Sustainability

Our tradition of producing milk from grass fed cows on family farms in the fertile Golden Valleys of Munster means our operations are already some of the most sustainable in the world. Our abundance of water and rain, nutrient-rich grass and perfect dairy farming climate allows us to produce the highest quality milk, naturally. But we don’t stop there. Sustainability is not just a policy for Dairygold – it is a culture that is engrained throughout our entire organisation. We constantly research and improve our practices, from the farm, right through the production and processing chain, to the customers.

Dairygold’s shareholders want to nurture this precious fertile land and hand it over to the next generation in better condition than when they received it. We are working together to help our farmers achieve that. Our sustainability principles govern our current practices and define our goals and ambitions for the future. This active approach will safeguard our business for generations to come.

Please Refer to our ‘Annual Report ‘ for our yearly sustainability performance.

Farms

As a co-operative, we have a unique relationship with our members. Our natural grass-based farming systems are recognised on a global scale as being highly carbon efficient and sustainable. We actively support our farmer shareholders to grow, maintain and develop profitable and sustainable enterprises. We constantly invest in valuable farm development programmes and advisory services to help them achieve this.

Supply Chain

We operate an integrated and sustainable supply chain, from our farms all the way to our customers. That involves sourcing quality-assured milk and grain from our members, supplying agri-inputs to our farms, and processing milk into dairy ingredients for our customers. Every process along the supply chain, at farm level, factory level and supply level, is managed and influenced by Dairygold to improve sustainability performance.

People

Dairygold is committed to constantly improving its work standards, making it a great place to work for our 1,200+ employees. Our core values include people development and respect, continuous improvement and innovation, customer focus and a results-oriented approach. These values are embedded in our business, and are key to delivering success through people. We proactively help and encourage our people to develop and contribute to the business and the wider community.

Community

With an inherent connection to Ireland’s Golden Valleys, Dairygold has always been a big part of local Munster communities, supporting thousands of shareholders in the region. By investing in farm development programmes, we support farmers and improve sustainability and quality at farm gate level.