Strengthening The Ireland-China Dairy Relationship
IRELAND - With extra funding announced last week, the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) is recognised as a world leader in cattle breeding.The leading edge genomic research undertaken by ICBF in recent years has benefitted both farmers and Irish dairy companies. Improving the dairy herd delivers quantifiable benefits to the quality of milk produced. Indeed, genomic selection also feeds into initiatives such as Food Health Ireland where the Irish dairy industry are engaging with customers in ‘milk mining’ to drive new product development.
Perhaps the strongest endorsement of the science based approach of the Irish livestock and dairy industries is the presence of the infant formula multinationals Pfizer, Abbott and Danone in Ireland. In particular, Danone’s latest investment in Cork will see Ireland account for as much as 17 per cent of global infant formula production.
The expertise in livestock programmes, which Ireland has nurtured and enhanced, can also play a role in strengthening the relationship between the Irish and Chinese dairy sectors. In keeping with the government’s 12th Five Year Plan announced earlier this year, China’s dairy industry will look to science and technology to secure its future development. As part of this policy China’s Vice Minister of Agriculture Niu Dun signed “an action plan on mutual co-operation between the two countries in the agri-food and fisheries sectors” with Minister Coveney during a recent visit to Ireland.
Further Reading
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