Over the next two weeks, in association with the National Dairy Council (NDC), Kerrygold and Ornua, we will provide an insight into this year's 13 finalists and their production systems, and announce the winner on September 14.

As mentioned, there are 13 finalists this year - one more than last year - coming from eight counties of Ireland.

The NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards is an annual national award programme, now in its 11th year, that recognises standards of excellence in dairy farming.

Dairy co-operatives throughout the country are invited to nominate their top suppliers for the awards each year.

The nominated farms undergo 12 months of assessment by an expert judging panel, which assess a number of key main areas: Animal health and welfare; dairy and parlour facilities; pride and passion; continuous improvement; hygiene; and sustainability and the environment.

To find out more information about this year's finalists, click here.

Tune into Agriland throughout the week for in-depth details of the finalist farms.