The cream of the crop!

There may be a crisis in farming, with incomes down, and costs up, but Castlepollard farmer Gerard Heery is not letting things get on top of him.Gerard, instead, views farming as a positive lifestyle, and it's one he loves - despite the commitment required of today's dairy farmer.That commitment has, however, been recognised by Glanbia, the firm to which Gerard supplies 410,000 litres of milk annually: his local co-op, in Oldcastle, has named him as their nominee for this year's National Dairy Council Quality Milk Award."It covers all aspects of quality milk: it takes into account your TBC (total bacterial count), fat, protein, lactose, and the somatic cell count and the termaduric count," says Gerard, whose farm at Hammondstown, is right on the borders of Mullaghmeen forest.And if all that sounds very technical, it's because they're the measurements employed to ensure that the milk coming off Ireland's dairy farms these days is at the highest standard possible, to ensure it reaches customers in the highest standard possible."There is a huge emphasis on hygiene," says Gerard, who explains that while his own milking parlour is fairly new and so easy to maintain, that's just one aspect of things."Apart from that, it's a case of keeping it up to a good standard, from when the milk is taken from the cow, through ensuring the liners are clean, and keeping the milk at a cool temperature."In total, 21 farmers are vying for this year's national title, and competition is hot."Dairy co-ops who submit their top farmers to represent their entire group of farmer suppliers, have already undertaken a form of shortlisting for the awards, and so the quality of the entries is very high," explains NDC Chief Executive Helen Brophy."Nomination for the NDC Quality MIlk Awards is in its own right a reflection of very high farming standards at national level, which we believe the farmers involved can be particularly proud of."In the next phase of the awards, the judges will assess all of the technical and background data in order to select a further shortlist of approximately six finalists. The judges will then visit and inspect the farms of the finalists in roder to select the overall national winner.Gerard, who enjoys long-distance running in his spare time, is taking it all in his stride, while pleased to have been nominated.He is one of a rare breed these days: a full-time farmer, and has been at it all his life, as were his parents, who still play an active role on the farm.Gerard milks 70 cows twice a day, heading into the milking parlour around 8 a.m. in the mornings to begin the milking, and then doing the same job all over again in the evening."I'm very lucky: I've a brother who does it for me if I can't do it," he says, adding that having someone else who can step into the breach makes a huge difference in the life of a dairy farmer.He believes there is a future in farming: "People have to eat. We all have to eat. But the problem seems to be as much as anything else that the consumer isn't getting the benefit of cut in prices to farmers. It's the middlemen: they're still creaming off as much as they ever did."To illustrate the point, he explains that last year, milk prices were at 38-39 cent a litre to the farmer, before the global downturn. Twelve months on, farmers are getting just 23 cents a litre. Some costs have come down, he says, such as fertiliser, and the cost of meal."But last year was a good year for milk up to mid 07 we were only getting 27/30 cents a litre, and now it's gone back again."In the meantime, he points out, consumers are still paying as much for milk as they ever were.He believes the Irish dairy sector fared better under the quota system."That kept a level market the whole time, and you were guaranteed a price for your milk."In addition, he says, the farmer in Europe is competing with inputs from non-EU countries that aren't bound by the same stringent rules as EU farmers are."The thing within Europe is we are governed with a lot of safety and hygiene rules - but products can come in here that haven't been produced at that standard, and they are still sold at the same price."