Why the Irish dairy industry has the capacity for continued growth

International dairy consultant, David Beca, joins Emma-Louise Coffey for part two of his discussion on the Dairy Edge podcast to discuss the global milk supply trends over the last two decades and he speculates what milk producing nations have the capacity to meet growing consumer demands. David explains that demand for dairy is growing by 1-3% per annum with the range being determined by economic conditions. Examining individual countries, David sees compounding growth in milk supply in countries such as Ireland, New Zealand and South Africa while others have remained static or contracted e.g. the UK and Australia. David anticipates that the Irish dairy industry has the capacity for continued growth in supply in the future but clarifies that this is dependent on external regulation and individual farmers’ ability to have clarity in their production system and utilisation of grass in the diet. For more information go to:https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/events/2023/David-Beca---Key-drivers-of-milk-production-costs-in-dairy-systems.pdf For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast visit the show page at: https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/ The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com