Speaking on a panel discussion at the Fine-tuning Irish Dairy conference in Limerick, the head of the National Dairy Council said that veganism is on the rise.

“Young girls have always been aware of what they eat. The three big concerns are fat, allergies and intolerances. In some cases, going vegan is a proxy for having an eating disorder,” Zoe Kavanagh said.

She was speaking in a debate on future challenges for the Irish dairy industry. She said that 30% of the new products developed by convenience food manufacturer Greencore are now vegan or “free from“.

78% of Irish consumers have trust in dairy farmers

However, she said that Irish farmers can be proud of what they produce as it is rich, wholesome and complete food, which is in ever increasing demand in places such as China.

“Nut juice equivalents are double the price and only contain one-fifth of the nutrients of real milk,“ Kavanagh said.

She said that 78% of Irish consumers have trust in dairy farmers.

Anti-microbial resistance

Also speaking at the event were Cara Sheridan and Fergal Morris from MSD Animal Health. Sheridan said that anti-microbial resistance is going to become a huge challenge for the human race.

“At the moment, it is estimated that 700,000 people die each year due to anti-microbial resistance when the drugs don’t work. That number is expected to rise to 10m in the future. It will be as big as cancer,” Sheridan said.

She encouraged dairy farmers to try to reduce their reliance on antibiotics to cure mastitis during the dry period by using selective dry cow therapy.

Fergal Morris said that animal health is now a major growth area for all pharmaceutical companies and there is currently a shortage of some vaccine products as demand is outstripping supply.

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