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Predicting the human capital requirements of Irish dairying

Paidi Kelly, Laurence Shalloo, Pat Dillon

Research Impact Highlights

Industry impact: Irish dairy farming has changed dramatically. In 2016, almost 50% of all dairy cows were milked in herds of 100 cows or more. Labour shortages are now flagged as a potential barrier to future expansion. A labour model was created which predicted the future human capital needs of the sector assuming cow numbers reach 1.6 million by 2025. Over 6,000 people will need to enter the sector over this time frame. Approximately 2,000 of these will be new employees working on larger-scale farms and 4,000 will be future farmers carrying on from those retiring. A national working group has been put in place by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed TD, to develop a ‘People in Dairy Action Plan’. This will lead to the development of a range of new initiatives that can help Irish dairying attract, develop and retain the people it needs for the future.

Contribution from non-research stakeholders: Stakeholder views were gathered from farm organisations, milk processors and other stakeholders as part of the research.

Funding: Dairy Research Ireland.

Researchers: