Raising a glass to NI dairy

Dr Mike Johnston MBE, Chief Executive of the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland explains: “Milk from Northern Ireland dairy herds is widely recognised as being among the best in the world in terms of quality.

“This World Milk Day, we want to celebrate the commitment of our local dairy farmers, whose high quality and nutritious milk is in demand both with families at home and further afield.”

Dr Johnston continued: “Dairy farming in Northern Ireland continues to be at the forefront of technology and innovation, but this is no substitute for the knowledge, handed down from generation to generation, of how to work with nature to produce high quality milk.

“Often working in physically demanding and challenging conditions, it is important that we acknowledge their dedication to providing the best possible product for consumers at home and across the world.”

Over the past year, milk buyers from all corners of the world have come to Northern Ireland to see first hand the high quality of milk and dairy products we produce here.

This high quality is demonstrated by the fact that, for the second year running, an independent evaluation of sales shows that exports have exceeded targets.

Dr Johnston said: “Our dairy farmers can be justifiably proud of the fantastic job they do, which is increasingly acknowledged worldwide. To mark this year’s World Milk Day, we hope that local consumers will join us in celebrating that Northern Ireland’s dairy is quite simply the cream of the crop.”