Supplementary Feed and GM on Irish Dairy Farms
What is the Irish Dairy Board’s policy on GM?
The Irish Dairy Board is proud of its reputation as the supplier of quality dairy products under the Kerrygold brand. Consumers have trusted and enjoyed the quality of Kerrygold products for over 50 years. We value that trust and work hard to ensure that we produce the best products from the freshest ingredients. We do not use GM ingredients in any of our products. Because Ireland values the reputation of our food, Irish farms and Irish food producers have to comply with strict legislative requirements. This commitment to the highest standards ensures that raw materials, manufacturing, storage and distribution for our dairy products and brands are of the highest quality.
Do Kerrygold products contain GM ingredients?
All Kerrygold butter, cheese and milk products are free of genetically modified ingredients.
Are your cows fed grain? If yes, why?
The vast majority of an Irish cow’s diet is from rich, natural grass which grows abundantly in Ireland. We endeavor to work in harmony with nature in the care and feeding of our cows.
Ireland’s location on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean gives it a temperate climate, not too hot and not too cold and with regular rainfall which is the perfect weather for growing grass.
Approximately 2/3 of the land in Ireland is used for farming and agriculture and 80% of this land is used to grow grass. This grass gives the Irish countryside its green colour and is the basis for the description of Ireland as the Emerald Isle. This abundant supply of fresh grass is also what makes the Irish dairy industry and Irish dairy products unique.
Irish dairy cows graze on fresh grass in pastures all day long for up to 312 days a year. In fact, Irish cows graze outdoors on grass for longer than almost every country in the world.
During the winter, when grasses stop growing, Irish cows are fed dried grass (known as silage). This grass is grown throughout the year, cut fresh and stored to be used when the winter comes. Cows in Ireland calve (give birth) in the spring and are therefore outdoors, grazing on green grass when they are producing milk. After calving, cows are provided with supplementary feed to help restore protein and nurture them through this period.
The majority of our cows’ supplementary feed is locally grown crops such as wheat and barley. As a small island, Ireland does not have enough land available to grow certain crops locally; therefore a number of crops are imported.
These imported crops comply fully with strict European and Irish legislative requirements on labeling and traceability.
Your ‘final’ dairy products may be GM free but can you confirm that the grain/supplements fed to your cows are GM free?
The Irish Dairy Board and Kerrygold work closely with farmers to ensure the highest standards for our ingredients. GM is a relatively new issue in an Irish context. We are taking an active role in exploring the potential and challenges around using GM free grain in the Irish dairy industry. Supplementary feeds are important for the health of the animals. Some of these will contain soy and corn. At present, the Irish Dairy Board cannot guarantee that grain supplements used by farmers will all be GM free.
We can confirm that Kerrygold butter and cheese do not contain GM ingredients.
What percent of an Irish cow’s diet is comprised of grass and grain/supplements?
Irish cows benefit from the abundance of grass which grows on our farms. The vast majority of an Irish cow’s diet, almost 90%, is from rich, natural grass. This is much higher than in most other countries. It is made possible because of the perfect farming conditions enjoyed on the island of Ireland. The balance, normally about 10%, of the cow’s diet is made up of grain and supplements.
What is this supplementary feed composed of?
The vast majority of an Irish cow’s diet, almost 90%, is from rich, natural grass. Supplementary feed makes up about 10% of a cow’s diet. The supplementary feed is used to give the cows a healthy and balanced blend of nutrients, providing them with protein, energy and fiber. The majority of the cow’s supplementary feed is from locally grown Irish crops, such as wheat and barley. The balance of this feed can be composed of distillers grain (rapeseed, soy and citrus pulp – a blend of dried peel, pulp and seeds of oranges, grapefruit and other citrus fruit).
What percent of this supplementary feed is from GM sources?
Irish cows benefit from the abundance of grass which grows on our farms. The vast majority of an Irish cow’s diet, almost 90%, is from rich, natural grass. This is much higher than in most other countries. It is made possible because of the perfect farming conditions enjoyed on the island of Ireland. The balance, normally about 10%, of the cow’s diet is made up of grain and supplements.
Our ongoing discussions with the grain and dairy industry have established that of this approximately 10% grain/supplements, approximately 20 to 25% may be from GM sources. This means that approximately 3% of a cow’s total typical annual diet may be from GM sources.
GM is a relatively new issue in an Irish context. We are taking an active role in exploring the potential and challenges around using GM free grain in the Irish dairy industry. Supplementary feeds are important for the health of the animals. They are used to give the cows a healthy and balanced blend of nutrients, providing them with protein, energy and fiber.
We can confirm that Kerrygold butter and cheese do not contain GM ingredients.
Which of the grain/supplementary feed ingredients are from GM sources?
Grain which is sourced locally in Ireland or from the EU is GM free. When combined with the grass in their diet, this means that approximately 97% of an Irish cow’s diet is GM free.
Ireland is a small island and while local crops such as barley and wheat make up a large part of the supplements to the cow’s diet, there is not enough land to grow sufficient barley and wheat crops to supply the Irish dairy producers. Because of this some ingredients used in the supplements are imported.
Where the potential for GM arises is when soy and distillers grain are used as part of the supplement. It is not possible to source all supplementary feed/grain ingredients from the EU due to availability issues. However, these ingredients do comply with EU and Irish legislative requirements on labeling and traceability.
We can confirm that Kerrygold butter and cheese do not contain GM ingredients.
