DEAR SIR:

I am writing to you on behalf of the Irish Red Cross to offer a heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported and donated to the recent Irish Dairy Farmers Appeal for Yemen.

As you are probably aware, this appeal involved a once-off €10 voluntary deduction from one day’s milk production per farmer, facilitated by co-ops nationwide, and representing the milk production of one cow, on a single day. These funds are in turn being donated to the Irish Red Cross to support relief efforts in Yemen. There has been a tremendous response to this appeal, with practically every dairy farmer in the country contributing. We are so grateful for their support, which will have an extremely positive impact on the lives of people suffering in Yemen, through the delivery of Red Cross humanitarian aid.

With over 24m people in need of aid, Yemen is currently the world’s single largest humanitarian crisis. Years of civil war conflict, drought and instability have left thousands of Yemenis struggling to source food, water and medicine. Continued airstrikes and fighting on the ground are putting many more innocent lives in peril.

Despite the danger and obstacles, the Irish Red Cross are supplying hospitals and clinics in Yemen with medicines and emergency supplies to treat the wounded and sick.

But there is so much more to do. Through the support of the Irish dairy farming community, we can continue delivering life-saving aid.

Grateful

I’d like to also say how grateful we are to ICOS, the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, and the chairs and committees of all of the co-ops involved, who so generously lent their support to this appeal; as well as those of the farming community not involved in milk production, and the general public, who, upon hearing of this initiative, also made donations.

We have seen great support from the business community as well, both in sectors related and unrelated to farming, support from organisations in Northern Ireland, not to mention individual farmers who contributed over and above what was asked of them.

I would like to acknowledge in particular the involvement of Mike Magan in this project, a Longford dairy farmer, whose idea it was to launch the appeal and through whom we were able to reach out so widely to the farming sector. Without his initial deeply humanitarian call for support, this appeal for Yemen would not have been as successful as it has been.

Again, I would like to express the sincere gratitude of the Irish Red Cross for the generosity of support we have received to date. Thank you.

Let me also take this opportunity to wish you and your readers, and all those who supported this initiative, especially the Irish dairy farmers, a healthy and Happy Christmas.