Dairygold will invest €750,000 in the programme, which will run from 2011 to 2013. It will establish nine Dairygold demonstration farms as showcase units for the latest grassland, dairy husbandry and herd health practices. The farms will link new technology from the Teagasc dairy research centre at Moorepark. Each farm will be overseen by a Teagasc adviser, and its performance and information on successful practices will be channelled to all Dairygold milk suppliers through the co-op`s discussion group structure.

The joint programme has five main objectives:

1. Improvement of grassland productivity to increase milk solids production per hectare.

2. To promote earlier and more compact calving to flatten the milk production curve, thus improving efficiency.

3. To help dairy farmers plan for profitable milk expansion to ensure long term viability

4. To meet future animal health standards to help expand market accesibility and secure higher value markets.

5. To achieve on-farm cost efficiency to help cope with future milk price volatility.

DFI, the UK’s largest supplier of cheese and dairy-based ingredients to UK food manufacturers, offers a range of speciality and continental cheeses which can help sandwich producers design products to suit consumers’ diversifying tastes.

“Today’s consumers want more sophisticated tastes than in the past. They are constantly seeking more interesting flavours and textures, even when it comes to simply choosing their sandwich at lunchtime,” says DFI’s Sales & Marketing Director Terry Cunningham. “Sandwich producers can tap into an incremental profit opportunity by catering to these changing tastes.”

DFI’s premium range of speciality cheeses, marketed under the “Taste… Discovering Flavour ™” brand, has been developed as a ‘one stop shop’ for food manufacturers. Dairygold are one of the UK largest buyers of cheese from the global market spending over £70m on this type of ingredient. The scale, flexibility and capability that DFI have allow it to offer an extensive list of cheeses to its customers.

The range includes Real Yorkshire Wensleydale, British Goats Cheese, Emmental from France, Havarti from Denmark, Halloumi from Cyprus, Feta from Greece, Grana Padano from Italy, and many more.

“Consumers are increasingly attracted to international cuisine, and cheese is no exception,” says Terry. “A sandwich which contains an interesting cheese, perhaps one the consumer hasn’t tried before, will always have great appeal.”

DFI is continually monitoring current trends in cheese, and its knowledgeable team is able to advise customers on what the most popular sandwich choices will be.

“At the moment, for example, feta is particularly popular,” says Terry. “As it is made from a blend of sheep’s and goat’s milk, its tangy, salty flavour complements other ingredients in sandwiches.”

The “Taste… Discovering Flavour ™” products are available in a variety of formats.

For further information contact sales@dairygoldfoodingredients.com.