Public surveys carried out by the National dairy Council (NDC) in November has found that the almost three-quarters of Irish adults polled agree that “Irish dairy farmers to take care of the environment”.

Some 74% of those surveyed agreed with the statement, up significantly from the 47% who agreed win 2022.

November’s research also found that 81% agreed that “dairy can be part of a sustainable diet” and 82% agreed that “dairy is part of a healthy, balanced diet”.

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The respective levels of support for the same statements were 68% and 65% in 2022.

“Against a backdrop of negative commentary and misinformation about farming, this sustained increase represents an excellent result and demonstrates that the positive, evidence-based messaging on dairy farming is clearly resonating with the public,”

The chief executive of the NDC Emma Walls hailed the findings as an “an excellent result” which demonstrates that “positive, evidence-based messaging” on dairy is striking the right note with the public.

Wall said that progress on consumer sentiment comes despite a “backdrop of negative commentary and misinformation about farming”.

“Ultimately, however, the real credit for this shift lies with our dairy farmers,” the NDC boss continued.

“Their ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, introducing multiple sustainability measures on farm is building trust and confidence with Irish people.”

The managing director of Opinions Research Iarlaith Corcoran said that the “scale and consistency” of the progress is notable.

“Trust in Irish dairy farmers’ care for the environment has risen steadily across multiple waves of research since 2022, and the latest results show that this positive shift is being sustained across age groups,” Corcoran explained.

“This suggests a genuine improvement in public understanding and confidence, rather than a short-term change in sentiment.”