Padraig Healy, an organic sheep farmer based in Aughrim, Co. Wicklow, runs a 140-ewe, March-lambing flock alongside his wife and two daughters. Having transitioned to organic farming over 18 months ago, Padraig shared that the move came with its challenges: “The rules and regulations of organic farming are something that people are fearful of, and we were fearful of it ourselves. That’s why finding a product certified by the Irish Organic Association, which we are members of, was so important to us.”
Inform’s Head of Ruminant Nutrition, Liam Lacey, recently visited Padraig to discuss his experience with the Inform Organolics Range.
From December through April, Padraig uses both Organolics Energy and Organolics 365 to support ewes in-lamb and later with lambs at foot. “It maximises the winter forage for the sheep and they get better benefits of that winter grass”.
For Padraig, the benefits have been clear “Both products really ticked all the boxes for us” especially when it came to finding a certified solution that aligned with organic requirements and delivering measurable results. “We found that ewes came into lamb in good condition after using the buckets and there was plenty of strong, healthy, vibrant lambs after.”
Organolics Energy supports all classes of cattle, sheep and dairy animals, delivering fermentable energy and high-quality protein to improve feed intake and boost forage digestibility, particularly vital during the winter months or when forage quality is suboptimal. While using Organolics Energy Padraig found that they had noticeably fewer health problems this year on farm. The inclusion of key trace elements such as Zinc also made a significant difference in foot health. “There was less lameness, which led to overall, healthy vibrant lambs and a good crop of them.”
Organolics 365 is suitable for all year-round supply of magnesium to sheep and cattle and ideally supplemented eight weeks pre-lambing or calving or during risks of grass tetany. Padraig considers Organolics 365 a very important part of his organic farming system. “These buckets are very palatable, the sheep take to them well, and they’re getting the amount of magnesium that they need without overdoing it.”
Liam Lacey added that the launch of Inform’s Organolics Range shows Inform’s commitment to support organic farming both in Ireland and abroad in export markets.”
“There’s a clear and growing demand for certified organic nutritional solutions. The reality is, forage, whether hay, straw or silage, often falls short in trace element supply. Organolics bridges that nutritional gap with certified, high-quality formulations that support animal health, performance and welfare in organic systems.”
This launch underpins Inform Nutrition’s continued innovation in specialist animal nutrition delivering science-led, performance-focused formulations to meet the evolving demands of sustainable agriculture.
For more information on Inform Nutrition’s Organolics Range or to find your local stockist contact our local nutritional adviser: