Against a background of uncertainty in the dairy industry, almost 700 farmers have booked places at the Teagasc National Dairy Conference today in Limerick.
Changes in the industry which have seen the number of farmers opting out of dairying in increasing numbers, are being driven by globalisation, changing food demand, environmental concerns and the Celtic Tiger.
Many of these issues will be addressed by a panel of speakers who include Noel Coakley, chief executive of the Irish Dairy Board. He will speak on the need for a competitive dairy industry in a changing world market.
While global demand for dairy products is increasing, competition facing Irish producers is increasing on a yearly basis, especially from countries outside the European Union where production is not limited by milk quota.
Dr Laurence Shalloo of Teagasc farm systems research will address the quota issue which limits farmers to producing 1.1 billion gallons of milk annually.
The Department of Agriculture has recently launched a quota exchange scheme.
A second session of the conference for dairy farmers will be held tomorrow in Ballyconnell, Co Cavan.