Innovation centre targets growth in dairy and cheese exports

ICONIC brand Kerrygold will be the template for a suite of new cheese and dairy products to be developed for export at the Dairy Innovation Centre, launched at Teagasc Moorepark, in Fermoy, Co Cork, yesterday.

With the fine details on public/private investment split still open for debate, joint founders the Irish Dairy Board (IDB) and Teagasc have driven ahead with formal opening of their new innovation centre.

Having agreed a strategy 12 months ago, the two partners already had several tasty new cheese products available for sampling at yesterday’s launch. The plan is to spend the next four years developing a range of new cheese, powdered milk and other dairy products ready for the export boom promised by the 2015 post-quota era.