Two of the country’s top athletes are joining forces with dairy farmers in the latest phase of the National Dairy Council’s (NDC) ‘From the Ground Up’ campaign.
The ad campaign, which begins in media and cinemas this week, features rower Paul O’Donovan, who recently won gold at the World Championships and All-Ireland winning Meath footballer, Vikki Wall.
The athletes are joined by NDC Farm Ambassador, Tom Power from Co. Waterford, who is a former NDC Kerrygold quality milk award winner.
It is hoped that the campaign will build pride in Ireland’s dairy industry, which the NDC believes has been “under attack” in recent years.
NDC said that there are many people who believe farmers have not yet embraced the challenge of climate change adaptation.
The campaign aims to showcase the work undertaken by Ireland’s 17,500 dairy farmers on a daily basis to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through new research and technologies.
Commenting on the latest phase of the campaign, Zoe Kavanagh, chief executive of NDC said:
“This campaign celebrates Irish dairy farmers as producers of nutritious products which are enjoyed on and off the field of play.
“The commitment and dedication of our sports stars and dairy farmers have many parallels, ultimately leading to great outcomes.”
Paul O’Donovan said that he is proud to be part of the new campaign.
“As a farmer’s son, I grew up with Irish dairy and know the benefits it has in supporting a healthy balanced diet.
“As an athlete I know the immense hard work, dedication and commitment that it takes to be on top of your game and to win the medals.
“For farmers, it takes the same level of commitment to produce world class dairy 365 days a year in all conditions, that’s a real vocation,” O’Donovan said.
NDC Farm Ambassador, Tom Power, highlighted the importance of the campaign in showing the public what is happening on the country’s dairy farms.
“There is often a disconnect between the farm where milk is produced and the shop where it is bought, and the more opportunities we get to tell real farm stories, the more consumers will understand the commitment and hard graft that it takes to produce high quality Irish dairy products,” he said.
As part of the NDC campaign, Paul O’Donovan and Vikki Wall were also interviewed by Irish dairy farmer and TikTok star John Halton for a series called ‘Athletes in Tractors Getting Milk’.
The content was inspired by the hit US series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, hosted by Jerry Seinfeld.
The series is available on the NDC’s YouTube channel and across its social media accounts.