‘Farming for a New Decade’ – New Kerry Agribusiness / Teagasc Joint programme
Kerry Agribusiness and Teagasc launched their new phase of the dairy joint programme on zoom on Tuesday, 17 November. ‘Farming for a new decade’ is the ninth chapter of the Teagasc / Kerry Agribusiness knowledge transfer programme that began in 1994.
This new programme will promote economic, social and environmentally sustainable dairy farm systems to Kerry Agribusiness suppliers. It will provide a tailored range of activities to engage with Kerry farmers which are focussed on supporting advancements in best practice and technology adoption.
At the virtual launch of the three year Joint programme, Pat Murphy, CEO Kerry Primary Dairy & Agribusiness stated that “building on our 25 year journey of enhancing the livelihoods of our milk suppliers and sustainability of the Kerry Agribusiness milk pool, we are delighted to begin a new phase of the Joint Programme which represents an investment of €1m by Kerry Agribusiness over the next three years. This programme will have an increased focus on reducing carbon footprint, improving water quality, animal welfare and biodiversity. This will further enhance our sustainability credentials, strengthen our position as world leaders in sustainable milk production, and enable us to provide safe and nutritious food to our global customers while protecting our natural resources”.
Professor Gerry Boyle commented: “We are delighted to be working with these 15 demonstration farmers and with Kerry Agribusiness on a new phase of the joint programme. The increased emphasis on reducing carbon footprint and enhancing water quality reflects the challenges facing all farmers over the next decade. This environmental focus, coupled with the latest technical farming advice and financial expertise, will provide a basis for sustainable farming into the future.”
The 15 ‘Demonstration farms’ are representative of herd size of Kerry Agribusiness suppliers and are geographically spread across the Kerry Agribusiness catchment. There will be a strong focus placed on nutrient management planning, effective use of nitrogen and Economic Breeding Index of herds to optimise productivity and further advancements in the conversion of grazed pasture to milk solids production.
Teagasc Dairy Business and Technology Advisors Ger Courtney and Robert Prendiville will manage and provide the technical services for the programme.
Demonstration Farmers
Farmer |
Location |
Andrew Killeen |
Doonbeg, Co. Clare |
Damien Carmody |
Kilkee, Co. Clare |
David O’Leary |
Cordal, Co. Kerry |
Declan, Eileen & Kieran Murphy |
Effin, Co. Limerick |
Dermot & Micheal Kavanagh |
Lispole, Co. Kerry |
Gerry & Niall Moloney |
Crecora, Co. Limerick |
Joe Carroll |
Ballyheigue, Co. Kerry |
Michael & John Casey |
Causeway, Co. Kerry |
John Galvin |
Ardfert, Co. Kerry |
Michael & Alex McCarthy |
Feenagh, Co. Limerick |
Patrick & Paula O’Hanlon |
Tarbert, Co. Kerry |
Sean & Diarmiad Fitzgerald |
Cratloe, Co. Clare |
Stephen & Brian McAuliffe |
Templeglantine, Co. Limerick |
William Daly |
Newmarket, Co. Cork |
William Dennehy |
Currow, Co. Kerry |
For more information see www.teagasc.ie/KerryJointProgramme