The Northern Ireland dairy sector took time out to mark World Milk Day on 1 June and thank Northern Ireland consumers for continuing to support farmers in these unprecedented times.
On this the 20th anniversary of World Milk Day Minister Poots visited the farm of Mark Blelock, vice Chairman of the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland.
Welcoming Minister Poots to his farm, Mark Blelock said
“On behalf of our industry, I’d like to thank the Northern Ireland community which has continued to purchase the high quality products we produce locally. We know that the familiar can be comforting in such challenging times and that locally produced nutritious dairy can be a source of comfort.
“I am grateful to Minister Poots for taking the time to visit our farm to show his support for the NI dairy sector at this time. Together with our colleagues in the dairy industry around the world we want to take this opportunity of World Milk Day to shine a light on our industry and its importance in providing nutritious dairy products for a growing global population. Northern Ireland is the main dairy exporting region of the UK, with our high quality dairy products in demand in over 80 countries. We have an excellent reputation, world–wide, for the quality of our products, and as a result our customers have confidence and trust in our products.”
Minister Poots said
“I would like to take this opportunity on World Milk Day to acknowledge and thank all those who work 365 days a year to ensure we can have high quality and nutritious milk and dairy products on our tables. It is easy to take these products for granted but I think the past few months of COVID 19 have enabled us to see many things that we may have taken for granted in a different light. We have a dairy sector in Northern Ireland that we can be proud of, with its track record of growth and the contribution it makes to both rural communities and the Northern Ireland economy. To all those involved, from dairy farmers to those who collect and process the milk I say a very sincere thank you.”
Minister Edwin Poots is pictured above with Mark Blelock and his daughters Eva and Sarah Grace along with Dr Mike Johnston, Chief Executive of the Dairy Council for Northern Ireland.