As well as being a Limerick hurling legend, Phil Bennis also fronts Ireland’s premier importer of industry-leading equipment for use on pig farms nationwide. We touched base with the popular Patrickswell man to get an update on his exceptional family-run business. Naturally, the conversation turned to hurling…
Agriculture and the GAA are the two enduring passions of the Irish nation and Limerick man Phil Bennis is one of many to have a deep passion for – and lifelong involvement in – both. A living legend in hurling circles, Phil starred at right half back on the Treaty County side that famously stormed to the 1973 All-Ireland SHC. He also enjoyed two stints as manager of his county and collected twelve senior championship medals with his club, Patrickswell.
Since the mid-1980s, the Patrickswell and Limerick hurling great has been managing director of Phil Bennis & Sons Ltd. – a market leader in importing and supplying state-of-the-art, value-added equipment to Irish pig farmers and meat producers. It’s a family business first and foremost, with Phil’s sons Phillip and Eoghan having been instrumental in the success achieved down through the decades. Vision, hard work and customer service have contributed hugely.
Phil’s wife Mary sadly passed away in May 2020 with a short battle with cancer. Mary was Phil’s rock and was a vital part of the business from the start to the present. Mary was a Managing Director in the business and travelled all across Europe with Phil searching for suitable suppliers. Without Mary the business would not have the suppliers or customers they have today. She was very close with all of Phil’s suppliers and customers and was the first voice they heard when calling for many many years. Mary will always be part of Phil Bennis & Sons Ltd.
Recently, Phil’s Grandson Gavin has started part time work in the office while studying business in college in Limerick. He is hoping to learn the trade and become a full time member of staff and keep the family in the business. Phil’s other Grandsons also work part time while on holidays from school.
Approximately 12 months ago Tom Condon has started full time employment with Phil Bennis & Sons. Tom Is married to Phil’s granddaughter, Sarah Carey. Tom is in charge of the warehouse and overseas purchases and sales on a daily basis.
Tom like Phil is a Limerick hurling legend. In 2018 in the last few seconds of the All Ireland Final against Galway. Joe Canning sent a long range free into the square and one man made sure he was coming out with that ball and that was Tom Condon, seconds later the whistle blew and 45 years of waiting for Liam McCarthy also ended. Someone joked recently that we will have to rename the business to ‘Phil Bennis & Sons & Grandsons’
Ann Ronan is like a family member she has been with Phil from the very start and the Business would not be here today without Ann. Ann is a neighbour and lives over the other side of the road. Ann is a huge part of the business and the Bennis family.
As well as invariably securing the very best equipment money can buy – and often finding bespoke solutions to meet the specific individual need of each farmer – the Bennis’ also offer unrivalled levels of service, which has resulted in a huge amount of repeat business from satisfied customers across the 32 counties.
Completely eliminating the need for a middle man, Phil Bennis & Sons import directly from a host of renowned manufacturers throughout Europe and can install the equipment if required, acting as one point of contact and providing a complete service in-house. The product range includes housing, flooring, feeders, drinkers, insulation, ventilation, heating equipment, PVC dividers, crates, stalls, marking equipment, moving equipment, fogging / disinfecting equipment and much more besides.
Phil Bennis & Sons are sole importers to Ireland of respected brands such as Nooyen, Recticel, Grow Feeder, Van Osch, Rotecna, Unitron, Meier Brakenburg, Inter Continental, Interheat, Springer McGrath, Agridoor and Igeba, They can confidently stand over all their equipment as these companies are continuously improving, testing and developing ground-breaking products that promote increased productivity and therefore profitability.
A big breakthrough for Phil Bennis & Sons came 30 years ago when they started to import from Nooyen, pioneers of innovative, easily-installed balance flooring, which offers pig farmers a multitude of benefits. “A bit like myself, Nooyen was a new family business just starting out in Holland and they were ahead of their time,” Phil reflects. “PJ Cahill in Abbeyleix was a good friend of mine and he had 100 sows at the time. We introduced him to Nooyen’s products and got great advice on the best solution for his farm. It worked out really well and we’ve been dealing with them ever since.”
Synonymous with high-quality pig flooring, Nooyen manufacture a comprehensive range of market-leading slatted floors for pregnant sows, farrowing sows, weaned piglets and fatteners. Their goal is to offer pigs better welfare and more comfort and thus enable pig farmers to achieve optimum technical and financial results. The team at Phil Bennis & Sons have installed more than 1,000 balance floors in farrowing houses the length and breadth of Ireland. Balance Flooring saves 1.5 piglets per sow per year reducing crushing by 80% with an increase of 6.5 piglets per farrowing pen per year which means saving pigs and saving money.
Another key franchise held by the progressive Patrickswell business is Recticel insulation, which they have been importing since the mid-noughties. “We were the first to bring it into the country and have been supplying Recticel insulation – which is manufactured in Belgium – all over Ireland for 15 years,” Phil confirms. “It’s a high-efficiency, fireproof product with a very high energy rating. When I was younger I used to travel all over Ireland selling and fitting insulation, but most pig farmers are well able to do it themselves these days.”
When building or renovating an agricultural building, special attention needs to be given to the specific demands which are imposed on insulation. Using Recticel insulation solutions in agricultural buildings allows farmers to achieve maximum control of their indoor climate with limited resources and effort. For example, Recticel’s Powerline thermal insulation board provides good fire behaviour for agricultural applications. Powerline is specifically designed to satisfy the exact requirements of the agricultural sector, allowing optimal storage conditions and helping minimise heat loss.
As well as looking after the needs of pig farmers and meat producers, Phil Bennis & Sons also regularly carry out work at Teagasc’s Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre in Moorepark, Fermoy, County Cork. They also serve countless turkey farms and poultry units both north and south of the border.
“We have a really good team here and that has been the biggest thing,” Phil notes. “Phillip and Eoghan play a big part in it and [two-times All-Ireland winning Limerick hurler] Tom Condon is also part of the team. And I couldn’t forget Ann Ronan, who has been with me since the very start and does great work in the office keeping things going.”
Condon was part of the Limerick squad that won the 2018 All-Ireland senior hurling championship – the Treaty County’s first Liam MacCarthy Cup success since Phil and co. took the spoils 45 years earlier! Limerick have since become the dominant force in the game, adding further All-Ireland titles in 2020 and 2021 – an amazing run under John Kiely delivering three All-Irelands in four years, with more success looking highly likely.
The talisman of the current Limerick team is Cian Lynch, nephew of the legendary Ciaran Carey, who manned the centre back berth in the All-Ireland finals of 1994 and ’96. Phil Bennis is Carey’s father-in-law. From successive generations, all three men have earned their rightful places in the Patrickswell Hall of Fame.
“I was beginning to think we’d never see another All-Ireland so it was great to see the current crop make the breakthrough in 2018 and follow it up with two more,” Phil enthuses. “Hopefully they can go on and win some more – they definitely have the quality to do so. When the business wasn’t long started, I used to meet all the farmers face to face and talk to them. Hurling was a big help, no doubt, and it opened a lot of doors for me. There were a lot of conversations about hurling.”
The more things change the more they stay the same. Phil’s reputation as an all-time great on the hurling field may have preceded him but his business would not have stood the test of time without quality products and service to back it up. “Yeah, we have a good track record and like to think we have proven ourselves,” the personable Limerick man concludes. “We sell great products and the service is excellent. I started young and invested a lot of energy into building the business up. That has paid off. We always gave a good service and continue to do so today.
“Once you have quality products and a service to match, that’s half the battle. We can supply literally anything that goes into a pig unit and we only import products that work. We stand 100% over all of our products because they are being used all over the world and are proven to work.”
Phil Bennis & Sons Ltd.,
The Old Creamery,
Clarina Road,
Patrickswell,
County Limerick.
Tel: 061 355275
Fax: 061 355616
Email: [email protected]
First published in Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 10 No 2, March/April 2022
