Diligent milk award winners bode well for the industry

Adaptable, hard-working, expansion-minded, sustainable, caring for the environment — the image of our dairy farmers emerging from the NDC/Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards of 2012 bodes well for their role in Ireland’s ambitious food industry plans.

The overall winner, David Cassidy, in Co Cavan, has 80 pedigree cows, but farms to the REPS 4 environmental standards, and David tries to keep the herd on grass as much as possible.

The farm supplies the grade one quality milk required to make Baileys Irish Cream. David bought an additional, 32 acres six years ago and he also has land rented and under lease.