Dairy Ireland

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From the ground up Ireland’s grass-fed dairy industry takes centre stage Glanbia curtails milk production Making green choices

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Contents A vibrant Irish dairy sector

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Welcome to our latest edition of . In it we highlight the vibrancy in Ireland’s dairy sector and importance of Irish dairy in Ireland’s rural economy. Our milk producer profile shows that our well managed Irish dairy farms can fully accommodate biodiversity and environmental awareness while still providing farm families with decent incomes. The story of Irish dairy is now recognised worldwide and in our interview with Ornua chief executive John Jordan we read that Kerrygold is one of the leading global food brands. This is little surprise given the singular production credentials of Irish dairy – grass-fed cows grazing for 300 days every year. With sales of Kerrygold butter to international consumers expected to hit €2 billion by 2025, Irish butter, in global terms, is still a niche product, with less than ten percent of all butter across the dairy world produced from pasture-based enterprises. We should value the unique nature of our family-run dairy farms.

The National Dairy Council endorses the health benefits of consuming dairy products regularly. Few other foods offer such wide-ranging and tangible health supports from bone strength to brain development. Yet, never has dairy been assailed with so many substitute choices with far lower health-enhancing attributes.

Consumers ultimately must choose for themselves and be fully aware that what they consume has long-term implications for their health and wellbeing.

It is only six years since Irish milk producers threw off the shackles of a 30-year long, EU-imposed, milk quota system. Since 2015 huge leaps have been made in increasing production after so many years of production restrictions. Rural Ireland and especially Irish dairy farms have been rejuvenated by an influx of young men and women who have established dairy enterprises or built on the foundations laid down by their parents. The widespread adoption of novel technologies and world-class farm and herd management practices augers well for the future of Irish dairy.

Irish milk producers are rightly aware of their responsibilities, not only to their families and their dairy enterprises but also to their surrounding environment. The heightened awareness of our environment throughout Irish society is reflected in the restructuring investments made on farms to protect waterways, improve biodiversity and ensure that carbon-rich soils and hedgerows continue to be carbon repositories for generations to come. Production efficiency, as we read in our farmer profile, can be accompanied, hand-in-hand, with environmental enhancement. The increasing adoption of low emission slurry spreading technologies means that this valuable natural fertiliser is fully utilised with minimal odour release. All high production dairy farms now include clover in their pasture reseeding programmes.

This nitrogen-producing legume allows farmers to reduce the application of nitrogenous fertilisers on their farms. Research is proceeding on the introduction of multispecies swards on farms which could provide further biodiversity opportunities without impacting on the productivity of farms. The ultimate research goal of reducing enteric methane emissions from cows is the subject of a joint farm trials programme between Teagasc, Queens University Belfast, the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute, the Institute of Technology Sligo and collaborative research facilities in Canada, Germany, Norway and Sweden. The research is focusing on the methane-mitigating attributes of seaweed-based feed additives.

The product diversification holy grail of increased access to highend European consumers should be facilitated by the Glanbia/ Royal A-Ware joint venture to produce a range of continental cheeses including Gouda and Emmental. Now that the An Taisce objections have been fully examined it is time to press on in the interests of Irish milk producers and the Irish economy.

4 NEWS Kerrygold sales up 13%; Carbery Group reports resilient performance; updated dietary guidelines for older adults; and Irish sporting heroes encourage healthy eating habits.

9 GLANBIA CURTAILS MILK PRODUCTION Matt O’Keeffe talks to Pat Murphy, vice chairman of Glanbia Ireland

12 BRAND NEW Miriam Atkins talks to Zoe Kavanagh, CEO of the National Dairy Council, about building trust with today’s consumer

16 A BALANCED APPROACH Food economist Ciaran Fitzgerald argues that turning away from livestock production in favour of plantbased agriculture wouldn’t yield the green gains we are led to believe.

18 THE TASTE OF SUCCESS Ornua’s CEO John Jordan discusses changing consumer habits and the success of Kerrygold on the international stage.

20 LOOKING FORWARD WITH TREPIDATION Dairy farmer Eamon Sheehan on technology, environmental efforts and milk production restrictions.

22 THE SECRET TO BEST PERFORMANCE Philip O’Connor at ifac examines why it is that some dairy farmers so much more profitable than others.

24 MAKING GREEN CHOICES Maeve O’Keeffe investigates how the Irish agri-food and drink secotor is tackling sustainability in farming and food production.

26 FRESH APPROACH Willie Lennon, chairman of the Fresh Milk Producers, outlines the challenges facing Ireland’s fresh milk producers to ensure year-round supply.

27 HOME COMFORTS A selection of comforting cheese recipes from the recent competition rolled out by the GastroGays in collaboration with the National Dairy Council as part of the ‘Cheese your way’ campaign.

Cover image: Pictured on the front cover is Nigel Daunt, Daunt Farm, Co. Cork (Bandon Co-op) – a Finalist in the 2020 NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards. Image courtesy of the NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.

IFP Media, Castlecourt, Monkstown Farm, Glenageary, Co. Dublin, A96T924, Ireland. t +353 1 709 6900 e info@ifpmedia.com www.ifpmedia.com Editor: Matt O’Keeffe Editorial Director: Miriam Atkins Contributor: Tara Corristine Design: Martin Whelan Production: Ciaran Brougham Advertising Managers: Anna Douglas, John Sheehan, Robert Kane Accounts: Tricia Murtagh Administration & Subscriptions: Sue Nolan Chief Executive: Rebecca Markey Publishers: IFP Media.

Copyright IFP Media 2021. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form without the express written permission of the publishers.

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Everything starts with milk GAA players Grace Walsh, Cian Lynch and Con O’Callaghan are this year’s sports stars appointed as Milk Ambassadors for the ‘Everything starts with milk’ initiative, a European Milk Forum campaign encouraging Irish consumers to drink more milk as it supports optimum performance. The pan-European campaign is in conjunction with the National Dairy Council (NDC) and is being implemented to highlight the importance of milk as an important dietary building block at all stages of life, from childhood growth and development to post-workout recovery.

All Stars camogie player of the year nominee, Grace Walsh is joining the campaign in between rotas as a clinical nurse at St Vincent’s hospital. Grace commented on her involvement as an ambassador of the campaign, stating: “I’m so pleased to be selected as a campaign ambassador for Everything Starts with Milk. The campaign’s ability to educate people on the importance of diet and nutrition to perform their best is so important, not just for athletes but for young people starting to establish their own health goals – whether it’s for training at school or to feel fitter and more confident.”

Limerick hurler Cian Lynch shared how he continues to maintain his healthy diet and hurling skills off the pitch, which keeps him mentally and physically in shape for the next foreseeable game: “I enjoy finding ways to integrate training into my day like playing road hurling or doing drills in the garden. The important thing for me is a healthy balanced diet of protein, calcium and vitamin-based foods. I choose milk as my supplement of choice to keep my body in good condition and to stay hydrated after I train.”

National Dairy Council and the EU also welcomed Dublin County footballer, Con O’Callaghan to join this year’s campaign. His passion for his sport makes him an excellent role model for the campaign and he looks forward to using his ambassadorship to encourage young people to eat well and take part in sport.

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Milk Quality Virtual Farm Walk

Tuesday, 29th June 2021 | 11am

Lakeland Dairies reports revenue growth for 2020 Lakeland Dairies, the largest cross-border dairy processing co-operative on the island of Ireland, has announced its results for the year ended 26th December 2020, with increased revenues and operating profit, while paying a competitive milk price to milk producers throughout the year.

Lakeland Dairies achieved record revenues which increased by over 5.7 per cent to €1.09bn across its four operating divisions of Food Ingredients, Foodservice, Consumer Foods and Agribusiness, up by €59.3m on the prior year figure of €1.03bn. This yielded an operating profit of €26m, up by €5.6m (+27 per cent) and EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation) of €50.5m, which increased by €7.6m. Lakeland Dairies closed the year with a further strengthened balance sheet including Shareholders’ Funds of €207.7m.

Lakeland Dairies Group Chief Executive Michael Hanley said the results are very positive given the global events of 2020.

Michael Hanley, Lakeland Dairies Group Chief Executive

“Notwithstanding the major operational, logistical and commercial constraints of the pandemic, both domestically and globally, we continued to make strong progress across all of our operations and this has yielded excellent results. We paid a competitive milk price throughout the year in line with market conditions.

“Aligned to our business achievements,

we further consolidated the benefits of the Lakeland LacPatrick merger of 2019, achieving ongoing organisational, operational and administrative efficiencies and contributing to overall economies of scale, value creation and long term sustainability for our 3,200 milk producers, north and south.

“This robust performance enabled us to pay a competitive milk price in spite of serious market uncertainties that existed throughout the year. Market returns depend on the dynamic of milk supply and demand that exists between countries, geographies and continents, also including seasonality and ‘force majeure’ issues such as the pandemic.

“We expect relatively stable dairy market conditions through 2021 albeit there are still significant challenges in our operating environment as we await the anticipated beneficial effect of worldwide vaccine initiatives.”

The Starrett Family Farm, Lifford, Co. Donegal 2020 National Winners of the NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards Through a webinar and social media takeover, the story of how the Starrett family farm achieved success will be told.

It will feature extensive interviews with Richard Starrett, his Teagasc Advisor, Tommy Doherty and Aurivo Farm Profitability Specialist Majella McCafferty.

The steps taken by Richard to ensure his farm produces milk of the highest quality, in an environmentally sustainable way will be discussed and highlighted.

For more information & to register visit

www.teagasc.ie/VirtualMilkWalk

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Kerrygold sales up 13% with over 10 million packets sold weekly Ornua, one of Ireland’s leading dairy companies, has published its operating and financial results for the 12 months ending 26th December 2020, with Group turnover reaching €2.3 billion. Group EBITDA grew by 49.6 per cent to €107.4 million, driving a robust 69.2 per cent increase in Operating Profit to €83.1 million. This performance was achieved against the backdrop of a complex trading environment dominated

by Covid-19, market volatility, and the macro-economic challenges of Brexit and punitive US tariffs.

Ornua exports to over 110 countries and owns the iconic €1 billion Kerrygold brand, which experienced 13 per cent volume growth in 2020, selling over 10 million packets of butter and cheese a week. Commenting on the performance, John Jordan, CEO Ornua said: “Ornua had a unique performance in a unique year, and we are pleased to report a record profit with Operating Profit of +69 per cent. The strong fundamentals of our business – great people and great products – came to the fore allowing us to maximise the opportunity presented with the change in consumer behaviour,

doubling down on driving profitable value growth against the backdrop of the global pandemic. This performance delivers on our commitment to maximise returns to our member co-operatives and the 14,000 farmers who supply them. Ornua’s 60 years of experience navigating global trade stood to us in 2020, as did our balanced product portfolio, geographical spread across 110 markets, and strong financial foundations. Our branded and own-label portfolio benefitted from the change in consumer behaviour which saw Kerrygold volumes grow by 13 per cent which, coupled with our Ingredient’s business delivering positive year-on-year growth, enabled us to pay €68.7 million to our Member co-ops through the Ornua Value Payment. Looking ahead, we are cautiously optimistic about the gradual re-opening of economies as the global vaccine rollout gathers pace; we have clarity on Brexit, and we welcome strong signals from the US on improved US/EU trade relations. This, coupled with Ornua’s clear and ambitious new 5-year strategy focused on driving profitable growth in priority global markets, will ensure we continue to deliver value

Philly McMahon and Kellie Harrington

Ireland’s sporting Heroes inspiring young people on and off the pitch During the recent pandemic lockdown, Irish schoolchildren attending DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) schools were chosen to receive healthy-eating food packs containing fresh fruit, vegetables and dairy. In addition to perishable and non-perishable

provisions provided to DEIS schools by the Department of Social Protection under the ‘School Meals Scheme’, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine provided a supplementary weekly pack containing whole fresh fruit and vegetables and dairy to children during the recent school closures.

Carbery Group reports resilient performance throughout 2020 for the 14,000 Irish farming families we represent.” Dairy markets proved resilient throughout the pandemic, aided by retail sales and strong demand for milk powders from China, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

Product balance within commodity markets supported milk price stability with Irish milk price averaging above 30 cents per litre.

Looking to 2021, Ornua noted that the outlook is largely positive with the market underpinned by foodservice recovery and strong export demand. Global milk output, John said, is likely to continue growing in 2021, with a projected growth of +1.3 per cent. Turn to page 18 for our interview with John Jordan.

In Ireland, the EU School Fruit and Vegetable and Milk schemes are implemented in primary schools under the Food Dudes Healthy Eating Programme delivered by Bord Bia and the Moo Crew Programme delivered by the National Dairy Council (NDC). To support the programmes and roll-out to schools, NDC and Bord Bia have joined forces to create series of new educational videos, targeting schools under the DEIS Plan which were made available to schools from April 12th. These videos featuring new ambassadors, All Ireland GAA footballer Philly McMahon and World Champion Boxer Kellie Harrington will empower primary school children to adopt healthy eating habits while promoting the importance of physical activity. The videos are a joint collaboration between the Food Dudes and School Milk Scheme programmes. Supporting this new roll-out to schools, Minister for Agriculture. Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D., said: “I welcome the new educational videos to support schoolchildren in making healthy food choices. We are all aware of the

Carbery Group, the West Cork based international ingredients, flavours, and award-winning cheese producer, has reported a solid financial performance for the year ended 31 December 2020.

Overall, group turnover increased by 5.8 per cent to just under €460m. TJ Sullivan, Chairman of Carbery Group, commented that the positive business results reflected the Group’s strong position, but that other factors were also at play: “The diverse nature of our business has helped us weather what 2020 and Covid-19 brought.

We also have to credit the exceptional performance of our employees in Ballineen and around the world who, throughout very stressful conditions globally, remained committed, kept themselves and each other safe, and continued to deliver for our customers. I also want to credit our farmers who continued the supply of our milk at the highest quality throughout the stresses

positive influences that strong role models can have on our children, and Kellie Harrington and Philly McMahon have both achieved amazing successes through hard work and discipline.

This new healthy eating initiative follows on from the successful food Dudes home delivery programme that was put in place for DEIS school children in early January this year.” In line with the objective of the EU School Scheme, that is to support children in increasing their consumption of fruit, vegetables and dairy, each weekly pack contained enough fruit and vegetables for each child, i.e., one weeks’ worth of their recommended daily portions. In addition, each pack contained ‘recipe cards’ enticing families to take up a new skill and learn to cook some familyfriendly meals using the contents of each pack. Commenting, Kellie said: “There wasn’t much to do when I was younger so I took up boxing when I was about 14 years of age and it kept me out of trouble.

When I joined my local boxing club it gave

of the year. The performance of each of our businesses allowed us to continue to maximise the returns paid to our suppliers though our milk price, and we supported the price from our stability fund when the markets took a hit due to Covid”, he said.

Milk volumes supplied to Carbery’s processing facility in Ballineen, West Cork, increased by 5 per cent last year, to 596m litres of milk. While Covid did delay the finalisation of Carbery’s expansion project, towards the end of the year the first mozzarella was produced for customers from the new €78m facility at Ballineen.

Carbery Group CEO Jason Hawkins says, despite Covid-19 related delays, the expansion project was completed and the new plant is producing mozzarella. “The resilience of our business performance in a challenging year has given us increased confidence in the investment and diversification strategies we have pursued

me discipline and a plan and set me on the right path. When I won the gold medal at the World Boxing Championships in 2018, it was the most amazing feeling. All the hard work and effort paid off! A lot of my achievements are down to hard work, eating the right food and getting plenty of rest. I’m really excited to be able to share some of my top tips with today’s kids starting out and hopefully inspire them to go on to achieve great things”.

Philly added: “A lot of my success has come down to being focused, training hard and eating well. Winning All-Ireland titles made me realise that I can help others and I’m really excited to share some of my top tips to help you on and off the pitch! This is a really great initiative by the NDC and Bord Bia to help young kids in disadvantaged parts of Ireland to believe that if you work hard and believe in yourself the possibilities are endless!” The roll-out will be to approximately 110 DEIS schools and is expected to reach 17,500 pupils.

over the last few years. With the challenges of a potential hard Brexit behind us, and our new plant online, as well as the investments we continue to make in our value-added Taste and Nutrition business segments, I’m confident that we will continue to generate value for the farmers of West Cork.”

“Our focus in terms of how we operate continues to be on sustainability – both in the traditional sense of creating a resilient business, but also in working with key partners in our community, in the economy and with our farmers to build a future that will protect our resources for future generations and create opportunities for them.” The Group continues to work towards a target of becoming carbon neutral by 2035 across all sites through decarbonising existing energy sources.

Carbery conducted a group-wide materiality assessment to provide strategic input to guide sustainability activities. Emissions intensity across the Group reduced by 4.8 per cent between 2019 and 2020 - more product is being made, but it has less embedded carbon. In 2020, water use per unit of production across the Group was reduced by 2.8 per cent.

Updated dietary guidelines for older adults published A scientific report published recently by the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) offers updated national recommendations to enhance older people’s (65+) nutritional well-being with the ultimate aim of improving health in later life. The 10 nutrients examined with a full set of recommendations are protein, carbohydrate, fibre, fat, B vitamins (folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6 and riboflavin), vitamin C, vitamin D, calcium, iron and zinc. Some key recommendations from the report include: Older adults at risk of ‘low intake’ dehydration need adequate amount of drinks. Women need 1.6ltrs and males 2ltrs per day (unless a clinical condition to require fluid restriction); Strong tea should only be consumed between meals and not during meals, as it interferes with absorption of iron and zinc; Healthy older adults should eat a more protein-dense diet – foods such as meat, poultry, fish, dairy and eggs; Diets should contain high fibre carbohydrates, but low in free sugars.

The report will benefit and be of specific interest to policy makers, healthcare professionals, and those advocating for, as well as those caring for older people in our society.

UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science

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Glanbia to curtail milk production A ceiling on growth due to a shortfall in processing capacity at Glanbia is affecting milk suppliers. Matt O’Keeffe reports Since 2014 the Glanbia milk pool has grown from 1.75 billion litres to almost three billion litres. That’s a compound annualised growth in volume of 6.5 per cent.

It is clear from producer surveys that the growth story should have some distance to run yet. Even maintaining the Glanbia herd at present levels would result in a significant lift in output over the coming years as cows mature and improved genetics kick in. The reality was that further cow number growth was anticipated in tandem with improved productivity within existing herds.

All of that has changed with the announcement from the Glanbia Ireland board of directors that, due to a shortfall in processing capacity, an effective milk production ceiling, with limited growth allowances, has been put in place for at least the next two years and possibly longer depending on circumstances. The specific circumstances are that a joint venture between family-owned Dutch cheese company Royal A-Ware and Glanbia Ireland to develop a high-end cheese-making enterprise at Belview in south Kilkenny had been stopped in its tracks due to legal challenges from An Taisce.

Glanbia Ireland’s strategy is to diversify from supplying

cheddar to the British market post Brexit, towards exploiting new opportunities in the European consumer market for continental-style cheeses including Gouda, Edam and Emmental varieties. It had been expected that this €180 million investment, with capacity to process 450 million litres of milk annually, would be ready to cope with anticipated milk volumes from 2022 onwards. The latest legal challenge from An Taisce has been rejected in a High Court Judicial Review. Provided there are no further legal challenges, the intention is to begin work on the project in the coming months.

It is estimated to take two years to complete and start turning milk into cheese. Even though An Taisce’s objections were rejected, there is no certainty that the environmental watch-dog’s campaign will not continue in some other judicial forum, postponing indefinitely any hope of Glanbia increasing its processing capacity.

Best laid plans thwarted Pat Murphy is the vice chairman of Glanbia Ireland. He outlines the situation: “We remain committed to growth and, in anticipation of the Belview development, we had enough additional milk on-stream to run the proposed

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joint venture cheese-making facility from the start at two-thirds of capacity. We cannot process that milk in 2022 and 2023 because of the delays caused by the objections from An Taisce. That’s the background to our milk supply management proposals.”

He notes An Taisce’s rationale in objecting to the Belview joint venture: “They say they were not objecting to the cheese production facility as such. Their objection was based on the increased milk output to supply the cheesemaking facility putting increased pressure on biodiversity and water quality with additional methane emissions from cows. In effect it is an objection to the cows not the processing of the milk produced by the cows.” For milk producers this would seem to be semantic wordplay since the end result is the same – a barrier to further growth of their dairy enterprises.

Glanbia Ireland argues that its suppliers are actively engaged in promoting improved water quality through the ASSAP (Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory) Joint Programme with Teagasc and in increasing on-farm biodiversity through a range of measures. Teagasc calculates that carbon footprint per kilo of milk produced is already the lowest in Europe and still improving.

The victims of this situation are the milk producers in the Glanbia milk production region.

It is a drastic curtailment of dairy farmers’ businesses and their livelihoods.

Hard hit producers In regard to milk processing, Glanbia finds itself in a situation in which it does not have a home for the extra milk coming from its milk producers at peak production.

The strategy was to have adequate milk volumes in place to run the proposed Belview cheesemaker at near capacity from the start in 2022. In the meantime, the farmer-owned processor has been engaging with the other Cooperative milk processors, particularly at that acute peak production, twelve-week period between April and June, to ensure that all spare processing capacity is utilised fully. That strategy will not be sufficient to cope with milk supply next year and the year after, while the cheesemaking facility is being built.

It is expected that over one-third of Glanbia’s milk producers will be seriously or very seriously impacted by the curtailment in processing capacity which Glanbia is being forced to implement. Those seriously impacted

milk producers, including many young new entrants, are ambitious to grow their enterprises, with a threeyear lead-in period before milk is produced on farms.

They have put the production base in place. They have invested in cows, land leases, slurry storage, milking and housing facilities as well as other production costs.

They are dependent on being able to supply extra milk volumes in the years ahead to pay down the borrowings for that investment. Farm enterprises often struggle to provide a reasonable income for two generations working on the farm. A well-managed dairy farm is one of the few enterprises that offers that prospect.

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A two-year hiatus – at least There is acute frustration for Glanbia milk producers, many of whom waited through thirty years of EU quotarestricted milk production to realise their ambitions to develop their farms and grow their dairy enterprises.

They grabbed the opportunity with both hands when the chance to expand came in 2015 with the lifting of EU production restrictions. Their cooperatives committed to putting the processing and marketing strategies in place to cope with the additional milk. Government policy, outlined in the national food strategies Food Harvest 2020 and Food Wise 2025, encouraged milk producers that dairy expansion would be an economic benefit to the country and especially to rural Ireland. Glanbia had been fully in-step with that expansion until An Taisce objections disrupted its plans. No one anticipated that An Taisce would appeal the original County Council decision to allow the Belview development, or that they would in turn appeal the Bord Pleanala decision which also allowed the continental cheese-making proposal to go ahead. With the latest objection rejected by the High Court, and assuming there are no further delays, Glanbia Ireland could turn the sod on the joint venture with Royal A-Ware by next September, commission the facility by the end of 2023 and start production in the Spring of 2024. That would make the peak production restriction policy a relatively short-term problem.

Unfortunately, that scenario is full of ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ with many things out of Glanbia’s control. The victims of this situation are the milk producers in the Glanbia milk production region. It is a drastic curtailment of dairy farmers’ businesses and their livelihoods.

Expert advice and real-time data, putting you in control.

Additional woes To add to the despair being felt by progressive milk producers, they are now hearing of an intention by An Taisce and other environmental bodies to stymie every dairy related development with the presumed intention of at least delaying indefinitely, by making submissions or objections, to any and all investments by milk producers and processors across the entire country. Any farmer considering building a new milking parlour, increasing slurry storage or wintering facilities for their cows can expect to be met by delay, added cost and, ultimately, a wall of constraint on their ambitions to improve their livelihoods.

Learn more at ifac.ie/farm-pro Or call 1800 33 44 22 Supported by

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we are not talking directly to the consumer.

We know this from our international network: when you get into marketing the production system, you can create beautiful ads but you may be accused of green washing: you need proof points. So, we need to collaborate with the sector. Bord Bia is auditing dairy farms and have data here – we need to take that evidence in areas that consumers can relate to and communicate it. Let’s identify the progress as well as the challenges.”

To encourage this conversation, the NDC is recruiting farmers as ambassadors: “We want the farmer’s voice to be heard. We want to create a space for farmers to step up and work with us, possibly opening their farms up down the line and having a fully transparent relationship with the consumer.”

Zöe adds that focusing on competition from vegan alternative products is not the way forward: “If the barriers to purchase were around veganism, fat and intolerance before, the barrier to purchase now is really the environment. If you look at our competitive set, many of these products are marketing themselves as ‘planet kind’. To focus on these competitors puts dairy on the backfoot because we are always defending. We have such a unique system off grass, we should be much more confident – we should take the Diageo approach and tell consumers how we produce and put a face and a name to it. I feel people have lost that connection to our farming communities.”

Following an extensive consultation process, the National Dairy Council (NDC) has re-invented its brand and launched a new marketing campaign that aims to get back to the literal ‘grass roots’ of the dairy industry by focusing on Ireland’s production systems.

Miriam Atkins talks to NDC CEO, Zöe Kavanagh about the importance of building trust with today’s consumer.

Brand new In recent weeks the NDC launched its new marketing campaign and unveiled a fresh logo, all in an effort to re-introduce the consumer to the farmer, explains Zöe: “We have just come out of a strategy where we were ruthlessly focused on the ‘questioning consumer’, speaking to this consumer about the product portfolio and making sure they were aware of the health benefits of dairy, while also addressing those myths out there about the product. That work addressed the product scores. But the reality is that the product scores are really good – people know how natural and nutritious Irish dairy is.

But what has become apparent is that consumers are losing some trust when it comes to production systems, in the context of environmental concerns.

The question they are now asking themselves is, is the nutritional value worth the environmental impact?”

Research, she says, shows that 35 per cent of Irish consumers have a trust issue with dairy farmers.

Meanwhile, Zöe adds, the farmer is feeling unsupported and under threat.

“The feedback we have got from farmers is that their social licence to produce is under threat, specifically in the context of the climate challenge.

So, listening to both farmers and

consumers we had a ‘eureka’ moment: we need to advocate on behalf of farmers and take a leadership role here. We need to unite all Irish dairy farmers and make sure that everything we tell consumers over the next three years instills confidence that the production system is responsible, sustainable and takes on board climate issues.”

Investing in a voice Zöe is adamant that in order to get the right message out there, investment is needed.

“I did an analyses of the top 50 advertisers in Ireland and not one of these were in the dairy category. The reality here is that dairy has no voice. We can have the proof points and all the information needed but without investment we can’t connect the consumer to the parlour. And retailers want to work with us too – we would like to see dairy nearer the

fruit and veg section in retail, so it is seen as fresh, sustainable produce. But this all requires investment. So this is my ‘bucket shaking’ moment – not for the NDC but for the sector.

If we don’t invest, then the narrative will be set by others and we can’t be surprised then if we are misunderstood or if there is a disconnect.”

Currently, the NDC represents 65 per cent of Irish dairy farmers – 35 per cent are not represented, which account for four Irish co-ops. Zöe explains that previously the NDC only represented liquid milk producers but this has now changed and the new agenda is focused on the whole production system in a more unified way. “I believe if we represented all dairy farmers we could get into that top 50 advertising spot in the first year of our strategy and up into the top 30 within the following two years.”

The new three-year marketing campaign – set around the tagline ‘From the Ground Up’ – is being rolled out across TV, radio and print and will evolve to incorporate the ambassador programme where it will be brought to life through events in communities across the country. There is also a plan to bring the messaging to the point of purchase at retail level.

Concluding, Zöe says it is important to note that price is still the predominant determining factor at purchase and this will cause tension going forward: “Consumers are very price sensitive – 44 per cent say they are influenced by price and only 10 per cent prioritise carbon footprint at point of purchase. At producer level, we are operating to a premium food delivery but the consumer, although feeling very strongly about the environment, still looks to price first.

If we have dairy farmers continuing to produce around a premium delivery, we need to bring the consumer closer to that reality. For me, that is where working with retailers is going to be the silver bullet. The continuing demand for cheap food – you cannot reconcile this with our production systems and the work here will be resolving that with retailers.”

PRIDE FROM THE GROUND UP

Proof points The sector, she notes, is already taking a lot of action to address environmental issues – across soil pH, water quality, slurry management and grass growth for example. “But

ndc.ie

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Where dairy fits in a sustainable diet Dr Marianne Walsh, Nutrition Manager at the NDC, looks how we can strive for more sustainable diets.

Unhealthy diets are one of the main contributors to poor health and disease risk globally. Sustainable diets are commonly considered as eating patterns that simply focus on reducing climate change; however, they encompass much more than this and would not be ‘sustainable’ if they focused on this issue alone. As the name suggests, sustainable diets must be something we can maintain in the long term. Therefore, in addition to considering the environment, they must also be healthy, affordable and acceptable to eat. When dairy is considered across these parameters, it can play a valuable role in a balanced, sustainable diet. Therefore, dairy continues to be included in international guidelines for sustainable eating, such as those from the United Nations and the World Health Organisation.

If you are trying to eat more sustainably, here are some tips to consider: • Include an abundance and variety of fruit and vegetables: These should form the basis of the diet and should be included in meals and snacks across the day. Vegetables, salad and fruit provide fibre and a wide range of vitamins and minerals for good health.

• Include wholegrains and high fibre carbohydrates: Examples include wholegrain bread, porridge oats, brown rice or local potatoes with their skins left on. These unrefined foods are important for providing energy and fibre, which supports metabolism and a healthy digestive system.

• Boost nutrient intakes with moderate amounts of dairy: Best known for their calcium content, milk, yogurt and cheese also provide a wide range of other essential

nutrients including protein, carbohydrate, fat, vitamin A, B vitamins, potassium, phosphorus, iodine and zinc.

In Ireland, most adults fall short of the recommended 3 servings per day. Examples of a serving are: a 200ml glass of milk; a 125g pot of yogurt; or a 25g piece of cheese.

• Include legumes and nuts; moderate amounts of eggs, poultry and fish; and small amounts of red meat: The notable message for these protein-rich foods is to choose different foods on different days (2 servings per day) and be mindful of the appropriate portion size.

Examples of a serving include: ¾ cup cooked beans, peas or lentils; 2 eggs; 50-75g cooked meat (including poultry), 100g cooked fish or tofu; or 40g unsalted nuts or seeds.

• Drink enough water: Drinking-water from the tap is the most sustainable choice, as it avoids packaging. Fluid requirements vary but most adults need about 2-2.5 litres per day.

• Try not to consume more than you need: Eating excess food is a form of food waste and contributes to weight gain. Be mindful of appropriate serving sizes. Avoid highly processed, pre-packaged foods and foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt.

• Reduce food waste: One third of the world’s food is wasted every year, with €400-€1000 worth of food ending up in Irish household bins annually! Plan ahead, prepare the right amount and use leftovers in other recipes.

To find out more, download the National Dairy Council’s free booklet on Eating Sustainably https://ndc.ie/publications

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Turning away from livestock production in favour of plant-based agriculture wouldn’t yield the green gains we are led to believe, says food economist Ciaran Fitzgerald. In fact, he argues, it could have a negative impact on our diet and the environment.

Abalancedapproach Vegan and vegetarian lifestyles have been put forward as better for the planet, but this may not be quite as cut and dried as it seems. A March 2021 report on vegetarian meat substitutes

by Safefood found that many of them are not a source of protein; that they are highly processed foods; and generally contain more carbohydrates than meat. The report suggested that consumers include a variety of sources of protein in their diet such as meat, eggs, fish, legumes and nuts.

“In terms of food nutrition, as officially assessed by Safefood, the majority of the substitute products are highly processed foods. They don’t have the nutritional base to be substitutes,” notes Ciaran.

As for turning fields over to vegetables, that too can have the opposite effect. “The Teagasc statement to the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee in April 2021 noted that Ireland’s grasslands are an enormous store of (soil) carbon, and if this land is converted to crop production, some of this soil carbon is released into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas.

“The environmental impact of Ireland ‘going plant based’ would be an absolute disaster. We have all this grassland currently sequestering carbon. If you transform the industry into plant-growing, through tillage

for example, you lose all the carbon straight away. In short, replacing Irish grasslands with plant-based agriculture would see increased emissions.”

Demand for meat and dairy is growing across the world and a balanced approach using verifiable production processes can allow us to meet consumer needs while still considering the environment, believes Ciaran.

“We are successfully producing food for 40 million people because there is a huge demand for Irish grass-based livestock, whether that’s meat or dairy because it’s natural.” This demand has been driven, he says, by higher incomes and the emergence of the middle class, and alongside this, the growing demand for natural foods.

“We have transformed the industry, particularly in the last ten years, where we are now exporting bigger volumes.

In the case of dairy, it’s 8.5 billion litres, and we are exporting about half a million tonnes of meat, and it’s all going to markets that want natural foods that are sustainably produced without an export subsidy.

“The notion of stopping or suppressing Irish livestock production means that a growing demand for meat and dairy will be met by countries that aren’t in any regulatory system, that don’t have the grass-base, and who produce more emissions. The demand will

continue and will be met by inferior products in terms of naturalness and environmental impact. Therefore, the global impact of supressing Irish agriculture is an increase in global emissions.”

“Chinese imports of beef increased twenty-fold in the last ten years, and that demand is being met by imports from Brazil. If all of the increase in milk and beef consumption globally comes from countries that have no emissions measurement, never mind emissions control, then global emissions associated with food consumption will continue to increase and that’s not a good outcome for the planet.”

The path forward is about balance, and science-backed production processes, explains Ciaran.

“Ireland has always been an export country, so we’ve have always had to validate our claims on meat and milk. That has evolved over the years, from validation of our nutritional claims, to food safety and the systems of production we use, and now it has moved into sustainability and environmental impact. All the potential to continue to produce natural and sustainable food has to be backed up by the validation process.

“What does that mean when you look at it scientifically and you want to validate it? It means looking at your

If you suppress our low-carbon output, global demand will be met by countries that emit more or are not in any regulatory system.

That’s a lose-lose for global emissions.”

pasture-based system, and ours is the most pasture-based and grass-based in the world, if not in the top two, with New Zealand. What you have is a natural system that is based on seasonal rain producing grass that constitutes 90-95 per cent of what the animal eats over the year. It also reflects the fact that grass is a very efficient sequester of carbon.”

Food producers, he says, need to offer more proof. “There is more to be done in terms of validation. We need to deal with the mismatch between healthy growing global demand for our sustainably produced products and the domestic politicisation of production that has not been scientifically based.

Let’s get science and balance into what is actually happening, and let’s

prove it. There is a need for continuous improvement. The Teagasc report has identified a number of things that we need to do better, environmentally, and these need to be taken up by all farmers.

The farming piece needs to be done better and continue to improve, not just in terms of carbon, into things like ammonia production, emissions, and the usage of fertiliser, but all of that can be accomplished.

“The point I keep returning to is: demand for meat and dairy that is sustainable is increasing all the time and will increase as the world’s population increases. Therefore, if you suppress our low-carbon output, global demand will be met by countries that emit more or are not in any regulatory system. That’s a lose-lose for global emissions.”

TOGETHER FROM THE GROUND UP

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The taste of success

Ornua, one of Ireland’s leading dairy companies, has recently published its financial results for 2020, with record figures showing a 68 per cent increase in operating profit. Here, Miriam Atkins talks to Ornua’s CEO John Jordan about changing consumer habits and the success of Kerrygold on the international stage.

“It has been an incredible year… pre 2020 we were thinking about things like Brexit; we had the US tariff which introduced a 25 per cent tariff on cheese and butter from Europe; and there was volatility in commodity prices. These were the things we were grappling with and then, two months into 2020, we were hit with Covid and that changed the world. It was very hard to predict what would happen from there so agility and responsiveness were critical. Our buying behaviours as consumers completely shifted. How we bought food typically, there was a kind of balance between buying retail and in foodservice: in markets like the US it’s probably split 50/50 between at home and out of home consumption. With the lockdown, this pretty much all moved to home consumption and in developed markets we saw a huge surge in retail demand and the collapse of foodservice. There were a lot more occasions for eating at home – people began cooking and baking more – and consumers defaulted

to brands that they know and trust and Kerrygold benefitted from that.”

Indeed, the Kerrygold brand enjoyed a volume growth for the year of 13 per cent, with over 10 million packets sold weekly. Group turnover for the company was reported at €2.3 billion.

Looking ahead With such an unexpected shift in buying trends in 2020, how had the company planned for 2021 and where does John see the challenges and opportunities ahead? “When we were putting budgets together in October, looking at 2021 we were all saying to plan our business on a return to normality from early January…with restaurants opening and retail demand returning to normal. But the reality is that from January to March, in many of our big markets, the lockdowns were probably more severe than any time in 2020. So it’s very hard to predict.”

Going forward, he states, the likelihood is that we will see spikes in commodity pricing throughout

2021 as lockdowns ease. “Roughly half of our business is in the B2B space and half is consumer, so if things rebalance we are in a good position with our portfolio. What we need to do is figure out how we can capture as much value as we can to pay back to our co-ops and indeed hope that they pay that back to the farmers in the price.”

Ornua paid member co-ops an additional €68.7 million this year: “The purpose of Ornua is to create value for Irish farming families and we fundamentally believe that the cornerstone of our industry is a grass-based production system on Irish family farms. Our coops produce superb quality dairy products. There was almost €69 million of additional value created through our brand and through some of our subsidiary so that’s an additional premium. Five years ago that was €30 million. What we’re trying to achieve over the next few years, with ambitious growth targets, is to continue to drive that value payment for members.”

Farmers want to make sure that they are handing over a viable, sustainable business to the next generation.

An industry under fire Any effort for future success will need to be part of a wider conversation around sustainability and climate action – how does John think the industry is responding to consumer concerns here? “Certainly, as a sector, I genuinely believe that people are stepping up and taking ownership and responsibility.

Agriculture accounts for 35 per cent of Ireland’s greenhouse gas emissions. With the climate action bill we have legal targets as a country to meet and I believe that farmers, dairy processors and everybody in that supply chain will step up.

It’s important to recognise that Irish farmers are the most carbon efficient producers of dairy in the world, therefore we just need to be careful… if we don’t produce it in Ireland are we pushing production to somewhere else that is in fact more damaging to the environment?

Take a place like the US, where you have very large herds on feedlots off grain that probably produce double the carbon output. It is in Irish farmers’ interests to have a long-term sustainable business. You know, in Ireland, farms don’t change hands that often – they move from generation to generation – so farmers want to make sure that they are handing over a viable business to the next generation. So, I am very confident that, as an industry, we will step up to the challenges ahead and we will see positive movement in line with climate action.”

The importance of a brand A recent loss by Kerry Group to register the trademark ‘Kerrymaid’ for use in Europe was a victory for Ornua and John stresses that protecting the Kerrygold brand is central to the organisation’s success: “The Kerrygold brand is a really

important asset for Ornua. This year, we celebrate 60 years as a business and, over that time, the brand has been invested in by generations of farmers and generations of our employees. It is something we consider sacrosanct. We had a recent win against Kerry Group and their request for a Europeanwide Kerrymaid brand; so we were very happy with that judgement and we will continue to defend the Kerrygold brand against any and all competition that we think would cause consumer confusion. It’s all about making sure we can capture and retain value for Irish dairy families. We are very positive about the potential for growth with the Kerrygold brand in our key markets in both cheese and butter and indeed in some new innovations that we have in the pipeline.”

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Looking forward

with trepidation Matt O’Keeffe talks to dairy farmer Eamon Sheehan about technology, environmental efforts and milk production restrictions.

The calving season on the Sheehan dairy farm, near Cuffesgrange in county Kilkenny, has been completed and Eamon Sheehan is contemplating the next major cow management task – that of getting the cows back in calf: “We begin our breeding season at the end of April each year with the intention of having cows calving each spring just as grass growth begins on the farm. With 70 per cent British Friesian and thirty per cent Holstein Friesian genetics, the 200-cow herd is bred to turn grass into high quality milk. Last year each cow, on average, produced 510 kilos of milk solids (protein & butterfat). It is a young herd and even if we didn’t increase cow numbers, as the herd matures, milk volumes are expected to increase substantially. With a mature herd we could produce an extra fifty kilos of milk solids per cow within the next three years.”

from an environmental aspect and for retaining nutrients in the soil.”

Technology adopter Like many other farmers, Eamon is an enthusiastic adopter of novel technologies that offer increased efficiency at an affordable cost: “We have monitor collars on the cows that provide essential data on cow health as well as acting as heat detection devices. This technology allows us to compile a database on each cow. When a cow is in heat she is automatically drafted for breeding as she leaves the milking parlour.

The system improves heat detection, warns if a cow is ill and reduces labour requirement on the farm. Using the technology, we get cows in calf efficiently, which ultimately delivers a compact calving pattern so that the herd is calved and ready to graze when growth begins in spring.”

Grass and grazing

New blood in milk production

Eamon emphasises the dominant role of grass in the cow diet: “We have the herd grazing up to 300 days every year. The grass sward is regularly replenished through reseeding and we sow a mixture of grasses together with clover seed, which adds to the quality and volume of the herbage. We don’t plough before reseeding so there is no carbon released. That’s important

Eamon and Lois Sheehan, with their young children Rachel, Julia and Emma, and Eamon’s parents, Eamon and Maureen, are first generation milk producers: “We were new entrants in 2013, just before quotas were abolished. Since then, we have grown the herd and we hope to move up to a final figure of 240 cows next year to fully match herd size with the hectares

available to graze them. Before 2013 we had suckler cows producing calves for beef. That wasn’t providing an adequate income for our family so the most viable option for myself and my wife Lois, starting a family, was to build a dairy herd. We began with a herd of seventy cows, gradually adding twenty to thirty cows each year, to the current herd size. We have enough maiden heifers and calves to increase to our target herd size next year.”

A balanced dairy environment Over the past 15 years, Eamon and his family have made significant improvements to the biodiversity of the farm, accommodating impressive ranges of flora and fauna: “We have added up to three miles of hedgerows to the existing filed boundary structures. We also planted a variety of trees through the hedgerows, including lines of Walnut, Ash, Sycamore and Beech. They add to the landscape without impacting on productivity on the farm. Wildlife on the farm includes the usual songbirds as well as kestrels, buzzards, longeared and barn owls. There are hares and we have otters on a farm pond.”

There has been much talk of the benefits of LESS (Low Emission Slurry Spreading) technologies and Eamon is a firm advocate: “We have used the system for spreading slurry fertiliser

for the past three years. It definitely makes a positive difference in lifting the fertilising efficiency of the slurry, eliminating losses to the atmosphere and reducing smells. We also use Protected Urea which is a slow-release fertiliser with low volatility.”

“We all accept that everyone has a role to play in terms of the environment and climate change. Where I have a major issue is that all these hedgerows and trees on the farm are deducted from our area-based EU farm payments.

We don’t plough before reseeding so there is no carbon released.

That’s important from an environmental aspect and for retaining nutrients in the soil.”

We are penalised for those areas not under grass, which are capturing and sequestering carbon throughout their life cycle over many generations of farming. The grass and the soil itself are absorbing carbon. None of this is acknowledged by critics of livestock farming. Methane is a short-lived gas and is cyclical in livestock farming.

Grass takes in CO2, the cow grazes the grass, ruminates and releases methane which is ultimately recaptured again in the grass, soil, trees and hedges.

Blaming cows for causing climate change through their methane emissions without taking full account of the science around the recycling process is wrong.”

Piqued by the peak milk restriction Because of objections from An Taisce, Glanbia has been delayed in the building of a cheese-making facility to cope with increasing volumes of milk and has introduced restrictions on peak milk production from next year. As is the case with thousands of other Glanbia milk suppliers, Eamon Sheehan is worried: “It will have a massive affect. All of our farm development loans are long term. All of our farm business plans include 1015 year projections, so the imposition of milk production restrictions puts a lot of uncertainty on the way we farm today and uncertainty in our dealings with our banks. We are at the start of the breeding season and we don’t know exactly what we have to do to manage our way through the coming years. Even if we do not increase cow numbers as planned, the fact that we have a maturing and improving herd will automatically result in increased milk output. Do we sell cows that are

healthy, full of potential and have been bred at a cost far higher than we could get from selling them? We have heifer yearlings and heifer calves on the farm.

Do we have to sell some of them too?

The cow that is bred this spring will potentially produce a heifer calf that will be a milking cow in three years.

That’s the timespan on a dairy farm. It is difficult enough to plan long term without being faced with this situation.

Our heifers are contract-reared by another farmer, so it impacts on him.

We have long term leases, feed suppliers… the list goes on. Everyone involved at any point in the milk production sector is potentially impacted. Right now, An Taisce’s objections to the building of a cheesemaking facility have been rejected by An Bord Pleanala and the High Court, but the damage has been done.

The delays in planning could mean that we will not be able to sell some of our milk next year and the year after. It’s mentally draining as well as everything else.”

NOURISHED FROM THE GROUND UP

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The secret to

best performance Ifac undertook a survey of top performing dairy farming enterprises, which varied in size, farm system and life stage, looking at their budgets and management decisions.

We asked how these farmers are achieving the profit recorded per cow/ ha and the information highlights that what is common across all of those surveyed is their focus on key parts of their business. They are generally excellent farm/business managers and have a deep understanding of their chosen farm system. The following is a summary of seven management practices and farming philosophies common to most of these farmers.

What is it that makes some dairy farmers so much more profitable than others? Ifac asked 15 top performers to share their tips - Philip O’Connor’s, Head of Farm Supports at ifac, reports.

1) Long term goals and a vision for the business • All farmers had a clear vision for the future of their farm.

• All had short term and long-term goals they wished to achieve – with a plan on how to achieve.

• Only 33 per cent of farmers had these goals/plans written down.

• All used multiple types of advisors for advice and very much

embraced the team approach.

“While I don’t actually write my plans down on paper, I do work actively with my accountant and Teagasc advisor to set out plans on where my farm is going”

2) Pasture management Soil & Grass a Key driver • Regular farm walks with all farmers surveyed measuring grass in some format.

• Spring and Autumn rotation plan was a key driver in grazing policy.

• 14 from 15 soil test entire farm every 2 years (1 testing every 3 years).

• All had a planned reseeding policy.

• All had a planned fertiliser policy designed based on soil test results (lime formed part of this plan).

• Weather played a part in fertiliser decision making.

3) Breeding Decisions • All are milk recording an average of 6 times a year (5 were recording 8 times).

• Fertility and solids are key considerations on breeding policy.

“50 per cent farmers cut and weighing for most accurate grass measurements.”

4) Benchmarking • 13 from 15 farmers completed the Teagasc eProfit Monitor.

• These farmers, in general, were active in discussion groups.

• 75 per cent mentioned whole-farm budgets key figures to benchmark (25 per cent said enterprise). Profits per ha and cow were key metrics of measurement.

“Key issue with Profit Monitor was ensuring accurate data.”

5) Business Management • Machinery costs kept to the minimum with farmer paying for short term debt where possible from cashflow.

• Attitude to debt was conservative • on short-term debt, but they looked at longer-term debt much more optimistically

• Farm well maintained in years with cash surpluses to allow for cost reduction in years where cashflow reduces.

• All farmers reviewed their loans regularly and were prepared to shop around for the best deal and rates.

• They all maintain rainy day funds.

Overdrafts are for exceptional years, with farms operating cash surpluses on good years.

had active rotas (4 from 15 were not actively employing labour).

• Current economic situation is well communicated, and farmers seek ideas from the team on ways to improve the farm’s efficiency.

• Key farm decisions are communicated to farm team members.

• Staff take holidays, including owners!

6) Financial Management • Creditor management was key, with all farmers stating they like to keep creditors paid within 30 to 60 days.

• All 15 are using budgeting systems of some format.

• Budgets adjusted over the year – adjusted for milk, input costs etc.

• 50 per cent would review budgets quarterly, and all were reviewing actual financials quarterly.

7) The farm team is valued and recognised

General Information on farmers surveyed: Cow numbers range – 115 to 580 Farm Type – 13 spring calving and 2 winter/liquid milk Profits per cow** - €847 to €1,068 Profits per Ha** - €1,418 to €2,557 12 farmers described their system as settled with 3 farmers still in expansion phase

• Staff are valued and recognised. All

DEVOTION FROM THE GROUND UP

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Making green choices Maeve O’Keeffe, Food & Health Editor with UCC’s University Express newspaper, investigates how the Irish agri-food and drink sector is tackling sustainability in farming and food production and talks to Padraig Brennan, Bord Bia, about the industry’s efforts.

With our generation’s heightened concerns about climate change and sustainability, many young people are striving towards environmentalism by making dietary changes to reduce their consumption of animal produce. Their environmental concerns are not misplaced. As a sector accounting for 7.7 per cent of Ireland’s total employment, the agri-food sector is a vital aspect of the Irish economy, but it is also a major contributor of emissions. That said, has our heightened emphasis on environmentalism demonised the work of Irish farmers and food producers to an extent, while failing to scrutinise the sustainability of imported alternatives to homegrown Irish produce? Perhaps in working with Irish farmers and food producers, rather than against them, Irish consumers could benefit both the planet and the Irish economy, while moving closer to reaching the targets set by the government in the Climate Action Bill.

Differentiating global and local agriculture Both globally and nationally, agriculture has unfortunately played a significant role in climate change, but it is important to differentiate

between global and local agricultural contexts. One could argue that holding Irish farmers and food producers accountable for the same level of planetary damage as some of their industrial counterparts internationally does a great disservice to the endeavors of Irish farmers to reduce their negative impact on the environment in recent years. As Padraig Brennan, Bord Bia’s Director of Meat, Food, and Beverages explains: “Irish agriculture is in a relatively positive position when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions with Irish dairy having the joint lowest carbon footprint in the EU while our beef production is in the five lowest member states.”

The traceability trail Stemming, perhaps, from a sense of disconnection from rural life in recent years, many young people are unaware of the rigorous standards that Irish farmers and food producers must meet with Bord Bia’s now renowned Quality Assurance Scheme. The Quality Assurance Symbol, which you are probably familiar with viewing on meat and dairy products, is a guarantee of excellence that Irish farmers work hard to earn, ensuring food safety,

traceability, and animal welfare along every step of the production line. With the introduction of Bord Bia’s Origin Green programme in 2012, these quality assurances were expanded to encompass sustainability issues, with farms being audited every 18 months for biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, water standards, energy efficiency, soil management, as well as socio-economic factors.

Some environmentalists contend that this is merely an attempt at ‘green-washing’, however, the participation of more than 53,000 farms and 324 leading Irish food and drink companies in the programme means that real progress is being made towards reaching sustainability goals, while continuing to support prospering Irish industry and fuelling new job opportunities nationwide. “Through the sector’s participation in Origin Green we have seen consistent reductions in the carbon footprint of the sector on a per unit of output basis over the last five years,” says Padraig Brennan, highlighting how the programme “provides the infrastructure to measure, monitor and provide practical advice to help members identify areas for further improvement

over the coming years.”

As well as this, Bord Bia is also currently working on a new Grass-Fed standard, to uphold the standards of grazing livestock. The majority of livestock production globally is from confined herds, kept indoors every day, in contrast to the outdoor existence of Irish livestock, grazing grass in fields with rich hedgerows promoting biodiversity. In fact, the hedgerows in Irish fields are so plentiful that they could circle the planet three times, if unravelled and looped around the earth. Nowhere else in the world is farming taking place in such a closely monitored, outdoor, local level. It is thanks to the efforts of Irish farmers and food producers that Ireland is now viewed as a world leader in the drive to produce food and drinks more sustainably, Bord Bia’s Padraig Brennan insists.

Improving performance on farms The numerous standards that differentiate Irish farming and food production from their international counterparts do not negate the fact that agriculture remains a significant source of emissions here, but it is also important to acknowledge and support the active role farmers and food producers are taking in reducing these emissions and promoting sustainability. For example, the Agricultural Sustainability Support and Advisory Programme (ASSAP) has seen farmers keenly trying to improve water quality on their farms, having acknowledged that water quality had deteriorated somewhat in recent years. This “innovative approach to protecting water quality” on Irish farms is one of many areas in which the “industry has invested significant efforts to improve performance across farm and processing level when it comes to areas such as greenhouse gas emissions, water quality and biodiversity,” according to Brennan.

Grown, not flown While some may choose to eat more plant-based foods as one way of aiming towards a more sustainable

lifestyle, opting for locally sourced produce, whether plant-based or not, is far more sustainable than importing produce grown in irrigated monocultures using chemical inputs that damage the soil and surrounding ecosystems, which are then transported many miles using fossil fuels. The environmental benefits of plant-based products are arguably negated when they are not grown, flown, packaged or produced in a sustainable way, so try to follow the ‘grown not flown’ approach… cutting down on food miles can be of great benefit to both the economy and environment.

Social and economic sustainability The Origin Green programme is fostering improvements not only in environmental sustainability, but also social and economic sustainability, by serving local communities effectively and providing jobs and opportunities in rural areas that are at risk of decline and depopulation. “The sector’s science-based approach through initiatives such as the Marginal Abatement Cost Curve developed by Teagasc, demonstrates its commitment to making further improvements by focusing on the areas where progress can be made to benefit the environment while also helping the economic viability of the sector,” explains the Bord Bia representative, illustrating how economic and environmental sustainability are being balanced in the industry here. We are the only country in the world upholding such stringent standards of environmental, social, and economic sustainability in every aspect of agriculture and food production nationwide.

Although this does not mean that we shouldn’t continue to demand real change in sustainability from the industry, it would be unfair to tar Irish farmers and food producers with the same brush as some of the large-scale destructive agriculture in other countries, where food products are heavily reliant on irrigation, synthetics and fossil fuels before ending up in your supermarket trolley.

Make informed food decisions Ultimately, trying to be an environmentally conscious consumer is not easy. Inevitably, the food we eat will have some impact on the environment.

Yet making informed decisions about the food you consume can make a huge difference, and acknowledging the progress made by the Irish agri-food and drink sector is vital to promoting new opportunities in the industry for today’s young people. In championing Irish industry and shopping locally, you are supporting the livelihoods of family-run farms and business owners, who work hard to achieve internationally recognised standards of quality and sustainability. Household brand names such as Glanbia, Heineken and Flahavans Oats have already embraced the Origin Green initiative, as well as a host of smaller Irish food and drink businesses.

This summer why not take a look at how you can incorporate more Irish produce into your diet, and benefit both the local economy and the environment by cutting down on food miles? Try to learn more about how your food, whether plant-based or not, is farmed and produced.

Instead of viewing agriculture as the problem, supporting the efforts made by the Irish agrifood sector can help the industry to become part of the solution to climate change. As Padraig Brennan confirms: “The future sustainability of our food systems will rely on consumers having a balanced diet that provides their nutritional requirements while also respecting the planet. The efforts being made by the sector to date and the commitments to make further improvements signal a clear intent to ensure that Irish farming and food production continues to respect the natural environment in which they operate.”

This article was first published in the UCC student newspaper University Express – the above is an edited version of the original article.

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Home comforts

Freshapproach Willie Lennon, chairman of Fresh Milk Producers (FMP), discusses the challenges facing Ireland’s fresh milk producers to ensure year-round supply Farmers that produce milk for the fresh milk market are a distinct cohort of the dairy production sector. In order to produce fresh milk every day of the year these farmers must split their dairy herd into two sections, as cows typically only produce milk for 9-10 months in each lactation. The first herd calves in February/March and is milked through to November/December while the second herd calves in September/ October and is milked through to the end of the following summer.

The second herd ensures that we as consumers have the highest quality, early lactation, fresh milk on our tables throughout Christmas and the winter months. However, running this second herd carries extra expense due to the requirement for extended housing and additional supplementary feed during the winter as grass growth stalls and weather conditions deteriorate.

Falling numbers of producers Willie Lennon is chairman of Fresh Milk Producers (FMP), Ireland’s largest group of specialist dairy farmers producing milk for pasteurisation, bottling and, ultimately, human consumption. He outlines the challenges facing his members: “The number of fresh milk producers in Ireland has fallen by 25 per cent in the past decade. As input costs increase

and milk price remains relatively static, many farmers are unable to sustain the higher-cost milk production system required to supply this yearround fresh product.” Fresh milk producer representatives say that the increasing popularity of ‘own-brand’ milk products has played a major role in the exit of dairy farmers from fresh milk production. Own-brand milk now represents in excess of 70 per cent of all fresh milk sales. Two litres of ownbrand milk typically retails at €1.49 and that price has been more or less static for the past ten years.

Every week, over 10 million litres of fresh milk are consumed in Ireland. Of the 18,000 dairy farmers in Ireland, less than 8 per cent produce milk for the fresh milk market, with the vast majority of farmers supplying milk for manufacturing into dairy products such as butter, cheese and infant formula powders.

“Supermarkets promote their own brand products which they can often sell at a reduced price. In exchange for the consistent demand for large volumes of milk, they can secure a reduced wholesale price, eroding the margin for the milk processor and the primary producer,” Willie insists. This

strategy, he says, is keenly adopted by the discount supermarkets. Discount retailers, he continues, sell milk that does not carry the National Dairy Council (NDC) logo, which informs the consumer that the milk or cream they are purchasing has been produced and processed in the Irish Republic. “It’s all about supporting locally produced food and local jobs.”

Consumer support A recent survey carried out by the NDC demonstrated that 82 per cent of consumers want to see dairy farmers protected and supported for future generations. In the same survey it was found that price is the main priority for purchase. Willie Lennon sees a contradiction: “These two simple findings are in direct conflict with each other. I believe the consumer has a role in protecting our dairy sector and ensuring consistent supply of fresh milk in our stores. If the price continues to remain static for producers, the sector will no longer be able to guarantee fresh milk availability in our stores particularly in December and January. A breakdown in a major milk processing facility last November acutely demonstrated the vulnerability of the sector when several discount stores had no supply of fresh milk.”

Food writers Patrick Hanlon and Russell Alford – aka GastroGays – recently went on the lookout for Ireland’s most comforting cheese recipes, to find out what’s cooking, melting, and bubbling in homes across Ireland. The competition was inspired by Ireland’s love of cheese and our curiosity to try out more varieties. In a recent EU-funded survey 53 per cent people stated they are curious to discover more cheeses but Ireland’s firm favourite at 64 per cent is cheddar*.

Here, we feature the winning recipe as well as some other favourites.

Lockdown Ricotta Cheese Pie Runner up, 2nd place Heather Heath My inspiration for this pie came from me living in Malta for 6 months. They use Ricotta cheese a lot for both savoury and sweet dishes.

One of their most popular dishes was called Pastizzi which is a bit like a Maltese Pastie and was delicious.

The Mother of the family I stayed with was a wonderful cook and I remember many a dish she cooked with Ricotta so making my own pie using Ricotta cheese has brought back some very fond memories of my time in Malta and a bit of a tribute to Mrs Cachia, who only died recently at the age of 93!

Serves: 4-6 Ingredients 500g Ricotta Cheese 300g Feta cheese (cubed) 300g Spinach 4 Tbsp Pesto (or more to taste) 2 Eggs Salt & Black Pepper to taste 500g Puff Pastry (2 pkts of Ready Rolled)

Method 1. Grease a cake tin with butter (9.5 inch by 2.5 inches deep). Set oven to 180 degrees Use one packet of puff pastry to line bottom and sides of cake tin Bake blind for 15 minutes (or until slightly golden) As base is cooking prepare filling.

2. Mix together in a large bowl Ricotta cheese, Feta Cheese, Pesto, Spinach (wilt spinach first in a pan with a little butter and then remove excess moisture – I pat it with some kitchen roll) and 1 egg. Mix all these ingredients well. When base is ready, allow to cool a little before adding Ricotta mixture. Meanwhile, roll up about ¾ of other packet of ready rolled puff pastry then whilst still rolled slice into half inch rounds.

3. Put the mixture into the cake tin- spreading evenly Slightly loosen the pastry rounds – some may even unroll but that’s okay.

4. Place the pastry rounds on top of pie making sure not to leave any gaps (it doesn’t have to be perfect). This will give the pie an interesting top instead of a plain flat one!

5. Beat up the other egg and brush over the top of the pastry. Bake in oven for 15/20 mins or until golden brown.

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Serves: 4-6 Ingredients

Courgette & Cooleeney Arancini Balls with Arrabbiata Sauce Winner Sinéad Henry Bezy I previously lived in Naples where I was first introduced to the joys of Arancini Balls, a common indulgent street food stuffed with bechamel and ragù. I decided to create a lighter version by using courgettes. Ever since living in Italy I have become slightly obsessed with creating different versions of this dish.

The rich arrabbiata sauce and melting cheese is a match made in heaven and I would happily eat a plate of these for dinner. They can be stuffed with a variety of fillings but in my opinion, cheese is a must. I have experimented with many different cheeses but the creaminess/nuttiness of Cooleeney is a winner for me as it oozes out unapologetically. Any type of Brie or Camembert also works a treat.

In the absence of travel, why not try this recipe and pretend you are eating them on the bustling streets of Naples?

For Risotto 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 cloves of garlic, minced 2 shallots, finely diced 1 courgette, finely chopped 80ml white wine 500g risotto rice 1500ml vegetable stock (add a bay leave and some fresh thyme) 70g Parmesan Cheese, finely grated (keep the rind) Salt and pepper For Arancini Balls 200g Cooleeney Cheese, cut into small chunks (including rind) 2 eggs, lightly whisked

150g plain flour 300g panko breadcrumbs (if you cannot find panko you can use ordinary breadcrumbs) Sunflower oil (for frying) For Tomato Arrabbiata Sauce 1 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves of garlic, minced 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped ½ a bunch of fresh basil, roughly chopped 400g tin of chopped tomatoes Salt & pepper To serve Parmesan cheese Fresh parsley, finely chopped

Method 1. To make the risotto, heat up the olive oil in a large pan and sauté the onions and garlic until soft. Add the courgette and continue to cook for a few more minutes. Add the risotto rice and cook for one minute.

2. Pour in the white wine and continue to cook for two more minutes. In a separate pot, heat the stock over a low heat and add the thyme and bay leaf. It is important that the stock is hot as you add it into the rice. Continue to stir the risotto and gradually add the vegetable stock as the rice absorbs it. At this stage, if you have a parmesan rind, add it to the risotto as it adds an additional cheese flavour. Continue gradually adding stock, stirring until the rice is cooked. The time can vary but takes approximately 20 minutes to cook the rice. The amount of stock you need will depend on your rice. If the rice is too dry, add more stock until it is fully cooked but still has a bite.

3. Add the parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Remove the parmesan rind at this stage (if added).

4. Once the risotto is cooked, you can either eat it. or allow it to cool to make your Arancini Balls.

5. To form the Arancini Balls, scoop a portion of the cooled risotto

into your hand. Place a chunk of Cooleeney Cheese in the centre and shape it into a ball. Repeat with the remaining risotto and cheese. Place in the fridge for about 10 minutes to help them keep their shape.

6. In three separate bowls, place the flour, whisked egg and panko breadcrumbs. Firstly, lightly coat the Arancini Balls in flour, then coat in the whisked egg and finally coat in the panko breadcrumbs until they are fully covered. Repeat until you have used up all the risotto.

7. Heat the sunflower oil in a deep pan until it reaches about 180 degrees.

Deep fry the balls for about 4 minutes on either side (or until fully golden). You may have to fry the balls in batches. Drain any excess oil on kitchen paper.

8. To make the arrabbiata sauce, place garlic, chilli and basil stalks in a pan over a medium heat with the olive oil and fry for two minutes.

Add in the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes over a medium-low heat.

Blend until smooth.

9. Serve the Arancini Balls immediately with the tomato sauce, grated parmesan cheese and lots of fresh chopped parsley.

Irish Fondue Runner up, 3rd place Pierre Dogliani This recipe is inspired by my love of cheese, of my country and the country I now live in (Ireland). As a French person, cheese has always been an important part of my meals, and I still have cheese at the end of each meal.I discovered Fondue on a trip to the Alps. My first dip and first taste of Fondue is still something I think of from time to time! It is the perfect comforting, fulfilling and tasteful dish to have after a long, tiring and cold day.

For this competition, I have chose to recreate a fondue, using only products from Ireland, especially the cheese, as the amount of high quality Irish cheese has been a really nice surprise for me when I moved here.

Ingredients 100g of smoked Drumlin from Corleggy Cheese 100g of Drumlin from Corleggy Cheese 100 g of Boyne Valley Bán from Boyne Valley Farmhouse cheese 1 garlic clove 1 shot of Jameson whiskey 1 spoon of Wholegrain Irish mustard 150ml of Guinness To serve/for dipping Diced bread (I have made a Guinness bread) Diced roasted vegetables (I used some diced beetroot, carrot and potato)

Method 1. Cut all of the cheese in small pieces, or grate it.

2. Put the Guinness, mustard and Jameson in a pot. Peel and add the garlic clove, bring it all to boil. S 3. Add all the cheese and lower the heat.

4. Mix continuously until all the cheese as melted.

5. Dip in whatever bread or vegetables you like and enjoy!

Irish Cheddar Cheese Rose with Beer Cheese Dip Sinead Smyth We love to enjoy this when family call in. Either at weekends, when picking a film to watch or just chatting with friends. When it’s just out of the oven it is warm and tasty – such heart-warming food. You can mix up this recipe with whichever are your favourite Irish cheeses. It’s the perfect party food for sharing.

Ingredients For the spread 1 tbsp butter, softened 2 Garlic cloves minced 1 Tbls spring onion Salt & pepper, to taste For the cheese rose 1 Roll puff pastry 60g Irish cheddar cheese 40g Parmesan cheese Salt & pepper, to taste For the beer cheese 130ml double cream 250g freshly grated Irish cheddar cheese ½ tsp garlic powder ½ tsp paprika 1 tsp mustard (use your favourite kind) 1 tbsn Worcester sauce 70ml Irish beer (we used Kinnegar)

½ chipotle paste (optional) Salt & pepper to taste (freshly ground black pepper)

Method 1. Cut the puff pastry into two equal strips. Lightly brush half of butter mix. Sprinkle with Irish cheddar cheese and Parmesan.

2. Tightly roll puff pastry from narrow end for form a Swiss roll shape.

3. Cut into even circles.

4. Lightly grease a round cake tin or baking dish & place puff pastry circles inside dish on their side.

5. Brush remaining butter mixture on top with a sprinkle of spring onion& Parmesan.

6. Bake for 1hr at 180 degree (fan), or until golden.

7. In a pot add double cream, egg yolk, salt & pepper, ½ tsp of mustard, 1 tbsp of Worcester sauce, ½ paprika and ½ tsp garlic powder. Add your chipotle paste if using (adds a spicy kick!)

8. Gently simmer until combined.

9. Add in beer and freshly grated Irish cheddar cheese & mix until melted.

10. Serve in a dipping bowl alongside the cheddar puff pastry rose and enjoy!

GastroGays joined forces with the National Dairy Council and the EU-funded ‘Cheese Your Way’ campaign for this initiative. The winner received Ireland’s Blue Book Hotel vouchers worth €2,000, while the runners up also received prizes. 2021 marks the final year of the European-funded ‘Cheese Your Way’ campaign, which was developed to encourage consumers to cook with, eat, and learn more about the wide range of diverse European cheeses. The campaign implemented locally in Ireland, France and Denmark is a combined effort developed through the European Milk Forum which is aimed at reinforcing the popularity cheese and building awareness of its versatility and variety as well as raising awareness of the quality and authenticity of this intrinsic product from European agriculture and developing new usages and occasions to eat it. For more information visit www.cheeseyourway.ie *Survey results: Research carried out by Venise group by Toluna Analytics on the behalf of the European Milk Forum.

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Spring Ravioli with Wild Garlic Pesto and a warm Cooloneey Cream Una Quinlan I recently jumped on the wild garlic bandwagon and my foraging exploits have led to various wild garlic creations. In looking up different ways of using the golden green stuff, I have arrived at my Spring Ravioli. This dish reminds me of sunshine, refreshing white wine and alfresco dining! I love the process of pasta making.

Rather than dreading the fiddly timeconsuming task, I find it therapeutic and the end product will impress even the most discerning dinner party guest. The pea and broad bean filling is sweet and pairs well with the creamy Cooleeney & Ricotta Cheese. The mild buttery/oaky flavour of the Cooleeney cheese complements the pasta. The wild garlic pesto packs a punch, so a little goes a long way and ties this dish nicely together

Ingredients For Pasta 200g Italian ‘00’ flour (or plain flour) 2 eggs (medium), lightly beaten Water (if needed) Pinch of salt For Filling 50g ricotta cheese 100g peas 100g broad beans Zest of half a lemon Handful of breadcrumbs (if filling is too wet) Salt & pepper Cooleeney cream 20g Irish butter 200ml double cream 100g Cooleeney Irish farmhouse cheese To serve Toasted pine nuts Wild garlic pesto Parmesan crisp / grated parmesan Green salad leaves

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Method 1. To make the pasta, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and gradually add most of the beaten eggs.

Mix into a dough using your hands, adding the remaining egg if needed. If the dough is still too dry add a few drops of water. The pasta dough should not stick to your hands, it should just come together.

2. Knead the dough for a few minutes until smooth. Cover with cling film and allow to rest for 30 minutes.

3. To make the filling, cook the peas/ broad beans in a pot of salted boiling water for two minutes.

Using a hand blender, combine all the remaining ingredients to the bean puree and season to taste. Set aside to cool.

4. To make the ravioli, I use a pasta machine which makes life easier. It can also be done using a rolling pin (or wine bottle!) which requires a lot of patience. Divide the dough into four equal pieces. Roll out the dough using the different settings of the pasta machine until it is extremely thin but still durable. If the dough becomes too sticky, sprinkle with some flour.

5. Once, the dough has been rolled out, cover it as it can dry out quickly. You can cut it into circular shapes using a glass jar or round pastry cutter.

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6. Fill each circle with about ½ - 1 tsp of the filling. Damp the edges with water and cover with another circle of dough. It is nice to seal the ravioli with a fork around the edges.

Your hands can also do the trick by pinching the edges tightly. Just be careful not to overfill the raviolis or they might burst when cooking.

7. Place your completed ravioli on a floured surface and ensure they are covered until ready to be cooked.

Repeat until all the dough is used.

8. To cook the ravioli, bring a pot of water to the boil and add 1 tsp of salt. You may need to cook the ravioli in batches depending on the size of your pot. Cook for approximately 2-3 minutes or until al dente.

9. To make the Cooleeney Cream, simply place all the ingredients in a saucepan and gently heat until the cheese is melted. If you want a smooth consistency you can place the cooked sauce through a sieve to remove any rind.

10. Serve the ravioli immediately. Pour the warm Cooleeney Cream at the base of the dish, top with the cooked ravioli and drizzle with some wild garlic pesto, extra virgin olive oil, toasted pine nuts and parmesan.

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PRIDE FROM THE GROUND UP

Irish dairy. It’s not just part of your everyday life, your family’s breakfast, your mid-walk latte.

It’s part of your heritage.

For 5,000 years we’ve been producing outstanding dairy right here in Ireland.

Fifty centuries of caring for the land, the animals, the people.

A tradition that, today, as ever, delivers a product both nutritious and sustainable.

That’s a tradition we can all be proud of.

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Milk is a source of calcium, protein, vitamins B2 and B12, iodine and potassium. Irish cows are predominantly grass-fed and 99% of the water used to produce milk is supplied by natural rainfall.