Dutch cheese in school meals programme is 'an insult' to Irish dairy farmers

The president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association has called reports of Dutch cheddar being supplied to children under the School Meals Programme “surreal” and nothing less than an “insult” to Ireland’s hard-pressed 18,000 dairy farmers.

ICMSA chief Denis Drennan said the organisation had received a complaint about the programme from a parent who is a member of the ICMSA.

He said that the whole episode came under the ‘You Couldn’t Make It Up’ category.

“We received a complaint from a member whose primary school going child was given some Dutch cheddar under the auspices of the School Meals Programme operated by the Department of Social Protection.

"We obviously cannot give any identifying details beyond saying that the particular area concerned is one of the most traditional and famous milk-producing districts in the state and the fact that an Irish Government Department could not – or would not – be bothered to source Irish cheese speaks volumes about the real attitude that hides behind all the lip-service and platitudes.

Read Also: Love/Hate star teases return of iconic RTE crime series amid wild fan theory

"It’s shocking, but strangely unsurprising set against the prevailing attitude to Irish farming and food,” Mr. Drennan continued.

According to the Department of Social Protection however, the School Meals Local Projects Scheme provides funding directly from the department to primary schools, secondary schools and local groups and voluntary organisations, who then operate their own school meals projects.

Noting that Irish dairy products were scientifically proven to involve lower emissions than their Dutch counterparts, Mr. Drennan asked what sustainability considerations were brought into play for these Government contracts.

“We are told on a literally daily basis that Sustainability and Environmental Impact should be the paramount consideration in all our decision-making.

"What’s the point of us acting on that and being so guided if our own Government – the ones pushing through regulation after regulation compelling us to do just that – are going to buy less sustainably produced dairy to give to Irish school children. Farmers – and not just farmers – will find this absolutely bizarre and infuriating”, he said.

Calling for the Government to immediately review the sourcing of food for the School Meals Programme, the ICMSA president said that he didn’t think it was an unreasonable ask for the Irish Government to source Irish produced food – where possible – to give to Irish school children as part of an Irish Government policy.

“We would have thought that that would be the minimum that Irish farmers had a right to expect – and, for that matter, Irish parents and their children.”