Milking the most of it
Primary school pupils from Cork rolled up their sleeves at a local farm recently as part of a hands-on educational initiative.
Pupils from five schools visited Rickey Barrett’s dairy farm in Ballinhassig on the day, taking part in a series of interactive learning stations covering grass growth, animal welfare, milk production, and nutrition.
The schools that took part were St Mark's Boys NS, The Glen; St Brendan's GNS, The Glen; Clondrohid NS, Macroom; Upper Glanmire NS, White’s Cross; and Gaelscoil Mhichíl Uí Choileáin, Clonakilty.
On the farm, National Dairy Council (NDC) Farmer Ambassador Katie Gleeson spoke to pupils about how grass is grown and managed to feed the dairy herd. They met calves and learned about animal welfare, and toured the milking parlour, gaining insight into the milking process and how modern dairy farming operates.
Hammer throw Olympian and Clóna Dairy Products Ltd. ambassador Nicola Tuthill also attended the visit, speaking to pupils about growing up on a dairy farm and how dairy supports her training and recovery in sport.
Speaking afterwards, host farmer, Rickey Barrett said: “It was great to welcome local pupils onto the farm and see how curious they were from the moment they arrived. They really engaged with everything.
“What stood out most was how quickly they made the connection between what happens here on the farm and the milk they see in their school,” he added.
The Cork visit was part of a wider national programme bringing up to 1,500 pupils to dairy farms across Ireland this month led by the NDC through the EU School Milk Scheme.
The programme comes as new NDC research shows that more than half (56%) of parents of children under 12 say their child has never seen a cow being milked.
Emma Walls, CEO of the NDC, said the programme helps children make meaningful connections between food, farming, and nutrition.
She said: “For many children, this is their first real experience of a farm and their first chance to see where milk comes from beyond the supermarket shelf. Experiences like these help children make important connections between food, farming, nutrition, and the role dairy plays in a healthy, balanced diet.”
Lorna Ní Aodha, a teacher at Gaelscoil Mhichíl Uí Choileáin, added: “The calves were definitely the highlight. I think a few of them would have happily tried to bring one home with them! They were fascinated by seeing how a working farm operates day to day.”
The EU School Milk Scheme, co-funded by the European Union and Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, provides subsidised milk to schools alongside educational resources promoting nutrition and food awareness. It is delivered in Ireland by the NDC through its Moo Crew initiative.