A group of farmers has joined forces with the National Dairy Council (NDC) aiming to tell the “real story” of the dairy sector in the climate change debate.
The farmers have agreed to act as advocates and spokespeople on behalf of Ireland’s 17,500 family dairy farms.
Through a series of online videos, the NDC farmer ambassadors explain what the industry is doing to become more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
The videos outline various “green initiatives” employed on dairy farms, i.e. breeding and health programmes, pasture management, including the incorporation of clover in swards, and reducing chemical nitrogen (N) use.
The ambassadors include a mixture of male and female dairy farmers from across the country, with a range of farming enterprises.
Tom Power, who farms with his family in Ballymullala, just outside Dungarvan in Co. Waterford, explained how they look after cows better than themselves through an extensive health and fertility plan.
“I’ve heard rumblings of cutting the national herd, I think that would be a disaster,” he said.
“We’re probably only one or two [countries] in the world that produces milk of the quality we do at such a sustainable level.
“If we take out Irish agriculture and Irish dairy out of what we’re producing and we supplement it with something else from another part of the world, we’ve really thrown the baby out with the bathwater,” the farmer said.
“Ireland’s dairy is obviously a contributor in a large way to our national emissions but we have to look at it from a point of view of how sustainable is Irish agriculture,” Power added.
Also among the group is 12-year-old Olivia Gunn from Strokestown, Co. Roscommon who farms with her parents, grandparents and three siblings.
Olivia has been farming since she was able to walk and often features in her mother Miriam’s – who is also an NDC farmer ambassador – social media channels.
In her video, Olivia outlines the close bond she has with the animals on her farm.
Zoe Kavanagh, chief executive of the National Dairy Council, believes that there needs to be more balance in the debate around the future of dairy farming and its role in Irish life – a balance which she thinks is currently lacking.
“The farmer ambassador programme provides a voice for our industry – well, 11 voices – and we want to provide the platforms that they need to tell their stories so the public can feel better connected to the farming process that ultimately puts the dairy in their fridge,” she said.
The Irish dairy sector supports 60,000 jobs and contributes €5 billion to the Irish economy.
A video of each of the ambassadors is available to view on the National Dairy Council website.