MILK AND cream from Northern Ireland will, even if processed in the Republic, be excluded from a new packaging mark developed by the National Dairy Council to inform consumers they are supporting jobs and families in the Republic.
Helen Brophy, chief executive of the NDC, said consumers seeing the “NDC-Farmed in the Republic of Ireland” mark could be assured they were buying milk or cream farmed and processed in the Republic.
“The new mark empowers consumers to make more informed choices when they are shopping about supporting 2,193 Irish dairy farmers and 2,483 jobs in Irish dairies and co-operatives which they can now identify,” she said.
“The mark allows consumers to select products which contribute to our own tax returns, which contribute to our own economy, and which also contribute to our own communities through incentives such as the school milk and dairy programme,” she said.
The plants involved in the new scheme are Arrabawn, Galway; Centenary, Thurles; Clona, Clonakilty; Connacht Gold, Sligo; Dawn dairy plants in Galway and Kerry; Donegal Creameries; Glanbia plants at Kildare and Louth; Golden Vale, Limerick; Lee Strand Co-op, Tralee; North Cork Co-op, Kanturk, and Wexford Creamery.
Asked whether the mark would be applied to milk and cream coming from Northern Ireland or processed by companies from the Republic which control a number of processing outlets in the North, Ms Brophy said it could not.
“There is a strict monitoring process put in place and we have already carried out one audit,” she said. “The mark will only be applied to milk produced and processed here in the Republic.”
The packaging mark, officially launched yesterday in the RDS, currently applies to 340 milk and cream products. By the end of the year the NDC hopes to extend it to cheese and yogurt products.
Ms Brophy said the scheme would change the way dairy products were being retailed in the Republic, and already companies not involved in the National Dairy Council had expressed an interest in taking part in the scheme.
The 10 co-ops and dairies which are National Dairy Council members were collectively buying about 500 million litres of milk annually from dairy farmers involved in the scheme.
She said the co-operatives and dairies had gone to considerable expense in acquiring new packaging for the promotion and had considered this a very worthwhile exercise in the dairy industry.
The most recent research from Nielsen in June this year found Irish consumers claimed strong support for Irish products, which was being backed by actual purchases.
“The research showed that 70 per cent of Irish consumers believe it is important the milk they buy is sourced in the Republic of Ireland and 81 per cent of consumers polled last spring said they believed a label showing the source would be a good idea.”