Moorepark holds a large open day every second year and the advice given on the day provides the basis for technical changes at farm level for all dairy farmers.

Whether you agree or disagree with the messages from the researchers, visiting Moorepark for this day is a must to inform you of the different sides of every debate related to dairy farmers.

This year it looks like the event will be bigger and better than ever. There is a strong focus on people management. As dairy herds increase in size, managing staff is very important and time spent by the owner in the office is very valuable.

The abolition of milk quotas this year has been the most fundamental change to the Irish dairy industry in a generation. Ireland can now plan to exploit its competitive advantage in pasture-based milk production built on a natural and environmentally sustainable production model.

Increasing value

Increasing milk production will increase the value of exports and will result in increased employment and investment in rural areas but fundamental to this is increased profit at farm level.

The increased output will be exported and demand will be driven by changing global demographics – increasing population, greater affluence and urbanisation in developing countries.

There are and will be challenges in terms of milk price volatility and the requirement for additional investment. The milk price falls that are happening at the moment are a reminder of how quickly the income from the business can change.

The core business needs to be financially sustainable at all milk prices.