Dairy Forum Ireland
Twelve speakers follow milk from the farm to the market, each session closing on a chaired industry challenge. Opens with an evening of cheese and whiskey.
Cork · 3 & 4 March 2027 · Tickets are free of charge and limited in number
- Dates
- 3 & 4 March 2027
- Where
- Cork · The Garryvoe Hotel
- Who
- Producers · Buyers
- Format
- Evening + day
- Theme
- More from Milk
- Tickets
- Free · limited numbers
75
senior decision-makers at the 2026 forum
23
organisations represented
Who it’s for
Relevant to
Volume producers and artisan makers, suppliers and buyers, researchers and commercial partners from across the Irish and UK dairy industry.
Building on 2026.
Dairy Forum Ireland puts the whole Irish dairy industry in one room: volume producers and artisan makers, suppliers and buyers, researchers and commercial partners.
The first forum ran in Galway in 2026 and sold out. In 2027 it moves to Cork, with a wider programme, more speakers and room for more delegates. The measure of 2026 was not the attendance. It was the conversations that turned into commercial work.
Both 2027 forums run under one theme, More from Milk. The Dairy Mail carries it through the year, so the conversation starts before Cork and continues after it.
The programme
Twelve speakers. Four questions the industry has to answer.
The theme for the day: More from Milk
The forum follows milk through the chain: off the farm, into the plant, in front of the buyer and out into the market. Each session closes with a chaired panel on one industry challenge, put to all three speakers.
This is a draft programme. Timings, session content and speakers are subject to change. Speakers are confirmed on a rolling basis and named here as they are booked.
The venue
The Garryvoe Hotel
Overlooking Ballycotton Bay · Castlemartyr, County Cork
An independent, family-run four-star hotel on a five-mile beach overlooking Ballycotton Bay, in the middle of Munster's dairy and food heartland. There has been a hotel on this beach since the early 1900s.
Conversations carry on after the sessions: the Lighthouse Bistro, the Cave Pub, the health club and pool, or a walk along the strand.
- 40 minfrom Cork International Airport, 30 minutes from Cork city
- 300+free car parking spaces on site
- 450delegate capacity in the main room, plus syndicate rooms for focused sessions and side meetings
- 84ensuite bedrooms on site
Wednesday 3 March 2027
to 21.00
Forum Fest
The opening evening. A welcome address, then a curated Irish cheese and Irish whiskey pairing, a producer showcase and an evening tastings reception. Glass in hand, guard down, the right people in the room from the first hour.
Dairy Connect, in collaboration with local producers
11.00 to 16.00 — exhibition set up. Producer showcase access for event build.
Thursday 4 March 2027
RegistrationCoffee on arrival, exhibition open
The Milk
9.30 – 11.00What does the farmer actually get paid for in milk?
What does the processor require from the farm that the exporter does not?
Can spring-peak, grass-based supply support year-round ingredient processing?
And how could the dry summer of 2026 affect milk quality through silage shortages?
Industry challenge
With the nitrates derogation extended on stricter terms and many farmers carrying debt, what should Irish dairy farmers be paid to produce if “More from Milk” can no longer mean more litres, and who funds that shift?
Coffee breakExhibition open
The Processing Plant
11.15 – 13.00Is whey fractionation the next major opportunity in dairy processing?
And what should the processing plant of the future look like?
What research supports the high-protein functional nutrition opportunity for Irish dairy?
Rising GLP-1 use, smaller meal portions and demand for healthy ageing are all increasing interest in the category.
Can processors offset PPWR packaging costs by optimising check-weighing and reducing overfill giveaway?
Industry challenge
If export growth is coming from price rather than volume while milk supply remains flat, where should future processing investment go, and what must lose out?
Gather & GrazeLunch, exhibition and producer showcase
The Buyers
13.45 – 15.15Where are protein trends heading, why are they shifting, and what new bulk protein products could Ireland offer?
Could Ireland become Europe’s protein ingredients hub?
And what would make buyers choose Irish processors for supply?
In today’s discerning retail market, what earns a dairy listing, and is there still valuable shelf space to win?
Industry challenge
As private label gains share and the middle shelf disappears, is “Irish grass-fed” still enough to win branded space and margin, or must Irish dairy carry a stronger functional or protein claim?
Afternoon breakCoffee, exhibition and producer showcase
The Markets
15.30 – 17.15If a significant share of Ireland’s export markets is using GLP-1 medication by 2030, is Irish dairy positioned to capture premium protein demand?
GLP-1 users are paying more for protein while buying less dairy overall, even as cottage cheese and Greek yoghurt outperform and general dairy purchase frequency softens.
How exposed is the “More from Milk” story to a narrow product base and a small set of growth markets?
Irish dairy is pursuing premium growth in Vietnam, Singapore and China, while 72 per cent of export value remains in the EU, the UK and North America, with butter and cheese driving most recent growth.
Once the business case is proven, which markets could an Irish protein hub win that a traditional exporter cannot?
The closing challenge
Will Irish dairy own more of the value chain, or become the most efficient supplier of someone else’s margin?
Closing remarksDairy Connect
Event close
Exhibition break down and clearance, 17.30 – 18.30.
Tickets are free of charge and limited in number.
Read before you come
The analysis behind the agenda.
2026 the volatility year
2026 will not be the recovery year the sector expected but the year that resets it, splitting shoppers into clearer tiers and leaving mainstream Cheddar the most exposed.
27 April 2026
FETA PDO: provenance the buyer can verify
With speciality cheese outgrowing the category and feta supply tightening, buyers should secure genuine PDO product early rather than treat it as a commodity.
19 June 2026
The Invisible Factory: the value leaving dairy through its drains
The largest untapped margin on most dairy sites is not a new product but the value already leaving as effluent, heat and yield loss; the first commercial act is to measure it.
20 August 2026
Partner with the forum
Your name in the room.
Host the opening evening, pour the whiskey or pair the cheese. Then take a position on the forum day.
Take your place in the room.
Tickets are free of charge but limited in number, and the room fills in the order people claim them. Book yours now.
Dairy Forum IrelandCork · 3 & 4 March 2027
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