Built on the tradition of family farming

The EU is the largest dairy milk producing region in the world and is renowned for its portfolio of diverse, nutritionally dense and sustainable produce. The EU implements the most stringent safety standards in regards to dairy production, safeguarding its global reputation as a source of high quality dairy.

In 2021, the EU produced approximately 145 million metric tonnes of dairy products. Ireland, an EU member state located on the edge of Western Europe, processed 8.8 billion litres of milk in 2021 and exported dairy produce to approximately 150 markets all over the world.

European dairy farming exemplifies the very best that the industry has to offer with the highest global standards in food safety, traceability, animal welfare and sustainability.

Ireland’s dairy industry is built on the tradition of family farming. There are approximately 17,000 multigenerational family-owned dairy farms on the island. The average size of an Irish dairy farm is 32.4 hectares or 0.32 square kilometres with the average herd size being 83 cows. The average footprint of Irish farms is 0.91kg CO2 equivalent /kg FPCM (fat and protein corrected milk).