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QUIZ: Answer these questions and see how much you know about Irish dairy farming
Take the National Dairy Council’s quiz and see how much you know about the things that are making Irish dairy more environmentally sustainable.
IRISH AGRICULTURE HAS been a cornerstone of the country for thousands of years. Our dairy farmers produce some of the highest quality dairy in the world, delivering €6.8bn to the economy each year, but the Irish dairy industry has a much bigger story to tell – one about addressing climate change.
Our farmers are the custodians of our land. Nurturing pastures, maintaining hedges and caring deeply about their animals. Over time this responsibility has seen them face numerous changes and challenges, but none more pressing than the current ones in the face of the global climate crisis.
Emissions for agriculture require a 25% reduction by 2030, and EU water quality regulation requires that the Irish state counters reductions in water quality in large part caused by nutrients (nitrates and phosphates) from agricultural sources.
Across Ireland 17,500 family farms are employing innovative technologies and practices that are designed to reduce agriculture’s environmental footprint, both in terms of GHG emissions and water quality impacts. The goals are challenging, but the industry as a whole is focused on its targets and on implementing the changes that are needed to meet them.
Take the National Dairy Council’s quiz and see how much you know about the things that are making Irish dairy more environmentally sustainable.
MSS refers to a variety of plants in the pasture, reducing fertiliser use and fixing nitrogen in the soil – but what does MSS stand for?
Multi-Species Sward
Mostly Stupid Stones
Moist Soft Soil
Mainly Sunny Spells
Irish breeding research and development now means that farmers can breed a more sustainable cow – but what characteristic can’t they breed into a cow?
Fertility
Productivity
Tap-dancing ability
Longevity
Manure-based slurry is a good source of nutrients for grass and LESS is a widely-used method of getting it on the field while minimising greenhouse gas emissions – but what does LESS stand for?
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Large Extendable Slurry Splasher
Low Emission Slurry Spreading
Light and Easy Slurry Spoon
Long Evenings Sloshing Slurry
Cows belch methane, one of the biggest contributors to dairy’s greenhouse gas emissions. What technology is being hailed as a breakthrough in reducing methane from cows?
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Methane patches
Duct tape
Feed additives
Extremely scientific hypnosis
Increasingly, farmers are creating buffer zones between their fields and nearby streams, rivers and waterways to minimise fertiliser run-off and stop the cows getting to the water. What are these buffer zones called?
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Riparian Margins
Mooty-Free Areas
No-Cows Land
Forbidden Zones
Many farmers aren’t cutting their hedges and are planting more trees to sequester our greenhouse gas emissions (even though we don’t currently know how much and what sort of credit should be given for it). But what greenhouse gas do plants absorb?
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CH4 - methane
CO2 – carbon dioxide
N2O – nitrous oxide
NH3 - ammonia
Irish cows produce nutritious Irish milk – and they do it by grazing on lush Irish grass for between 240 and 300 days a year. But what percentage of an Irish cow’s diet is grass?
45%
57%
73%
95%
The average size of an Irish dairy herd is around 100 cows – and many of those cows have names. Which of these is a real cow’s name?
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Mooley Cyrus
Moolius Caesar
Elon Moosk
Keith Moon
You scored out of !
Dairy King/Queen
You've got a good knowledge of Ireland's Dairy and all that comes with it!
You scored out of !
Not bad!
Some study is needed but we've definitely seen worse performances!
You scored out of !
Yikes!
You can do better than that!
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