Hannah Dinnan from Clarecastle, Co Clare, and Liam Wall from Cookstown, Co Cork, received Dairygold bursaries at the launch of the new UCC agricultural science degree in Moorepark on Friday 1 November.

They are part of the class that will become the first graduates from the course in four years time. Leaders of Teagasc, Dairygold and UCC said that, for this class, the world will be their oyster.

Dairygold CEO Jim Woulfe said that in the last five years the company has hired over 90 university graduates, the majority of which are from ag science disciplines. He said Dairygold will hire a further 15 graduates next year.

Science

“Farming has moved from being an art to a science. The whole area around recording and the verifiable evidence of what we do is so important,” Woulfe said.

“We’re still growing, 15 more graduates will be taken on next year by Dairygold. Opportunity knocks.”

Minister for agriculture Michael Creed said that the best and brightest minds are needed to meet the challenges the industry faces going forward.

“This is an industry that’s a global player, we need the best and the brightest to make sure we continue making the progress we have been making over the last number of years,” Minister Creed said.

Growing population

“There are challenges around the new CAP. We face challenges in the international marketplace. The Paris accord does make clear reference to the need to feed a growing population and taking appropriate steps to do that in most sustainable way possible. We have opportunities and reasons to be optimistic though there are significant challenges ahead of us.”