Tirlán Suppliers Bridging the Gap Between Children and Farming Through NDC School Farm Visits
Tirlán milk suppliers hosted two National Dairy Council (NDC) School Farm Visits this month, welcoming over 500 primary school pupils onto their family farms in Wicklow and Kildare as part of a nationwide initiative to connect children with where their food comes from.
On May 14th, Tom and Geraldine Short hosted pupils at their farm in Newtownmountkennedy, Co. Wicklow, while on May 22nd, Shane O’Loughlin welcomed children to his farm in Monasterevin, Co. Kildare.
The visits are part of the NDC’s EU School Milk Scheme educational programme, which is bringing up to 1,500 pupils to dairy farms across Ireland, offering hands-on learning experiences about food production, nutrition, and sustainable farming.
During the visits, pupils took part in interactive farm experiences including milking demonstrations, calf feeding, and learning stations focused on animal care, grass growth, nutrition, and the journey of milk from grass to glass.
The initiative comes as recent NDC research highlights a growing disconnect between children and farming, with 56% of children in Ireland having never seen a cow being milked.
By opening their farms, Tirlán suppliers are playing a key role in helping to bridge this gap - giving children the opportunity to see first-hand how milk is produced and to engage directly with the farmers behind it.
Speaking about the visit, Kildare host and Tirlán Board Member, Shane O’Loughlin said:
“It’s important that children get the chance to see where their food comes from. Having them on the farm, seeing the cows and the milking process first-hand, really helps bring that to life in a way you can’t replicate in the classroom.”
Wicklow host farmer Tom Short added:
“It’s great to welcome the children onto the farm and show them where their food comes from. Most of them are seeing this for the first time, so it’s nice to be able to explain what we do day to day and answer their questions directly.”
The Monasterevin event also gained national media exposure, with Doireann Garrihy and the RTÉ 2FM Roadcaster broadcasting live from Shane’s farm. On the day, Shane shared the story of dairy production - from grass to glass - with listeners across the country, bringing the experience into homes nationwide. RTÉ and Doireann also shared highlights from the visit across their social media channels, reaching a combined audience of over 100,000 followers.
The EU School Milk Scheme, delivered in Ireland by the NDC through its Moo Crew programme, provides schools with subsidised milk alongside educational resources that promote healthy eating and awareness of food origins.
Commenting on the importance of the scheme, Tirlán CEO Sean Molloy said:
“Through our Avonmore brand, Tirlán is proud to supply fresh, nutritious milk to schools across Ireland as part of the EU School Milk Scheme. This initiative plays an important role in supporting children’s health while also helping them understand where their food comes from. Combined with experiences like the NDC School Farm Visits, it helps build a real connection between the classroom and modern dairy farming.”
Together, initiatives like the NDC School Farm Visits and the EU School Milk Scheme are helping to reconnect children with where their food comes from. Through the ongoing commitment of Tirlán suppliers, these programmes create real-world learning experiences that bring food, farming and nutrition to life for the next generation.
