Dairy farmers have described the use of imported Dutch cheddar cheese in the State’s schools meals programme as “an insult”.
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), which represents dairy farmers, said it had received complaints from members whose children were given cheddar cheese sourced from Dutch dairy group Vergeer as part of the Department of Social Protection’s school meals programme, which delivers hot meals to 2,200-plus primary schools.
“We were now in a situation where the Irish dairy sector and promotional agencies were going around the world proclaiming the benefits of our unrivalled dairy products while our own children – including the children of dairy farmers – were being given Dutch cheese by our own Government,” ICMSA president Denis Drennan said.
When contacted, the department said it provided funding directly to each school. “It is then the responsibility of each individual school to administer the programme in their school,” it said.
“All schools who wish to avail of funding are responsible for choosing their supplier on the open market in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with public procurement rules. The primary relationship is between school and supplier,” it said.
It also noted that, under European Union laws and as reflected in public procurement rules “it cannot be specified that food must originate from a particular country. That would be in breach of EU single market rules.”
Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys has expanded the programme in recent years with children in 2,200 primary schools now eligible to receive a hot meal. As part of Budget 2025, meals will be extended to all remaining primary schools next year.
Mr Drennan called on the Government to immediately review the sourcing of food for the school meals programme, saying he did not think it was an unreasonable ask for the Irish Government to source Irish produced food – where possible – to give to Irish schoolchildren as part of an Irish Government policy.
He also noted that Irish dairy products were scientifically proven to involve lower emissions than their Dutch counterparts.
“We are told on a literally daily basis that sustainability and environmental impact should be the paramount consideration in all our decision-making,” he said. “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 schoolchildren.
“Farmers – and not just farmers – will find this absolutely bizarre and infuriating,” Mr Drennan said.
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