A2O-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, May 27,1989
Editor’s Note: Here’s Part 2
of a comprehensive article about
the comparisons of production,
processing and promotion
between the Irish and the
United States dairy industries.
The American Dairy Assn,
and* Dairy Council sponsored a
dairy tour to Ireland in April.
That provides the background
for this article.
Promotion That Works
Dairy Promotion in Ireland, as
in the U.S., stresses refreshment
and health. While the U.S. adver
tising theme is “Milk... America’s
Health Kick,” in Ireland a glass of
milk is “A Healthy Handful.”
Both have advertising campaigns
aimed at women of all ages about
the importance of calcium in dairy
products to prevent osteoporosis.
The cheese campaign in Ireland
features a cartoon character called
“The Big Cheese” who appears in
TV promotions for cheese as a
versatile, tasty and nutritious food
- “Cheese, Make More of It.” In
the U.S., 1988’s fall and winter
campaign featured TV celebrity
Willard Scott in point-of-sale
material; the spring promotion is
now “Cheeseburger Days.”
The Irish TV and campaign for
butter calls it “The everyday mira
cle, fresh from nature-pure deli
cious goodness with a unique
taste-nothing else tastes like it,”
and ends with the line “Easier to
spread.” The U.S. butter ad stres
ses that butter has no more calo
rics than margarine and says,
“Give them all a little pat of
butter.”
The Irish dairy industry has
been very dependent on butter for
years. Now consumption has fal
len for two reasons: 1) preference
for a refrigerator-spreadable pro
duct and 2) health concerns about
cholesterol, the same reasons that
have eroded butter consumption in
the U.S. While Ireland’s butter
consumption is just over 16 lbs.,
U.S. butter (4.7 lbs.) and margar
ine (12 lbs.) combined intake is
also about 16 lbs.
Ireland’s per capita milk con
sumption is the second highest in
Europe at 399 lbs. U.S. fluid con
sumption is about two-thirds of
Ireland’s with a per capita con
sumption of 244 lbs./year.
U.S. cheese consumption (23.9
lbs.) tops Ireland’s (8.1 lbs.) by
almost three times and UDIA
forecasts a rise in the U.S. cheese
consumption over the next five
years of 4.24%, bringing per capi
ta consumption to as high as 28.31
pounds/year by 1992. Italian
cheese varieties will lead Ameri
can and other types of cheese in
consumption gains.
Dairy promotion in Ireland is
organized by the National Dairy
Council. According to Aidan
McCarthy, Chief Executive,
“NDC’s function is the generic
promotion of milk and dairy pro
ducts on the Irish market” Their
objective is to maintain or
improve the image of milk, butter,
cheese, yogurt and cream as per
ceived by consumers. He
explained, “NDC’s generic mea
sures are a support, not a substi
tute for branded products.” They
are the Irish equivalent of
ADADC. Their medium to long
term strategy is two-fold: 1)
directly through advertising and
promotion, and 2) indirectly
through influencing opinion for
mers within the medical profes
sion and the media. “The key,”
McCarthy stressed, “is health, as
we project a positive image for
dairy products and counter
misinformation.”
Funding for Irish promotion is
from producers through a co
responsibility levy of 2% estab
lished by the EC to promote dairy
products and to dispose of the
surplus. A portion returns to Ire
land. The Irish advertising budget
is $l.BB million divided approxi
mately into thirds: 35% for milk
advertising, 33% for cheese, and
32% for butter. The U.S. puts
about the same proportion of
advertising into cheese, with more
for milk and less for butter.
Alternative Farming Ideas
Because of the cap on the
amount of milk Irish dairy farmers
are allowed to produce, many far
mers are seeking ways to maxim
ize the value of their milk or alter
native ways to add to their on
farm income. One example is the
Cooleeney Farmhouse Cheese
operation started three years ago
by Breda and Jim Maher near
Thurles in County Tipperary.
They milk 80 cows with about half
of their milk quota going into their
220-gallon tank twice each day to
make Camembert cheese.
Cheesemaking is a very precise
skill; temperatures have to be con
formed to and of course hygiene is
paramount. Breda started her
cheesemaking in her kitchen, but
having won awards and a market
for her cheese, has since built a
separate facility and hired three
employees. To make her cheese,
she first heats it slowly, starting
from cold milk; then adds lactic
acid to sour the milk; next rennet
to form a curd. After the curds
form, she places them into round
tile containers. When the whey is
drained off, curds are placed in a
ripening room for two weeks.
Each cheese is turned every sec
ond daj and kept at 20 degrees C
at night When ripening is com
plete, the Camembert cheese is
wrapped in foil and stored about a
week until a wholesaler takes it to
market.
Breda Maher is one of about 30
to 3S farmhouse cheesemakers in
Ireland compared with 420 in Hol
land. Her husband Jim, who milks
the cows for the cheese, says they
have “more satisfaction, more
control” since they started their
cheese business. They hope even
tually to use all their milk for
cheese, not just half. If they can’t
make more milk because of their
quota, their goal is to make that
milk more valuable.
Deer fanning is another alterna
tive farming idea that some farm
ers are turning to. The ADADC
group visited the Red Deer farm of
Seamus and Frances O’Donnell
near Limerick, one of 75 in the
country accounting for 3000 farm
ing deer. The Shannon Develop
ment Corporation helped with
stan-up costs and training for deer
farming. First thing was to build a
6’6” fence. The goal is to establish
a gourmet market for venison at
home but primarily for export.
About 1500 New Zealand Red
Deer are being flown in this June
in a specially fitted-out Jumbo Jet
to add to the total Irish deer popu
lation in this alternative fanning
choice.
Another alternative business is
agri-tourism, with many farm
houses becoming Bed and Break
fast homes and stops for a planned
agri-tourism industry in Ireland.
Sponsorship in pan for this con
cept comes from Magna na Feir
mc, the Irish Young Farmers
Organization which operates
Community Tours, excellent hosts
and tour guides for the ADADC
tour.
in addition to the dairy high
lights of the trip, the group toured
(he largest crystal factory of its
type in the world, Waterford Crys
tal. Craftsmen must start as intern
Ireland, U.S. Dairy Indust
Padralg Walshe, Irish ..ner, x executive vice pres
ident of the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council (left) and Wally Wllllg
(center), milk marketing manager for Hershey Foods on a recent dairy tour of Ireland
organized by ADADC. Walshe, president of the Irish Young Farmers Organization,
explained that many Irish farmers, Including himself, will pay a “super levy’*or penal
ty for overproduction of milk allowed under quota system. The super levy can be 75%
of the value of the milk -- or more.
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