A newly established networking group for women involved in the dairy industry met for the first time in Co Kilkenny recently.

Dairy Women Ireland (DWI) aims to connect women in the dairy industry through the establishment of an educational and support network.

Access to events, training and support specific to their farming needs, are among the group’s main aims.

On the day, Martina Gormley from Teagasc presented a skills seminar on LEAN dairy management and how to make simple and effective on-farm changes.

Co-chair of DWI Ciara Lynch said that the committee has been working away for over a year.

“Magic happens when a determined group of women get together and myself and co-chairperson Monica Gorman are so excited to see where this leads us,” she said.

MEP Maria Walsh, who also attended the meeting, said these women are coming together to make a real impact.

DWI is both influenced and advised by Dairy Women’s Network in New Zealand which began as an email group in 1998 with 33 members. By 2021, it had grown its membership to over 11,000 women.