Professional rugby icons and Six Nations Champions Rob and Dave Kearney pictured with Charlotte Patten from Clontarf in Dublin launching National Dairy Week 2014. Photo: Dylan Vaughan

Wednesday, 7th May, 2014: National Dairy Council ambassadors and professional rugby icons Rob & Dave Kearney joined the NDC to announce details of National Dairy Week, which runs from 12th – 18th May this year. The national celebration of the natural goodness of Irish dairy is organised in association with SuperValu.

National Dairy Week aims to showcase the excellence of our pasture-based dairy farming and produce – from farm to fridge; and also highlights the quality, versatility and nutritious benefits of dairy within our lives, as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
The week features a number of events including a specialist symposium for dietitians organised by the NDC with the Irish Nutrition & Dietitic Institute (INDI), the NDC 50th Anniversary Annual Conference and a strong focus on dairy education. The national finals of the NDC Milk It Advertising Awards for secondary schools takes place during the week whilst participating primary school classrooms will be activating their projects for Moo Crew – The Primary Dairy Moovement.

Findings from national surveys showed that 37% of girls and 28% of boys aged from 5 – 12 years (Ref 1); and 42% teenage girls and 23% teenage boys aged from 13-17 years (Ref 2) in Ireland had insufficient calcium intakes in their diet. “Including dairy as part of a balanced diet is an important message for both young and old, which is why dairy education is a key part of our strategy,” explains Zoe Kavanagh, Chief Executive of the National Dairy Council.

Supporting National Dairy Week, SuperValu’s Trading Director, Eamon Howell, said “At SuperValu, we stock NDC certified Milk, selling 736,000 litres of NDC certified milk per week. In doing so our customers know that we are delivering quality produce whilst supporting local suppliers whom they can trust. It is hard to believe that one in four litres of milk sold in the Republic of Ireland does not carry the NDC guarantee; however this is certainly not the case at SuperValu. In 2013, SuperValu generated retail sales of €155 million for the Irish dairy industry and our participation in the National Dairy Council is further demonstration of our commitment to the Irish agri-food industry.”

“What makes SuperValu different is our profits not only stay in Ireland, but are also re-invested into local communities across the country thanks to the fact that our stores are independently owned. We encourage our shoppers to look for the NDC certification on their milk, as this NDC mark supports over 12,000 jobs directly and indirectly, which creates a widespread economic impact across communities in Ireland”

Building on the success of the inaugural National Dairy Week last year, new elements to the programme this year include workshops for primary schools organised by Agri Aware at the Family Farm in Dublin Zoo, a Macra na Feirme ‘DairyFest’ in Dublin city centre and a Teagasc Farm Walk, on the dairy farm of the 2013 winners of the NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards.
Key Dates in National Dairy Week

    ‘From Farm to Fridge’ workshops for primary schools hosted by Agri Aware at the Family Farm, developed by Agri Aware and Dublin Zoo. Starting Monday 12th May and running through National Dairy Week, all programmes must be booked in advance and are subject to availability. (Tel: 01- 4748932)
    Primary school children can also take part in the NDC’s Moo Crew: The Primary Dairy Moovement competition throughout the week in participating classrooms (www.moocrew.ie).
    Macra na Feirme will bring some young farmers to South King Street, Dublin city centre for a ‘DairyFest’ on Tuesday 13th May from 11.00am-3.00pm.
    Also on Tuesday 13th May, a specialist symposium for dietitians organised by The Irish Nutrition & Dietetic Institute and the NDC takes place in Dublin’s Clyde Court Hotel. It will focus on Dairy Protein and Healthy Ageing with plenary sessions delivered by experts from Switzerland and The Netherlands and concluding with an interactive case study.
    The NDC Annual Conference for the dairy industry will take place during the afternoon of Wednesday 14th May in Dublin’s RDS.
    Secondary school students will have their eye on the national finals of the NDC Milk It Advertising Awards. Twenty teams of up to six students each are expected to take part on Thursday 15th May in the Round Room, adjacent to Dublin’s Mansion House.
    Teagasc is organising a Farm Walk on the dairy farm of Edward & Olivia Fitzgerald, 2013 national winners of the NDC & Kerrygold Quality Milk Awards, at Tobernea, Effin, Kilmallock, Co. Limerick. It takes place on Friday 16th May 11.00am – 1.30pm and is open to all farm families (no pre registration required). Enquiries to John Donworth, Teagasc office, Kilmallock (063-98039).

You can find out about National Dairy Week at www.ndc.ie; on Facebook at NDCIreland & SuperValuIreland and on Twitter @NDC_ie and @SuperValuIRL #dairyweek. Enquiries about registering for NDC-organised events can be directed to 01-290 2451 or Ova e-mail adresa je zaštićena od spambota. Potrebno je omogućiti JavaScript da je vidite.