Efficiency key to dairy success, says Teagasc grassland leader

Efficient business development will be vital for dairy farmers to succeed in the post-quota environment, says Teagasc’s Pat Dillon.

Newly reappointed head of the Animal and Grassland Research and Innovation programme for a second five-year term, Dr Dillon led a series of dairy seminars at the start of this year to prepare farmers for the new era of unrestricted milk output. Grassland management will be central to farmers’ growth strategy.

Teagasc director Gerry Boyle said: “This is an exciting time for Irish livestock-based farming, where we can exploit our comparative advantage in grass production and utilisation. Pat has successfully led the Teagasc programme since 2009, integrating our ruminant-based livestock research which takes place across multiple sites. The capacity and expertise developed in Teagasc in areas such as genomics and grass production and utilisation can be exploited across enterprise systems.”