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QUIZ: Try and score top marks in this quiz from the National Dairy Council
Test your knowledge of how Irish farmers are working to protect our water.
IRELAND AND FARMING go hand in hand.
We have a proud history in this country, stretching back thousands of years, of producing the highest quality food and taking great care of this country’s predominantly pasture-based landscape. You might say that Irish farmers are experts in their field.
Irish farmers are focused on adopting new, progressive farming practices and making use of the very latest, often Irish-developed, often world-leading, technologies to maintain Irish dairy’s quality and to increase its environmental sustainability.
Our farmers now have a major role in fighting climate change. Dairy producers have been tasked with reducing their emissions by 25% by 2030, something that the industry is committed to and is taking very seriously.
In addition, the quality of our rivers, lakes and waterways is expected to be ‘good’ or above by 2027 and this will require continuing focus, effort and action by everyone involved in Irish agriculture.
Dairy farmers have already implemented numerous changes and improvements which are starting to have a positive effect on emissions, water quality and environmental sustainability generally.
As an example, farmers are incorporating clover and other plants into their pasture, to complement the mainstay of perennial ryegrass.
These plants help fix nitrogen in the soil which reduces the need for chemical fertilisers, thereby reducing emissions and helping to lessen impacts on Irish waterways.
The Irish dairy industry recognises the importance of clean waterways, but how much do you really know about the measures Irish farmers take to reduce agriculture’s impact on the water that flows through them? Take our quiz below and see how you get on.
In a dairy pasture, what plant helps fix nitrogen in the soil and reduce the amount of fertiliser a farmer needs to use?
What native Irish plant has long roots to absorb nutrients from deep in the soil that otherwise could end up in our streams and rivers?
Dandelion
Plaintain
Thistle
Bluebell
How do Irish dairy farmers prevent water from the farmyard flowing straight into streams and rivers?
Create filtration beds with reeds and trees to clean the water as it passes through
Shout ‘stop, stop’ and wave a stick
Rainwater falls on the land and runs into streams, rivers and lakes – sometimes quickly, sometimes more slowly.
What DOESN’T affect how the water reaches our waterways?
Milk produced in other countries has a carbon footprint of up to – and beyond – 2kg of CO2 per litre. What’s the carbon footprint of a litre of Irish milk?
3.86kg of CO2 per litre
2.05kg of CO2 per litre
1.59kg of CO2 per litre
0.97kg of CO2 per litre
Irish cows produce nutritious Irish milk – they also produce biogenic methane and organic nitrogen, which isn’t so good for the environment. What are Irish farmers successfully doing to reduce the amounts that the cows produce?
Making them wear masks and nappies
Breeding them and feeding them using scientific data and research
Hoping they wait until they’re indoors
Playing them soothing music
What makes Irish butter so yellow?
You scored out of !
H2 no
You might need to brush up on your water knowledge!
You scored out of !
Moderately hydrated
Great effort, but still a little bit to go.
You scored out of !
Tall glass of water
Well done!
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