University College Cork scheme driving sustainable farming practices

Training delivered by University College Cork (UCC) is providing farmers with the skills to drive sustainable dairy farming.

The Kerry Dairy Ireland’s Sustainable Dairy Training Programme was run as a pilot in 2023 and has been developed into an accredited, Level-7 certificate.

The programme is open to Kerry agribusiness milk suppliers and is run in partnership with IRD Duhallow Skillnet and co-funded by Government and the European Union.

The programme is a key part of Evolve, Kerry’s sustainable dairy initiative, which was established in 2022.

The aim of Evolve is to reward milk suppliers for sustainable farming practices, and to incentivise them to undertake additional sustainability measures.

The programme ran online over nine weeks in 2023, with one interactive in-person training day at the UCC campus.

Demand

Demand was such that a second programme was required, and feedback led to the programme being further developed into a 12-week, fully accredited Level-7 certificate.

General manager of Kerry Agribusiness, James O’Connell, said that partnering with IRD Duhallow Skillnet and UCC has been “instrumental” in providing farmers with the knowledge and skills needed to drive sustainable dairy farming forward.

“We are delighted to see the Evolve Sustainable Dairy Development Training Programme transformed into a fully accredited, Level-7 certificate,” he said.

“The high level of interest from our milk suppliers in this initiative underscores the interest farmers have in environmental stewardship and in furthering their knowledge across a broad range of sustainability-related areas.”

Development officer at IRD Duhallow, Monica Gilmore, said that the newly accredited programme brings a new opportunity for farmers to upskill, gain practical knowledge, and to bring more sustainable practices into their business.

“We are delighted to have funded the development of this programme and to co-fund the programme for current students in conjunction with Kerry agribusiness,” she said.