Irish farmers are being asked to buy purple silage wrap and net and help support Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin and The National Children’s Research Centre this silage season.

Farmers buying silage wrap for this season’s silage will be able to order the Purple packaging to show their support with the brightly coloured wraps demonstrating farmer solidarity with the work being carried out in both institutions.

silage wrap

John Hayes and Mary McGrane.

The promotion is the work of Irish Packaging company, Zeus Packaging, who have already rolled out a similar donation programme in the UK, New Zealand, Spain and Portugal that has seen substantial sums finding their way to local children’s hospitals and foundations.

Zeus Packaging has combined with Co-op Source to offer the Purple Balewrap and Purple Bale Net to customers with 18 co-ops undertaking to donate €10,000 to support CMRF Crumlin’s treatment of their patients and support for the families.

Speaking about the partnership CMRF Crumlin’s CEO, Joe Quinsey, said: “We are delighted to partner with Zeus Packaging and the ATC. I hope that farmers across the country get behind the venture by ‘buying purple’ and getting involved on social media, sharing photos of the Purple Wraps and Bales using the hashtag #Purple4Crumlin.”

The participating co-ops are: Arrabawn, Ballyjamesduff, Bandon,  Barryroe, Boherbue, Callan, Centenary Thurles, Drinagh, Drombane, Fealesbridge &  Headleys Bridge, Inishowen, Lakelands, Lee Strand/Brownes, Lisavaird, Mullinahone, Newtownsandes, North Cork and Tipperary.

Zeus Packaging, the designers and creators of the Purplewrap project, were founded in Ireland in 1998 and have now grown into an exciting, transnational, packaging company with sites in the UK, Spain, Poland and China and a workforce of 300.

European Product Manager, Gavin McCarthy, said that Purple Packaging promotion had been carefully designed and assembled in a manner that allows all the participants to show the staff and patients of CMRF Crumlin how much support and goodwill existed for them.

“We’re honoured and delighted to be able to help in any modest way we can and I know that ATC Co-op Source and their farmer members feel exactly the same. I’d just ask people to support the Purple Promotion in any way they can – through social media and word-of-mouth – but especially by buying it in their local co-op stores and  giving the purple bales it a nice prominent spot in the fields where people can see them and keep the promotion driving forward.”