Publications

Yoghurt is a fermented milk, which has its origins in Eastern Europe, but is now consumed throughout the world. The French called it 'la lait de la vie eternelle' - the milk of eternity as it was believed to have therapeutic powers and gave long life to those who consumed it.

Date

01 June 2006

Type

Factsheet

Pages

2 Pages

Size

108KB

The world wide demand for chocolate confectionery is increasing, with the EU being the world’s largest confectionery producer. Estimated total EU consumption of all chocolate confectionery was in excess of 2m tonnes with a retail value of €19bn (£15bn). In Ireland we produce more than 35,000 tonnes of chocolate products annually which is an increase of almost 20% over the last decade. Ireland lies 5th behind the Swiss in the consumption of chocolate spending nearly 60 ECUs per capita.

Date

01 June 2006

Type

Factsheet

Pages

2 Pages

Size

81KB

The production of quality Irish farmhouse cheese has expanded over the last number of years to the extent that we now have over thirty members of Cais, the umbrella group for Irish farmhouse cheese producers. As a country we import over 18,000 tonnes of cheese per annum much of which is in the specialist sector and yet our farmhouse production accounts for only 1,000 tonnes. There would seem to be considerable room for expansion should we be able to substitute native cheeses for some of our imports. Consumption of cheese in Ireland has increased by more than 40% in the last decade to a per capita figure of slightly less than 6 kgs. Yet this is only 30% of that consumed in Germany and France.

Date

01 June 2006

Type

Factsheet

Pages

2 Pages

Size

70KB

There are two distinct types of butter, sweet cream butter, which makes up the majority of the butter produced today and lactic or ripened butter made from bacteriologically soured cream. Butter can also be classified according to salt content: unsalted, salted or extra salted.

Date

01 June 2006

Type

Factsheet

Pages

2 Pages

Size

72KB

A visitor attraction is a valuable addition to a holiday experience in an area. It can provide the vital component which is ‘something-to-do’ in the locality. A good tourism attraction can have huge drawing-power, serving as a catalyst and motivator for tourists to travel to a particular destination. Some good examples in Ireland are the Blarney Stone, Aillwee Caves, Ceide Fields, Book of Kells, Altamont Gardens, Dan O’Hara Farm, Newgrange Farm, Newgrange Passage grave, Cliff of Moher and Dunlewey Visitor Attraction.

Date

01 June 2006

Type

Factsheet

Pages

2 Pages

Size

42KB

The nursery Stock industry comprises both the production of and trade in hardy nursery stock products.

Date

01 May 2006

Type

Factsheet

Pages

2 Pages

Size

91KB

If you are interested in starting your own business, purchasing a franchise could be an option worth considering. The term franchising has been used to describe many different types of business relationships including where a person is licensed to sell a product, where a person is a distributor of a product or where a person is an agent for a particular product. The more popular definition is where one person (the franchisor) gives permission to another person (the franchisee) to use the franchisor’s trade name and business system in return for an initial payment plus further regular payments usually based on turnover. Franchises are available for a wide range of products and services and the market is set to grow and become more diverse. There are advantages / disadvantages of opting for a franchise as against using you own idea or developing your own product or service.

Date

01 May 2006

Type

Factsheet

Pages

2 Pages

Size

48KB

Greyhound breeding and rearing is an integral part of rural life in Ireland and while it is a relatively small sector of the Irish agriculture as a whole, it is an important element in the countries livestock sector.

Date

01 May 2006

Type

Factsheet

Pages

2 Pages

Size

93KB

The goat has been renowned from the earliest civilisation for its milk. There are approximately 200 farmers with a dairy goat enterprise in Ireland, with herd sizes ranging from 10 to 750.Dairy goat farming is a growth area with an increasing demand for goats’ milk for cheese, yoghurt, ice-cream and liquid milk consumption. Ireland has the highest rate of asthma in Europe and the fourth highest rate in the world. 470,000 people in Ireland have asthma with as many as 20% of children suffering from the condition. An increasing number of medical practitioners are prescribing goats’ milk for children who suffer from asthma, eczema and for those children unable to digest the fat in cows’ milk. An increasing number of people within the ethnic population have an intolerance to the lactose in cows’ milk and are consequently consuming goats’ milk. At present the demand for goats’ milk is not met during the winter months and to meet the shortfall we have to import goats’ milk from Holland.

Date

01 May 2006

Type

Factsheet

Pages

2 Pages

Size

102KB

Blackcurrants have traditionally been grown on a countrywide basis as a garden fruit mainly for jam production and also for confectionery purposes. This crop is grown on a large scale in the south-east for processing. All processing crops are grown on contract and are used for juice and jam manufacture. The present area under blackcurrants is approximately 100 ha. giving 1,000 tonnes annually. The crop has a gross value of €.75M and 90 per cent of the output is exported. Blackcurrants grow best in well-drained soils in parts of the country which have comparatively low rainfall, good sunshine and are relatively free of late spring frosts. The crop requires protection from wind and shelter must be provided.

Date

01 May 2006

Type

Factsheet

Pages

2 Pages

Size

58KB