A pilot programme training people with no dairy skills to milk cows is set to be rolled out to more than 10 counties.

The scheme targets people on jobseeker’s benefit, drystock farmers seeking additional income and women, among others, to acquire dairy skills for full-time and part-time roles.

The Farm Relief Services (FRS) now hopes to extend the scheme.

“The first pilot programme in Kilkenny and Waterford is just finished with eight people trained and another eight starting this week,” Peter Byrne of FRS told the Irish Farmers Journal.

“We hope to roll it out, with our partners Teagasc, in strong dairy areas like the south of the country and moving up the east coast to Meath and Cavan,” he explained. “We see room for 80 to 90 people to be trained in this way across 11 counties.”

“Kildalton worked well for the training and if it’s practical, then we will see about holding the training in agricultural colleges.”

Read more

€5,000 for dole workers to milk cows

Plans to address dairy labour shortage launched