Carbery’s 1,200 suppliers are gifted 50 trees to help offset carbon emissions

ALL 1,200 Carbery suppliers will receive 50 trees to be planted on their land courtesy of the international ingredients, flavours and award-winning cheese producer.

The trees will be a variety of oak, birch, white thorn and black thorn and will be made available to suppliers for free via their local co-ops at either Barryroe, Drinagh, Lisavaird or Bandon, from early January.

This is part of latest phase of Carbery’s tree-planting project with long-time partners SWS Forestry, and new partners the Green Economy Foundation.

The group’s ‘West Cork Trees Project’ has secured funding under the Department of Agriculture’s rural development programme, using the European Innovation Partnerships (EIP) Scheme.

The initiative, which was the first of its kind for Ireland’s dairy industry, was first launched by Carbery in March 2016 with the aim of addressing climate change at a local level by offsetting carbon emissions.

Since the launch in 2016, 45,000 trees have been planted across West Cork, and this new phase will see a further 60,000 trees planted across the region.

As well as this, farmers can look forward to dedicated workshops on protecting and enhancing the biodiversity on their farms in 2022 – all as part of the same project.

Carbery vice-chairman Dermot O’Leary was joined by Aoife Feeney, farm sustainability lead with Carbery, James Hurley, farmer and local IFA representative, Nikki Keeling from the Green Economy Foundation; Emily Fitzgerald and Mick Connelly from SWS and Green Party Cllr Dan Boyle, representing Minister Pippa Hackett.

The launch took place on the farm of Carbery supplier John Hurley in Dunmanway. The trees will be distributed in early January.