ICMSA chief Pat McCormack said he was “hugely disappointed” to see what he termed as Californian “nut juice” available instead of Irish milk at the recent Green Party conference.

He questioned the party’s competence for favouring soya, coconut, oat and almond juice flown across the world over “milk from an Irish farm five miles out the road”.

Milk wars are now, it seems, being played out in such subtleties at political events, with Fianna’s Fáil’s agri-conference on Saturday having nothing other than cow’s milk for the tea.

A little more bainne and a little less nut juice for me.