Buyers of feed for livestock might have noticed some bright pink branding and signage in shops since October.

The bold pink colours highlight mineral block manufacturer Uniblock’s new status as a Marie Keating Foundation ‘Pink Patron’.

Tom Warren, managing director of Uniblock, talked to Agriland about their Pink campaign, which is raising awareness and money for the Marie Keating Foundation.

By donating through product sales and raising awareness, businesses with the official Pink Patron label help fund lifesaving cancer support and services across Ireland.

According to Uniblock, every sale of their special pink-lidded Lifeline Lamb & Ewe Feed will result in a donation to the charity.

Specifically, it amounts to 40 cent (35 pence) for every 18kg bucket sold on the island of Ireland.

Since this is now in peak season for feed sales, that could add up to a lot of buckets.

Charities

Tom said: “We have always been looking at different charities over the years.

"In the UK last year, they teamed up with the Pink campaign."

The Uniblock manager explained how as there was no Pink campaign as such in Ireland, they chose to partner with the Marie Keating Foundation.

“This started in October, continuing to April, which is the season for the Lifeline Lamb & Ewe bucket,” he said.

He added: “We’ve all known people that have been faced with cancer, including breast cancer.

“We’re all aware of the challenges, and the foundation works on education and awareness and getting more people to go for screening - which is key in improving survivability.”  

The campaign is still ongoing, with “distributors keen to support”, Tom said.

Feed products are often colour-coded in their branding, which makes it a good fit for a pink campaign.

“It’s something the buckets lend themselves to,” said Tom.

“The colour coding of buckets is the way they’re sold, with colour telling the farmer to what animals to use it with. So, it’s natural we could use the [pink] lid to highlight campaigns.”

While Uniblock are not ready to share how much money they have raised for the charity at this early stage, Tom is optimistic about the coming months.

“We expect to make more in January than in October to December,” he said.

“Lifeline [feed product] is key pre-lambing treatment in Ireland and the UK, so we can collect a lot of money for the charity in this campaign.”  

Breast cancer facts, figures and advice

According to the Marie Keating Foundation, one in seven women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

The foundation also reports that around 30 men in Ireland are diagnosed with breast cancer each year.

While the disease is most common in women from 50 years onwards, it can be diagnosed at a younger age.

Survival rates continue to climb each year, with the illness now accounting for 22% of all cancer survivors.

According to the Marie Keating Foundation, awareness campaigns like Uniblock's play an important part in this: breast cancer, when caught early, has the highest five-year net survival rate at 85.1%.

Early detection saves lives, so check regularly (the Marie Keating Foundation website has a how-to guide).

The foundation also urged people to attend their BreastCheck screening tests when invited. There are four hospital breast check clinics in hospitals across the country, and 24 mobile ones.  

People can also help reduce the risk of developing cancer by following a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding smoking, and only drinking alcohol in moderation, the foundation said.

It also recommended anyone worried about their risk of breast cancer to contact their family doctor.