83% of Irish people believe that dairy is part of a healthy, balanced diet, according to new research from the National Dairy Council (NDC).
The survey of 1,000 people carried out in June shows that this figure is up by 4% compared to a similar study carried out in May 2023.
The NDC said that the results come “against a background of heightened interest in, and awareness of, plant-based alternatives”.
Despite “increasingly vocal anti-meat and dairy sentiment”, the findings show that 80% of Irish people think that dairy products can be part of a sustainable diet, which is an increase of 4% since May 2023.
NDC
In terms of public perception of farmers, 71% of those who participated in the survey said that they trust Irish dairy farmers to take care of the environment.
According to the NDC, over 16,000 dairy farmers currently take part in sustainability initiatives.
The organisation said that the results – which are up 6% on May 2023 and 1% on Feb 2024 – imply “a greater public recognition of farmers’ actions to achieve environmental targets”.
The findings come as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) confirmed a 4.6% reduction in agricultural emissions in 2023.
Mark Keller, interim chief executive of the NDC, said that the figures are “an indicator of genuine public support for the Irish dairy industry”.
He said that the sector includes 17,500 family farms, supports 55,000 jobs and is responsible for €6.3 billion in export revenues.
“Ireland’s dairy farmers are committed to improving their environmental sustainability and are employing new farming practices and technologies – such as soil sampling, low-emission fertilisers and GPS-guided fertiliser spreading – to achieve those goals.
“That the measures are having an effect is demonstrated by the reduction in agricultural emissions seen from yesterday’s EPA report,” he said.
Keller said that, similar to other sectors, dairy is “facing unprecedented challenges when it comes to its impact on the environment” and has “clear, stretch targets to meet”.
“Sometimes, however, it feels as if more attention is paid to how we describe our efforts, rather than to what we’re actually doing.
“Technically, the Irish dairy production system is not wholly sustainable – alongside most other industrial sectors – but our farmer’s efforts to improve environmental performance while delivering consistently high-quality food should be applauded, not glibly dismissed as ‘greenwashing’.
“Our consumer opinion research shows that Irish people across all age groups support dairy farmers and see dairy produce as an important part of their diet.
“There is always room to improve and the story of quality Irish dairy and its place on the world stage will continue to be told,” he said.