Irish dairy industry sees bright future beyond pandemic and Brexit Ireland’s overall global dairy exports continued their upwards trajectory in 2020, delivering a 3% increase. Pic: Bord Bia Last year, the Irish dairy industry navigated arguably the hardest operating climate it has experienced since WWII, with the pandemic wreaking damage, and disruption across key industries and markets.
In addition to this, the UK officially left the European Customs Union in January 2021, fundamentally changing the way the Irish dairy market trades and operates with its closest partner. In the face of this, it would be a fair assumption to make that the outlook for Irish dairy doesn’t look too rosy, but actually, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Valio farm using manure-powered milk truck Reducing HGV traffic emissions is a part of Finland’s 2035 carbon-neutrality target.
Finnish dairy cooperative Valio said one solution can be found in cow manure, which can be made into biogas that can, in the future, replace fossil diesel fuel for HGVs in Finland.
The Vuorenmaa dairy farm in Haapavesi has filled Finland’s first manure-powered milk truck with the farm’s renewable biogas. Using biogas as vehicle fuel is a part of Valio’s program aiming to reset milk’s carbon footprint to zero by 2035.
The Vuorenmaa farm has 180 cows that produce milk for Valio’s local dairy, where it is made into Valio Oltermanni cheese. The farm already uses its manure to generate electricity and heat for the farm at its own biogas plant.
Taste and nutrition company Kerry has announced details of Project Amata, a new project with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP).
It aims to enhance the production and availability of safe, sustainable milk for children and communities in the Gitega province of Burundi.
Project Amata (amata means milk in Kirundi, Burundi’s national language) builds on the previous WFP and Kerry partnership, Project Leche, which helped Honduran farmers create a safer and more sustainable milk supply, nourishing the health of more than 7,500 thousand Honduran children, as well as enhancing economic opportunity and better living conditions for the community.
In Burundi, 65% of people live below the poverty line and chronic malnutrition affects more than half the population. Children are often the most affected, as the lack of regular nutritious food and poor dietary diversity makes them vulnerable to infections and undermines performance at school.
Researchers at Chulalongkorn Graduate University have developed PASS+, a system that uses UV light to help keep milk fresh and reduce transportation costs for farmers.
GDT publishes annual report Global Dairy Trade has published its 2020 Annual Report, providing key trading statistics for the year.
As expected, demand and supply were heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic during 2020, causing disruption for buyers and sellers on many fronts. GDT said it was fortunate as an online service to be well-positioned to maintain trading events throughout the year, supporting buyers and sellers to continue trading during volatile times.
GDT Events achieved an average clearance rate of 95% of offered quantity sold at year-end, resulting in a combined total of 678,076 metric tonnes, with a total of $2.1bn traded during the events.