Poole bio School
Welcome to
Poole Bio School
Showing that nature and farming can coexist
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Sharing our passion for biodiversity and conservation, through education
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Striving for... Real... Positive... Change
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Dr Seuss... "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
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Who are we?
We are dairy farmers in Co Wexford, with a passion for nature and the environment.
We have a strong science background which influences how we approach both our farming and our conservation and biodiversity projects. Alan has an honours degree in Environmental Science and a PhD in conservation Zoology. Cheryl has an honours degree and a PhD in research chemistry.
Our Environmental Efforts, a summary
Education
We have visited both primary and secondary school, giving talks and workshops. Topics including, Introduction to Biodiversity, Water Quality and what we can do, Bats and Swifts , amongst others.
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We have also hosted groups on the farm, school groups, scouts, farming groups, biodiversity walks, bat walks, and even international groups from Zambia and Armenia. We also hosted the European commissioner when he visited Ireland in 2024.
Conservation
We have several conservation projects on the go, including a growing swift colony, a busy sandmartin wall, an inhabited barn owl box. We also carry out an annual survey of Daubentons bats.
We have swallows on the yard and protect their nests from predators.
We have planted a lot of new hedgerow using native species, to complement and expand the comprehensive network of hedgerows on the farm.
Farming
We do our best to provide space for nature, and only trim hedges every three years on rotation. This provides a great habitat for wildlife. Through the Biodiversity Data Centre we monitor pollinators on the farm every summer.
We breed high EBI (Economic Breeding Index) cows with high milk solid production. We focus on cow health.
We minimise use of chemical fertiliser by optimising the use of slurry and manure.
We have invested heavily in slurry storage, good winter housing and modern milking facilities
Recognitions
On the 29th April 2025 we were announced as 2025 Tirlan Sustainability Champions at the Tirlan Dairy and Sustainabilty Awards
In 2024 we were finalist in the FBD Teagasc Environmental Sustainability Awards