video featuring colleagues who explain why they decided to take part in Glanbia 300 this year and why fundraising like this is so important for charities.
Fundraising is still open for anyone who’d like to donate. Please use this link or scan the QR code which can be shared.
Day at the races
Day at the races
After two long years, GAIN Equine Nutrition is delighted to continue its sponsorship of the ‘Champion Collection’ Series at The Curragh
The GAIN Equine Nutrition team had a fantastic day on Saturday for the third and final race in our ‘Champion Collection’ Series, the Group 2, GAIN Railway Stakes at The Curragh.
A hard fought race saw the Johnny Murtagh trained ‘Shartash’ get his nose in front of Aidan O’Brien’s ‘Blackbeard’ who had won the previous two races in the series.
The team were delighted to welcome back industry guests, customers and some inward buyers from the Middle East to The Curragh for a day’s racing after two years of the event being behind closed doors.
This sponsorship demonstrates our support to the thoroughbred and bloodstock industries, which is vital to our business. It is great for our brand to have presence on such a prestigious day in the flat racing calendar. #GAINTheAdvantage #WinningTogether #CustomersChampion
Egg Chair Winner Announced
Egg chair winner announced!
Following last month’s competition, find out who won our popular CountryLife Egg Chair
In last month’s edition of Overherd at Glanbia Ireland, we gave you the chance to win a hanging Egg Chair worth nearly €400, thanks to our colleagues at CountryLife.
All you had to do to win this fantastic prize was tell us why the Egg Chair would be perfect for your outdoor spaces at home this summer.
The Egg Chair has proven a very popular prize with a huge number of competition entries, but there can only be one winner! Congratulations to David Frampton who is a Production Specialist at our Belview site. He told us: “My wife and I have spent the past five years getting our garden to a near finished state. It’s been hard but rewarding work and we are nearly there now, if you are ever really there! This chair would be a beautiful finishing touch to our garden and provide a focal point that we could fight over during the long hot days of the summer months 😊.”
Win a Hanging Egg Chair worth €399
Win a Hanging Egg Chair worth €399
Glanbia CountryLife is delighted to offer this fantastic prize which will be an instant feature in one lucky winner’s garden!
Please read on for tips on how to make the most of your garden this summer and for details on how to enter the competition.
Your garden oasis awaits…
With summer here, now’s the time to start relaxing outdoors and soak up those bright evenings. Let your garden be your dream destination this summer by following CountryLife’s top tips on how you can easily and instantly transform your outdoor space.
Hanging Baskets & Window Boxes
Add instant life back into your garden with some window boxes and hanging baskets. These are the perfect addition to any space that is crying out for colour. There’s an endless amount of plants that are suitable for window boxes, especially in the summer months. Some factors to influence your decision should be whether your window boxes will be sheltered and in the shade, or exposed and in the sun. Plants for your window box should be chosen according to whether or not they will thrive in the environment they will be planted in. A nice idea is to use strongly scented plants near windows that will be often left open to spread a pleasant smell around your home.
The impact a good hanging basket can have in a garden is not to be underestimated. You can put anything you want in a hanging basket! Obviously, there are a few rules you can follow such as having taller plants in the centre of your basket with trailing plants to the side. But really after this, your only limitation is your imagination. Traditionally people love to use petunias and trailing geraniums because they give such a great display of flowers and colours. Fuchsia plants are a popular choice too either mixed in with other plants or by themselves. Both small fuchsia plants and larger specimen plants can add great interest to a hanging basket. Similarly, begonias can look beautiful when you let them spill over the basket in a large cascade of flowers.
See Your Garden in a New Light
Transform your outdoor living space and brighten up the night with CountryLife’s great selection of outdoor solar lights. Choose from string lights, lanterns, stake lights or bollards – there’s something to suit all garden settings! Outdoor entertainment doesn’t have to end at sunset – keep the party going long into the evening with CountryLife’s great outdoor lighting options!
Another great way to illuminate your garden is with the natural flame from a stylish fire feature or the glow from an outdoor heater. Keep yourself warm when the sun goes down with CountryLife’s selection of fire pits, baskets, and heaters to help keep your garden bright and cosy during these long summer nights.
Private Paradise
Create your own garden oasis with some bamboo trees. These are great for screening off areas and will bring a touch of overseas to your garden. These fast-growing, easy to maintain, and versatile trees are an essential in creating a Zen back yard paradise.
Unwind In Style
Transform your outdoor living space with CountryLife’s wide range of stylish furniture sets. From large Cast Aluminium and Rattan sets, to wooden furniture pieces, we have everything you need for relaxing in the garden this summer – all at great prices!
Outdoor dining doesn’t get much better than this! Our stunning cast aluminum furniture sets are perfect for entertaining during the summer months. These sets are strong and sturdy and can be left outdoors all year round without rusting. There is very little maintenance involved, simply store away the parasol and cushions and use a furniture cover to protect the table and chairs during the winter months.
Relax in style with CountryLife’s luxurious Rattan Furniture sets. Designed with both comfort and style in mind, these sets are perfect for unwinding and enjoying the summer sun. Rattan furniture is extremely strong and durable and is a great low-maintenance option. We stock a variety of round, rectangular, and corner sets, suitable for up to 8 people.
Comfort is key when it comes to unwinding in the garden and we have some great seating options to choose from. Sit back and relax in style with any of CountryLife’s chairs, benches, or arbours. Our London Hanging Wicker Egg Chair is really popular this year – and we are offering free delivery on the egg chair while stocks last!
WIN A HANGING EGG CHAIR WORTH €399!!!
To celebrate the start of summer we want to give one Glanbia Ireland employee a chance to win a London Hanging Wicker Egg Chair with nearly €400. The Egg Chair can be a feature for any garden and is perfect for relaxing in with its armchair style plush cushions and adjustable headrest for ultimate comfort.
For your chance of winning this fantastic prize, all you have to do is click ‘Comment’ under this story in the Overherd at Glanbia Ireland email you just received and tell us why the Egg Chair would be perfect for your outdoor spaces at home this summer. Alternatively, you can send your comment to
GIPeopleServices@Glanbia.ie to enter the competition
Meeting the challenge of climate change
Meeting the challenge of climate change
Glanbia Ireland’s Sustainability Action Payment is helping protect farmland pollinators
Small actions taken on farms can have a big impact on Biodiversity. Throughout May, the National Biodiversity Data Centre hosted its Festival of Farmland Biodiversity which encourages positive engagement around the topic of biodiversity and farmland, highlighting some of the ways that farmers can work to support biodiversity.
The festival coincides with a longer-term project coordinated by the National Biodiversity Data Centre where farmers are encouraged to provide small wildlife habitats for pollinators on their land. The Protecting Farmland Pollinators project is a European Innovation Partnership (EIP) initiative which is enabling farms across Ireland to be more pollinator and biodiversity friendly.
Please watch the video below to learn more about the initiative from Michelle Larkin (National Biodiversity Data Centre) and farmer Shane O’Loughlin from Co. Kildare who is part of the Protecting Farmland Pollinators project.
As part of Glanbia Ireland’s ‘Living Proof’ sustainability agenda, an €18 million annual annual Sustainability Action Payment was launched earlier this year to assist our 5,000 milk suppliers to enhance the environmental sustainability of their farms.
Many elements of the programme are designed to assist dairy suppliers improve farm biodiversity through the planting of additional native trees and hedgerows, the incorporating of Multi Species swards (MSS) and the use of riparian margins all benefit pollinators.
The decline in wildflowers is an issue for pollinators and we all have a tendency to ‘tidy up’ the landscape – whether that’s on farms or in our gardens at home. Gardeners and farmers alike can support pollinators and biodiversity-friendly landscapes through the implementation of the following steps:
- Maintain native flowering hedges
- Allow native wildflowers to grow around the farm/garden
- Promote nesting places for wild bees
- Plant native trees and hedgerows
If we can all take small actions to help combat biodiversity loss, the cumulative impact could address the issue. By maintaining diversity in the Irish landscape, the farming community is helping to build resilience against the challenges of climate change.
Chewing the cud with… Ming Lim
Chewing the cud with… Ming Lim
Each month, we put the spotlight on a Glanbia Ireland employee and for our June newsletter, we’re talking to Ming Lim
Malaysian-born Food Science graduate Ming Lim revels in his role as Process Technical Manager in Butter and Dairy in Ballyragget.
The 27 year-old graduated in the US in June 2018 and a month later, he started working with Glanbia in Gooding, Idaho as part of the Graduate Programme. He transferred to Ballyragget in October of last year where he’s become a popular member of the team
“Gooding, Idaho isn’t too different to Ballyragget in terms of the seclusion aspect, it is a small city. Idaho itself is almost like an empty plain, while I am able to enjoy more greenery in Ireland. I live in Kilkenny city because I was told that was the place to be, and I LOVE it. However, rental cost is quite high, so I am sharing a place with a Glanbia student. I’m a bit of a home bird and to relax after work, I like to watch Netflix. I’m also trying to get to know Ireland more by visiting other cities such as Cork, Dublin, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow. I’ve also just travelled to Lake Como in Italy, hoping to jumpstart my Europe travel adventures.”
“I love food. It’s great to be in a tourist city like Kilkenny with so many great restaurants. My favourite so far has to be Butcher, particularly for their Lemon Baked Alaska. Following encouragement from my colleagues here in Ballyragget, I started a food Instagram blog, giving my own ratings of the restaurants I’ve dined in. Anyone interested can follow me on @waltontastebuddies.”
“I’ve visited Kilkenny Castle and plan to go to Butler Gallery to see their exhibits. It’s a great city and Ballyragget is close and a fantastic place to work. People have been welcoming and I love the variety in my job. It’s great to link in with different plants on site, working to support the operations team in trouble shooting and problem solving. It offers new and exciting challenges to my role, helping me grow into a better person in and outside from work.”
Ming is also part of a tag rugby team this year, playing alongside 20+ other Glanbia employees. Outside of that, he loves baking and would sometimes bring some baked goods in for his co-workers (excluding nuts, of course). He is also big on birthday/eventful celebrations for his colleagues here in Ballyragget.
While life in Ireland is great, Ming misses home. “It might sound surprising, but I actually love the cold in Ireland. Malaysia has a tropical climate and is very humid with temperatures reaching as high as 35 or 36 degrees. But I miss my parents and my two sisters. My parents and one sister are in Malaysia and my other sister is in Australia. I’ve also left behind friends in the US. We try to stay connected, but it is hard with the time difference.”
Ming came to Ireland with the intention to go back to the US, visa permitting. “The fact that Glanbia Ireland is no longer part of the PLC might complicate matters for me so we will have to see.”
But, he’s enjoying the role and while he isn’t quite sure what his next steps are, he will discuss his future with his line manager.
“Until then, I’m excited to be part of the Irish team during the company’s transition into a fully Co-operative company. I love what I do and where I’m based and Kilkenny is a really great place to be.”
“Sin é,” he quipped.
WFoodBuddies (@waltontastebuddies) • Instagram photos and videos
Positive mood at Co-op AGM
Glanbia Co-op CEO, Jim Bergin, and Chairman, John Murphy review Glanbia Co-op’s Annual Report ahead of the AGM held at the Newpark Hotel in Kilkenny on May 25th
Positive mood at Co-op AGM
Glanbia Co-op’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) took place last week and was attended by members in-person for the first time in three years
A significant event on the calendar, this year’s AGM looked back at some of the highlights of 2021 in what was a pivotal year in the evolution of our business.
It was the first time members gathered since their votes at the Special General Meeting (SGM) in December last year approved the outright purchase of Glanbia Ireland. The tone of the AGM was very positive and reflective of a strong year and the successful transition to 100% ownership of Glanbia Ireland.
Topics raised for discussion at the well-attended event included twice monthly payments, Diversity and Inclusion and farmer advocacy, while the most significant item raised on the day was Fixed Milk Price Schemes.
Similar to the topics covered at Glanbia Ireland’s recent ELT roadshow, attendees at the AGM were also presented with items including Glanbia Co-op’s financial strength, the new Investment Fund, the progress of our Kilkenny Cheese project and our Co-op governance structure.
Members voted in favour of all proposals at the SGM held alongside the AGM, including increasing board membership by one to 20 members to further strengthen and ensure there is a diversity of skillsets on the board; a change to the rules to permit virtual meetings and a share interest (dividend) payment for members totalling €6.5 million or 17.3 cent per share.
The AGM heard of the board’s clear ambition to build a Co-op for the future of which all our people can be proud; a Co-op that is maximising returns for members, delivering strong career opportunities for all employees and is renowned for the sustainable production of high-quality food.
The Glanbia Co-op Annual Report for 2021 which was distributed to members can be viewed here.