In its new strategy, the National Dairy Council (NDC) has positioned themselves front and centre to defend Irish dairy farmers’ social licence to farm, IFA dairy committee chair Stephen Arthur has said.

The committee met with NDC CEO Zoe Kavanagh on Tuesday 25 May to get an outline of the organisation’s new dairy promotion strategy.

“There is a growing disconnect between farmers and consumers of dairy,” Arthur warned.

“We, as farmers, need to demonstrate and reassure consumers that Irish dairy is not only nutritious but also environmentally sustainable.”

Carbon credentials

The IFA dairy chair went on to comment on the carbon efficiency credentials of Irish dairy producers, stating that the carbon footprint of Irish dairy was less than half that of the global average for dairy production.

“Our industry is being scapegoated by environmental NGOs. We need a united voice through the NDC to cut through all the hype and demonstrate that dairy farmers are global leaders when it comes to producing milk efficiently.

“The NDC needs the continued support of all farmers and milk processors in communicating the overwhelmingly strong environmental credentials of Irish dairy farmers.”