European Commission backs 3-year cheese initiative

The European Commission is to support a three year co-funded information and promotion campaign for cheese and cheese culture.

Zoë Kavanagh, CEO of the, National Dairy Council, said it is an opportunity to showcase how versatile cheese can be, as well as the nutritional role it can play as part of a balanced diet.

She said: “Cheese can be appropriate for almost any consumption occasion as it can be made available in a variety of forms. Yet, Irish consumers typically use cheese in a narrow range of occasions.”

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, praised the National Dairy Council on its strong commitment to marketing dairy products.

“This is an exciting time for the dairy sector in the context of the expansion of the dairy sector post quota abolition in April 2015. This new marketing programme will also help to alleviate market pressures arising from the Russian trade ban,” he said.

The campaign will be co-funded by the dairy industry, generating a total budget of €4.9m in four participating countries over three years starting in 2015, with €720,328 allocated to promoting cheese in

Ireland.

The proposal was co-ordinated through the European Milk Forum on behalf of organisations responsible for promoting dairy in Ireland, the North, Denmark, and France.