The future of dairying is in changing the hours worked

THE days of milking cows at nine or 10 o’clock at night are gone for the modern Irish milk producer.

“If dairying is to survive, the hours kept will have to be adjusted,” said 33-year-old Timothy Quinn, who delivered the farmers’ viewpoint at the Teagasc National Dairy Conference in Co Mayo.

At Castlecarra, Clogher, between the towns of Castlebar, Ballinrobe and Claremorris, he milks 95 cows, and has more than 117,000 gallons of quota.