Most Irish people believe that cows should be called Daisy, that Irish butter is so yellow because our cows are grass fed, and that dairy farming has a special place at the heart of Irish life.

These are among the findings of research conducted by the National Dairy Council (NDC) into consumer attitudes and understanding of Irish dairy.

The research coincides with the Climate Action Bill – passed into law this month – which has put the Irish dairy industry under the spotlight, and which the NDC has said “lumped cows in with cars” in terms of emissions.

The council has said that there’s a hard time coming for the national herd arguing that under one possible future stemming from the Climate Action Bill, much of Ireland’s national herd would need to be culled to reduce emissions of methane.

Cows should be called Daisy

The NDC wants the public to know that there’s one Irish cow for every three Irish people – and decided to find out whether Irish people know the cows’ names.

According to the survey, there is considerable agreement on what is a good name for a cow.

Six out of 10 people surveyed chose Daisy as the best cow’s name, ahead of the runners-up, which were Ermintrude and Gemma.

Looking at people’s top three choices, Katie and Margaret get a look in, with three in 10 people considering them good names, while very few people (fewer than two in 10) thought either Priti, Theresa or Melania were good names for cows.

The oldest cow in Ireland – aged 24 and living in west Clare – is called Molly.

Image source NDC
Image: NDC

Cheddar – red or yellow?

One in eight Irish people believe that Irish dairy products – milk, cheese, butter – are the best in the world.

The NDC survey also addressed a long-running debate about whether real Irish cheddar is yellow or red.

It turns out that the country is fairly evenly divided, with just over four in 10 people believing Irish cheddar is red and just under four out of 10 believing it’s yellow.

Opinion on colour is, however, overshadowed by the seven in 10 people who think real Irish cheddar should be mature.

The survey also asked participants if they knew what it was that makes Ireland’s famous butter so yellow – something it’s known for all over the world.

75% of people know it’s because Irish cows eat grass.

NDC survey – dairy and sustainability

Irish dairy farmers are making a lot of efforts in different areas to make their contribution to the national target of a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030, according to the NDC.

However the council has said that farming has to be sustainable economically as well as environmentally.

The answers people gave when asked what makes Irish dairy sustainable, shows that they understand this principle, according to the NDC.

The top four answers chosen were:

  • Irish dairy cows are grass-fed – 59%;
  • Irish dairy farming is at the heart of the community – 44%;
  • Irish dairy farming supports the Irish economy locally – 40%;
  • Irish dairy farming supports the Irish economy nationally – 39%.

Eamon Sheehan, Kilkenny farmer and spokesperson for the NDC, said: “Irish dairy is an institution with the weight of history behind it.

“Irish dairy is backed by 18,000 family farms, accounts for one in every 40 Irish jobs (60,000) and contributes €5.2 billion to the Irish economy.

“Perhaps more to the point, as farmers we understand our obligation to the environment and as a community we are adopting new technologies and practices to reduce our impact and make our contribution to Ireland’s shared national climate goals,” he added.

“Irish dairy production is already the most carbon efficient in Europe, having improved by 10% since 2013 – we want to be given the chance to continue that work while still producing the best dairy in the world and ensuring a future for us, our families and for cows like Molly and Daisy,” he concluded.