Dairy in a Healthy and Sustainable Irish and European Food System

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Issue No. 001

Summer 2021

Dairy in a Healthy and Sustainable

Irish and European Food System From dawn to dusk, 365 days a year, Ireland’s dairy farmers are hard at work on family farms - from Clifden to Carlingford, Mizen to Malin - producing sustainable and nutritious Irish milk and dairy. Ireland is blessed with perfect conditions for the production of dairy. Our temperate weather and abundance of rainfall enable Ireland’s 1.5 million dairy cows to spend 9-10 months of the year outdoors foraging on fresh, natural grass – the way cows have been sustainably farmed on the island of Ireland since Neolithic times. Today we celebrate this proud heritage while looking with confidence to the future. New generations of men and women are taking the reins at family farms across the country. Innovative new Irish agri-food businesses are joining household names in bringing Irish dairy products to kitchen tables around the globe, delivering €4.4 billion annually to the Irish economy, predominantly to rural and regional communities. Here at home, we are seeing a record increase in dairy consumption amongst Irish consumers, particularly in younger cohorts (under-35), as the Covid-19 pandemic has made them more keenly aware of their diet and where their food is produced. This newsletter from the European Milk Forum, in association with the National Dairy Council, details the role of dairy in a healthy and sustainable Irish and European food system, as well as the actions that Irish dairy farmers are taking to take to put sustainability at the heart of everything they do.

Assessed against these standards Ireland’s dairy farms – and dairy itself – performs exceptionally well. Dairy is an unparalleled source of fresh, safe and healthy nutrition. It is culturally acceptable and economically affordable. When it comes to environmental sustainability, we are the most carbonefficient producer of dairy in the European Union2. Notwithstanding this, dairy farmers recognise that more needs to be done. Each of Ireland’s 18,000+ dairy farmers is at different stages in their journey towards a more environmentally sustainable farm – and this newsletter details actions farmers are taking on their farms to increase environmental sustainability and to safeguard our precious biodiversity. Environmental sustainability does not have a finish line or cut-off point; this journey will be ongoing. There will always be more to learn and adapt to as we strive to meet the challenges of a changing climate and continue to provide a source of sustainable, healthy and nutritious food for generations to come. But we know that Irish dairy farmers are committed to lead the way in sustainable dairy production, while maintaining our heritage of family farming for generations to come.

According to the World Health Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations,1 sustainable healthy diets are dietary patterns that: Promote all dimensions of individuals’ health and wellbeing Have low environmental pressure and impact Are accessible, affordable, safe and equitable Are culturally acceptable Sustainable healthy diets: guiding principles: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241516648 https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/38abd8e0-9fe1-4870-81da-2455f9fd75ad

Zoe Kavanagh,

Chief Executive, National Dairy Council & Spokesperson, European Milk Forum

Inside In the Fields

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Farmer in Focus

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Dairy Innovation

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Sustainable Nutrition

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Policy Focus

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Safeguarding Our Biodiversity

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Consumer Viewpoint

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The European Milk Forum The European Milk Forum (EMF) is a non-profit organisation which plays a vital role in driving the strategic development, management, and exchange of integrated information initiatives on milk and dairy across Europe. Through a three-year EU funded campaign, ‘Dairy in A Healthy and Sustainable European Food System’, five national dairy boards in Belgium, Denmark, France, Ireland and Northern Ireland are working in collaboration to highlight the essential role of dairy in a healthy diet, while also reinforcing the dairy sector’s positive contribution to society and the environment through a sustainable, locally-produced food system. Join the conversation on social media via: #SustainableDairyEU

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THIS CAMPAIGN IS FINANCED WITH AID FROM THE EUROPEAN UNION


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