Dairy industry Ireland’s ‘jewel in the crown’
The Irish dairy sector has the potential to create 15,000 new jobs over the next three to five years providing a major boost to exports, a conference heard today.
Independent economist Ciaran Fitzgerald highlighted this prediction at the National Dairy Council annual conference ‘Unlocking Dairy Growth’ in Dublin.
“The Irish dairy sector is one of the few sectors that has shown strong growth in recent years. It already directly and indirectly employs 34,000 people and is a huge part of our export trade with dairy exports valued at €2.66bn in 2011,” he said.
“With the abolition of EU milk quotas in 2015 that growth is predicted to increase substantially. The Food Harvest 2020 Report anticipates 50pc growth. Because the dairy sector buys 85pc of its inputs in the Irish economy a €1.3bn increase in output will have a huge positive multiplier impact across the economy — and also across the regions.”
Dr John Fanning, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, described the dairy industry as the “jewel in the crown” of Ireland’s economic recovery.
“In difficult economic circumstances countries need to concentrate on market sectors where they possess a sustainable competitive advantage with value creating potential not easily duplicated or imitated by other countries. For Ireland the dairy industry matches these criteria. Our uniquely temperate climate and long tradition of family farming has given us a global leadership position. Increasing global demand for sustainable, nutritious dairy produce means that the dairy industry will be the engine of Ireland’s economic recovery.”
