20 minutes with Brian Roche, Roche's Feeds

What is the history of Roche’s Feeds?

Roche’s Feeds was started by my great-great grandfather J.H. Roche in 1879. We have just celebrated our 140th year in business.

Bobby, Peter, Richard and Conor Roche are all fourth generation. They are directors of the business with Paul Hennessy. Myself and Michelle, my sister and our cousin Enda are the fifth generation working in the company.

Is climate change influencing animal feed production and farmer feed choices?

Climate change is of huge concern to the world at the moment. We all need to take a leaf out of Greta Thunberg’s book and really up our game to solve climate issues. Even small aims and targets can make a difference.

What do you think of the push for Irish-grown feed ingredients?

Irish-grown ingredients are of the utmost importance to us. The closer to home the better. We use as many Irish ingredients as possible.

What challenges do you see facing the feed industry in Ireland?

There are many challenges to the industry. Recently we held a conference in Thomond Park for our customers called ‘Back to the Future Dairy Farming 2030, Roadmap Through Environmental and Welfare Challenges’, which Bobby Roche and Paddy McCarthy organised.

We heard some great speakers from different areas of the industry like Prof Pat Wall and Dr Laura A. Boyle, who spoke about cow welfare and environmental constraints. Jack Nolan of the Department of Agriculture spoke about nitrates and biodiversity. Dr Eoin Ryan and Dr Michael Wallace addressed the issues of economic opportunities for dairy farmers, herd health and infectious disease. As an environmental manager in Roches, I personally learned a lot and hopefully everyone in attendance did too.

What role does family play in the company?

Family is everything to us here. I learned that from my grandfather, Jim Roche. Everyone is treated fairly and it’s a very enjoyable work environment with a strong work ethic. My grandfather would always be the first man to do the job. I hope he’d be proud of us working hard here.

Working with my father Bobby can be challenging, but he is always very fair. Learning to separate your personal life from your work life is vital.

What are your plans for the future of the company?

At the moment, as environmental manager, it has to be my aim to reduce our carbon footprint in any way I can. We’re always looking at improving and helping the environment.