Celebrating 40 years in business, Phil Bennis & Sons Ltd is a leading name in the supply and installation of quality equipment to the pig industry.
Based in Patrickswell, Co. Limerick, the family-run business sources and imports state-of-the-art equipment and machinery from around the world for supply to some of Ireland’s most successful meat and pig producers. Having the right equipment for breeding, raising and managing pigs for the meat trade can increase yields and quality, enabling producers to compete effectively in a global marketplace.
The company has come a long way since it was established by Phil Bennis and his recently-deceased wife Mary in 1985. Part of a famous Limerick hurling family, Phil is now joined by his sons Philip and Eoghan as well as husband-and-wife Tom and Sarah Condon in the business which prides itself on customer service, quality and value-for-money. From small orders to tall orders, Phil Bennis & Sons caters for all your pig equipment supply needs.
“There isn’t a pig farmer in the country who hasn’t dealt with us at some stage,” Phil proudly states.
“We have great customers, many of whom have been with us since the beginning. We know exactly what they want and they’re happy to put their trust in us to come up with the right solution. We wouldn’t have reached this milestone without them and their unwavering support.
“I was managing a co-op for eight years before starting up this business. I bought a Hiace van and travelled all over Ireland selling heating bulbs. I was joined by my nephew, Shamie Kirby, who is a brother of Gary, the former Limerick hurler. We met great farmers all over the country and, as a lad says, ‘they’d learn you’. They enquired about other products, mainly flooring and it was from there that I was introduced to Nooyen and together we sold tri bar flooring for pigs to all 32 counties in Ireland.
“At that time, I was still hurling for Limerick and the farmers always stood by me.”
He continues: “My sons Philip and Eoghan have followed in my footsteps and know the business inside-out. Philip deals with customers daily and travels every breath of the country with deliveries and site visits, measuring jobs and creating solutions on the farm for customers.
“Eoghan looks after the office and administration side of things such as ordering stock and pricing projects. We have a top-class team here who enjoy an excellent relationship and rapport with our customers. A special word of thanks has to go to Ann Ronan who started with me in a small cabin out the back of the house and looked after all the administration work for many years.
“Ann still is an integral part of the team and is the first voice you hear when you call the office and a very friendly welcome is awaiting you on the other end of the phone. We are also joined by my granddaughter’s husband, Tom Condon. Tom looks after the orders going out, shipments coming in and day-to-day duties here in the warehouse.”
Phil Bennis & Sons offers a personal, flexible and bespoke service to the modern-day pig farmer, with a product range that includes housing, flooring, feeders, drinkers, insulation, ventilation, heating equipment, PVC dividers, crates, stalls, marking equipment, moving equipment, fogging / disinfecting equipment and more.
“We buy direct from the manufacturers and install the machinery ourselves nationwide. We supply the right equipment at the right price,” Phil explains.
The Co. Limerick firm is the only provider of the quick and easy to install Balance Flooring in Ireland and the benefits of the farrowing slate with movable slow slat are multiple:
– Reduce the number of smothered and crushed piglets by 80%.
– As soon as the sow lies down, the sow’s slat will drop to the level of the piglet floor.
– When the sows get up again, the sow slat will rise to a safe height.
– Passage for the piglets in front of and behind the sow.
– Easy operation by the sow through floor-mounted or side-mounted switching.
– Flexible positioning of the sow: straight or even diagonal set up if required.
– Labour saving: less extensive monitoring of the farrowing places.
– The piglet slats can be made of solid plastic (Blue Deck) or Super Coated expanded metal or woven wire.
Along with Nooyen and Balance Flooring, Phil Bennis & Sons is sole Irish distributor for other respected brands such as Van Osch, Rotecna, Recticel, Abriso, Unitron, Meier Brakenburg, Stokbord, Inter Continental, Interheat, Springer McGrath, Igeba and Centriforce. These companies are continuously improving, testing and developing products to ensure that they are to the highest standard for increase of productivity.
Manufactured exclusively by Centriforce Products, Stokbord, for example, is a general purpose, value-for-money board manufactured from 100% recycled plastic. It can be fabricated and welded for a variety of agricultural applications, including: sheep and pig pens, poultry housing, cattle handling races, sheeting gates, feed trailer floors, grain stores and bins, lining troughs, partition boards. This leading sheet brand, Stokbord offers more benefits than traditional plywood. It also provides significant long term cost savings as it does not rot and once installed, it requires no upkeep.
Fattener pens, meanwhile, are available in various materials – solid PVC, hammer proof HDPE panels or rock hard concrete panels together with Trespa doors, with stainless or galvanized steel posts. Accessories such as stock prodders, pig markers, AI equipment, water valves / slurry gates and canopies are also in stock.
“Flooring and housing are a huge part of our business. Philip usually calls out to the client’s farm and recommends a product that best suits their requirements. We have sold thousands of Balance Floors over the years.”
So if you’re planning to revamp your pig finishing houses and need the right penning system, or are simply looking for the optimum pig equipment for group housing of sows, you should look no further than Phil Bennis & Sons.
Phil would like to take this opportunity to thank his customers and suppliers for their continued support as well as his hard-working team for their dedication and expertise.
Here’s to the next 40 years!
Phil Bennis & Sons Ltd
The Old Creamery,
Clarina Road,
Patrickswell,
Co. Limerick.
Telephone: +353 (0)61 355275
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 13 No 3, Winter 2025
