The dairy world is changing rapidly at the moment – especially among the dairy exporting countries. While the Irish dairy industry has grown significantly over the last three years, other countries have reached a limit of sorts. For example the Netherlands, New Zealand and the United States are among the most important dairy exporting countries in the world.

The conversion of land to dairy farming in certain parts of New Zealand is prohibited now. In the same way, in the Netherlands, new phosphate rights are making the growth or conversion to dairy farming prohibitively expensive. Ask any dairy enthusiast 20 years ago and both these countries were the hub for dairy enterprise and innovation.

Let’s be clear, the dairy sector still thrives in both countries, but, the expansion and growth in stock numbers has all but ground to a halt. On global markets the US continues to be a more important player now that the national focus has turned more to exporting dairy product.

The US dairy herd is shifting from west to east as water becomes the most limiting constraint. Ireland is in the midst of a period of significant growth in the dairy industry. Dairy Day will hopefully serve as a reminder for farmers about the key factors that need to be addressed both inside and outside the farm gate.