The People in Dairy Project outlines a plan for dealing with the staffing and training requirements needed to manage the expanding Irish dairy herd.

The Teagasc report, launched in Dublin on Friday, states “the dairy industry is facing a severe shortage of new young recruits”.

It notes that this is being driven by expansion in the herd as well as an aging demographic of farmers.

As the dairy industry expands, there will be a greater requirement for highly skilled people

“With the average dairy farmer currently 58 years old, this report estimates that Ireland will need approximately 6,000 new entrants over the next decade to replace retirees and meet the requirements of expanding herds…

“As the dairy industry expands, there will be a greater requirement for highly skilled people,” the report states.

Non-EU workers

A lack of labour has been singled out as one of the biggest threats to the viability of the Irish farm model.

The report outlines a number of ways in which the industry will address the labour shortage.

Perhaps the most notable way is to source labour from outside the EU, where there are more skilled people. The report looks to countries such as Canada, New Zealand and Australia as a way of dealing with the shortfall.

However, EU citizens currently enjoy greater access to other countries within the union so calls are being to make it easier for farms to hire non-EU workers.

Other reccomendations include:

  • Promoted as an attractive career.
  • Excellent industry training - formal, informal and workplace.
  • Dairy farms must be enjoyable places to work.
  • Employers with a reputation for retaining and developing their employees.
  • Career progression in dairy farming.
  • Excellence within the dairy industry must be promoted.

    • Good career prospects

    Teagasc director Professor Gerry Boyle encouraged young people to consider a career in dairy farming.

    “Dairy farming can be a financially rewarding and enjoyable business which provides a good standard of living and a good work life balance. This can be achieved by having labour-efficient setups that make the day-to-day workload easier.

    "There are opportunities for people to follow an attractive career in dairy farming and the opportunity for family farms to expand to improve their viability in the future.”

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