Although ICBF already had a reliable IT infrastructure, the team began noticing occasional issues with spoofed or misdirected emails. Some were innocent mistakes caused by similarly named organisations abroad, but others appeared to be deliberate phishing attempts. “Even one fake email could cause real damage,” Jonathan said. “Farmers rely on us for accurate and trustworthy data. If a malicious email looked like it came from us, it could easily fool someone into clicking a harmful link or sharing information they shouldn’t.”
The challenge was made more pressing by the size of ICBF’s IT department — just three people supporting around 140 users. The team needed a solution that would offer strong protection while being straightforward to manage day-to-day.
After exploring several options, ICBF decided to partner with Sendmarc, a company specialising in protecting organisations from email impersonation through authentication protocols such as SPF, DKIM and DMARC.
“The whole process was seamless,” Jonathan recalled. “Our Sendmarc account manager walked us through every step, from setting up our DNS records to monitoring our email traffic. Within a short time, we had full visibility of everything happening with our email domains.”
Rather than rushing into a full rollout, the ICBF team took a phased approach — securing the primary domain first before extending protection to smaller or less frequently used ones.
“It was a smart way to do it,” Jonathan said. “We built our defences gradually, which meant there was no disruption to our daily communications.”
Beyond protecting against fraud, Sendmarc also helped ICBF improve its professional image through BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification). This feature allows verified organisations to display their official logo beside authenticated emails in recipients’ inboxes.
“It might sound like a small touch,” Jonathan said, “but it’s actually quite powerful. When someone sees our logo next to an email, they instantly know it’s legitimate. It builds confidence and makes our communication stand out.”
This simple visual cue has helped strengthen ICBF’s brand recognition, particularly among farmers and partners who receive large volumes of digital correspondence.
Since implementing Sendmarc, ICBF has seen a major reduction in phishing and spoofing attempts. The IT team now has complete visibility over who is attempting to send emails on behalf of the organisation — and the system automatically blocks any unauthorised senders.
“It gives us real peace of mind,” Jonathan noted. “At any moment, I can log into the Sendmarc dashboard and see exactly what’s happening. If there’s something suspicious, it’s dealt with immediately. It’s efficient, reliable and doesn’t require constant supervision.”
The data insights provided by Sendmarc have also been valuable for identifying legitimate third-party partners who needed to update their own systems to comply with authentication standards. This has improved the entire communication network surrounding ICBF.
For a small IT department, outsourcing the complex technical side of email authentication made perfect sense.
“We could have done it ourselves,” Jonathan admitted, “but it would have taken a lot of time and extra resources. Sendmarc handles the heavy lifting for us. It’s cost-effective, user-friendly and their support team is fantastic. Compared to bringing in consultants or managing it manually, it’s a far better use of our time.”
ICBF’s partnership with Sendmarc has not only improved cybersecurity — it has also strengthened the organisation’s relationship with the farming community. Every email sent now carries a mark of trust, backed by secure authentication and visible branding.
“People don’t usually think about email security until something goes wrong,” Jonathan reflected. “Now, we don’t have to worry about that. Our emails are secure, our reputation is protected, and our farmers can trust that every message they receive from us is genuine.”
For ICBF, securing its email systems wasn’t just about technology — it was about maintaining the trust that underpins Irish agriculture. By partnering with Sendmarc by BeSecureOnline, the federation has safeguarded its digital communications, strengthened its brand and protected the people who depend on its information.
As Jonathan summed it up: Sendmarc takes the stress out of email security. It works quietly in the background and does exactly what it’s supposed to. For us, it’s been a straightforward, cost-effective and very worthwhile investment.”