Bad timing for dairy industry campaign

AT the end of May, the National Dairy Council (NDC) launched a new nationwide campaign to introduce the ‘Grass Roots Movement’ to consumers across Ireland. The campaign, currently running across TV and social media, sought to ‘bring together the strength of Ireland’s dairy industry, creating a united front on environmental sustainability, to ensure a successful future for Irish dairy.’

The NDC could not have known what was coming down the tracks, in the guise of this week’s exposé by RTÉ Investigates, into the same dairy industry.

Industry reports on the adverts said they wished to share the stories of ‘changing farming practices, of technological innovation and tangible results, of commitment to today’s targets coupled with the appetite to do more.’

That phrase – the ‘appetite to do more’ – is one that will send a chill down the spine of any animal lover, after watching the ill-treatment of young calves, as filmed undercover by the RTÉ team.

‘We are really proud of this campaign. We want everyone to know about this work and know that they can continue to be proud of Irish dairy – which as we all know is globally renowned,’ said Jeanne Spillane, marketing manager at NDC, as the ads were launched.

The RTÉ show could not have come at a worse time for those backing the NDC campaign. Monday night’s scenes of defenceless – and very young – animals being beaten, kicked, dragged by their tails and ears, and even flung from a height – was a sickening indictment of some of the most unsavoury practices in the same dairy industry.

For all its horrific footage, the TV programme very fairly juxtaposed those disgusting scenes with interviews with farmers – two from West Cork – who were particularly shocked and visibly upset by what they were watching.

But the bottom line is that the show will have done massive and unrepairable damage to the dairy sector. A quick scroll of reaction on Twitter immediately after the broadcast revealed the true extent of people’s repulsion by what they had seen, over the hour of the programme, with many saying they would find it hard to even buy a pint of milk the next morning.

West Cork was also, unfortunately, on the ‘roll call’ of bad behaviour, with Bandon Mart staff in the firing line.

But the programme did not just make an issue of animal cruelty – it also made the point that the over-supply of young, male calves, gave them a ‘worthless’ value, as evidenced by one poor animal which went on sale for €1 and still could not be sold at the mart. And, as such, the reporter commented that this low value meant they were treated as worthless, not just in monetary means, but in the minds of the staff dealing with them. 

The value of an animal should not, of course, be any excuse for ill-treatment. 

This ill-treatment extended to the sickening conditions being afforded to these sentient beasts en route to Europe – being stacked on top of each other in boiling cattle trucks, with no water or food breaks for hours on end – only to come to a very abrupt and sad demise in a facility in some far flung European country.

Unfortunately, Ireland is fast gaining a very poor reputation for animal welfare. Our track record in bloodsports and puppy farms is well known. And adding this latest hall of shame to the list should really make the government take the issue far more seriously. Where have the inspectors been in all of this?

As well as the industry itself needing to make amends, the Department of Agriculture also has very serious questions to answer.