Young farmers to be trained as dairy leaders

YOUNG farmers are to be trained on how to become future leaders in the €3 billion Irish dairy industry.

Behind the move is a desire by the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, the umbrella body for the co-ops, to promote leadership in order to deliver targets in the Government’s blueprint for farming — Food Harvest 2020.

Chief executive Tom O’Callaghan announced the training programme at the Macra na Feirme annual rally and conference in Little Island, Co Cork, over the weekend.

The training programme, spread over three days, will be run by the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society during the next two months in conjunction with Macra. It will introduce young farmers to the co-operative decision-making processes.

Dates and locations will be decided when numbers are clear.

Governance, finance and reporting, leadership and strategy, processing and operations and the future of young farmers and their co-ops will be modules.

Dairy co-ops face huge challenges in preparing for the food harvest targets.

These challenges include putting in place the infrastructure to profitably process and market a potential 50% increase in milk supplies.

Tillage farmer Jim O’Regan also told delegates that a series of information meetings on the efforts being made to re-establish the sugar beet industry in Ireland will be held shortly.

Macra members from all over the country attended the rally and conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel, with Dairygold Quality Feeds as sponsors.

Seandun Macra region, headed by chairman Donal Sweeney, with Michelle O’Callaghan, from Knockraha as event committee chairperson, organised the rally.