I farm: “50 acres on the Beara Peninsula. I began running the family farm two years ago. I have nine suckler cows and I’m working on building the herd to 40. We make half a tonne of cheese a week with the milk we buy from our neighbour, TJ Sullivan. We use the whey, which is packed with protein, to fatten the calves.”

This week: “I’m waiting on the seventh cow to calve and I’ve closed off paddocks for hay which I hope to make when the weather gets better. TJ is making silage on land we have sub-let to him.”

Changing Dairy: “There is a lot of speculation about what will happen post quota. I would like to get back into dairy with Montbeliarde cows as their milk is good for cheese. We used to produce our own milk on this farm but, in 2001, the herd was culled with BSE. It broke my father’s heart and we never went back. When my parents started making cheese in the 70s, there were 700 dairy farms on the Beara Peninsula; now there are only seven. I plan to build my business so that I will be able to use all the milk produced in Beara.”

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Milleens Cheese: “A lot of regulations have come in since the 70s with new legislation coming almost constantly from Europe. I took over running the business five years ago. Terrified by the deepening recession, I felt the need to grow the business to sustain us. We’ve grown by over 20% a year since then. Now, I have a team of staff who help make the best cheese we’ve ever produced. There are eight of us involved with the cheese business, four family members and four neighbours. We sell most of our cheese in Ireland but we also export some to England, France, Spain and even as far afield as Dubai and Australia.”

Family: “My wife, Deirdre, is a small animal vet. We have two children; Liam (5) and Edith (2). My wife is back to work after extended maternity leave. So, I’m learning the art of juggling the farm, the cheese business and being a stay-at-home dad. It’s only possible because I have a great team behind me.”

Quotable Quote: “Over the last two generations, farming has gone from horse and carts to industrial farming. The thing that hasn’t changed, is having family at the core.”