I farm: “300 milking goats indoors all year round. I grow grass, spring barley and maize on 55 acres around the farm.”

Change: “I changed from milking cows to milking goats about seven years ago. I hadn’t the milking platform to increase cow numbers and trying to rent land around the area was impossible. I would have had to invest heavily in infrastructure, so changing enterprise seemed the right thing to do.”

Liquid milk: “I milk all year round, supplying Glenisk. My flock is divided with 60 dried off at the minute. They are all generally dried off five weeks prior to kidding. On average they would milk up on three litres per day. Presently, they are milking 2.2 litres per day.”

Breeds: “Fannen make up the majority of my flock with Toggenburg being the other main breed. There is a lot of variability within breeds of goats and finding the perfect replacement is not that easy. They are seasonal breeders, like sheep, so it’s that bit harder to get them in kid again at this time of the year. Sponging doesn’t work that well. The main method of treatment is leaving the lights on in the shed with only two hours of darkness each day, usually from 2am to 4am each night.”

Feed: “It is quite intensive all year round. All my milkers get 5.5 to 6kg/day of a mix consisting of silage, maize and meal. I use a zero-grazer which helps me get the most out of the grassland.”

Demand: “It’s a niche market. The demand is definitely increasing slowly. Liquid milk still has a long way to go but goat’s cheese seems to be proving quite popular.”

Family: “I’m married to Eithne and have three daughters – Eimear, Niamh and Grainne. All three girls have a keen interest in farming and my eldest daughter Eimear is currently studying Agricultural Science in UCD.”

Quotable Quote: “The system I run is no different to an intensive dairy herd of cows. Milking goats might not give you the same volume as your average dairy cow but you still have to milk them twice a day.”