Among the top-performing farms in Europe, producing up to 35 pigs per sow per year, Ashleigh Farms is a third-generation pig farm in West Waterford that places a major emphasis on innovation, sustainability, self-efficiency and animal welfare. Hands-on director Jason McGrath discusses some of the later innovations.
The unique and inspirational Ashleigh Farms journey to date has spanned more than six decades, during which time three generations of the McGrath family have led the way in embracing and pioneering sustainable farming practices and animal welfare standards to consistently deliver premium pork products.
Combining traditional farming values with modern techniques, Ashleigh Farms has become a byword across Europe for excellence, contributing immeasurably to Ireland’s proud agricultural heritage through an unswerving and industry-leading commitment to innovation, animal welfare and environmental sustainability.
Winner of the Excellence in Innovation award at the 2025 Waterford Business Awards, the latest of a steady succession of innovations introduced at Ashleigh Farms – with 1,800 sows across three state-of-the-art units – is GasAbate Complete, which has been launched at their Dungarvan unit in conjunction with GlasPort Bio.
GasAbate-treated slurry successfully transforms animal manures into efficient, cost-effective feedstocks for anaerobic digestion, achieving an 80 per cent reduction in methane and hydrogen sulfide emissions while ammonia emissions drop by 50 per cent.
The additive is a game-changer both in retaining emissions and generating biogas for brothers Ken and Jason McGrath’s new on-farm anaerobic digester – which will produce 90 per cent of the farm’s energy needs when fully up and running this summer and is going to be the first on-farm AD plant in Ireland that’s not importing any of its feed source.
Ashleigh Farms places a strong emphasis on environmental stewardship and energy sustainability, promoting long-term ecological balance and resource efficiency. By leading projects that transform agricultural by-products into valuable resources, Ashleigh Farms demonstrates that innovation in farming is not just about new tools, but about reimagining how farms can operate sustainably, efficiently and profitably in the future.
Established by David and Anastasia McGrath in Ballinameela in 1960, the running of Ashleigh Farms was taken over by the founders’ son Jim and his wife Eleanor McGrath in 1970 before the leadership of the business was transitioned to their sons Jason and Ken in 2020.
The second unit at Caliso Bay was purchased and redeveloped in 2001, with the aforementioned third unit (with 550 sows), located at Glenbeg near Dungarvan – one of the most modern and innovative pig units anywhere in Europe – opened in 2017.
Biosecurity is a huge consideration and to this end Ashleigh Farms produce their own breeding stock, transport their own pigs and manufacture and deliver their own feed, with a dedicated, experienced team employed in pig production, feed manufacture and transport.
Jason in in his 20th year working full-time in the thriving family business. Does he agree that as model family enterprises go Ashleigh Farms represents a truly remarkable success story? “To be honest, we’ve never looked at it like that because there’s rarely time to sit and look back – you are always looking forward. What I would say is that the wonderful leadership of our mam and dad has given us this great opportunity to take over the farm and continue to grow and develop the business.”
The business today is surely completely unrecognisable from when Jason’s grandparents started out with just two sows some 66 years ago? “Definitely, and the industry has changed a lot even in the last few years, and we have been lucky to be part of that. You need a good start – be that with two sows or 2,000 – to give a solid foundation upon which to grow a business, and luckily that’s what we got.
“In recent times we’ve seen massive changes across all aspects of our industry. Pig producers are more focused on genetics and health to be more efficient and improve the bottom line.
“Regulations on the environmental side have increased and it’s difficult to keep in line with the extra costs incurred by exporting manure, for example. It’s an expense that we don’t get any added value from but at the same time we recognise our environmental responsibilities fully and acknowledge that we have a duty of care to the environment. This is something that’s always at the front of your mind.”
Over 56,000 commercial pigs are sold per year as well as F1 breeding gilts. Since 2022, Ashleigh Farms have been producing high-quality gilts from their pure breed Large White herd, having set up Ashleigh Breeders in conjunction with Danish Genetics to provide quality replacement breeding stock for the Irish and UK market.
“We initially brought in purebred animals from Denmark to improve the genetic value of our own herd and other farmers wanted to get involved in that as well, so we started supplying them and it’s been going very well,” says Jason.
So is there a sense of camaraderie amongst Irish pig farmers rather than a dog-eat-dog attitude? “It’s becoming a lot more collaborative and we have recognised that it’s important to share results and ideas and to work together to improve as an industry rather than as individual farms.”
At present, Ashleigh Farms generates direct employment for 20 full-time plus three part-time team members alongside making an untold contribution to the local economy. Innovations and investments are ongoing…
“We made a big investment in our home unit last year, with new feed systems as well as loose lactating pens and other building repairs. Investment rates are extremely high and a lot of planned investment is currently on hold as the market has changed considerably since the summer of ’25.
“From 2024 up until the summer of 2025, those were good times for the industry as prices were a fair reflection of the work and risk that goes into pig production, but the market has dropped off by between 20 and 25 per cent since July of last year and many producers are currently operating at breakeven or at a loss.”
Going forward, Ashleigh Farms’ emphasis on innovation has placed the business in a strong position and Jason predicts that there will be no let-up on this relentless drive for improvement, efficiency and animal welfare through pioneering inventive new practices:
“One of the great things about our industry is that it gives you so many opportunities to be innovative. You can either sit back and wait for someone to tell you to do it, or you can lead the way. We choose the latter approach, to move with the times by choice, and that makes it very exciting.”
Any sign of a fourth generation of the family showing interest in one day taking the reins? “There are plenty of candidates, but none of them are old enough for a PPS number just yet,” Jason concludes. “Between Ken’s kids and my own, and other nieces and nephews, there’s no shortage of the next generation who all appreciate the importance of the pig to our family.”
Ashleigh Farms,
Ballinameela,
Cappagh,
County Waterford.
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.ashleighfarms.ie
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 14 No 1, Spring 2026
