Formerly known as the National Dairy Publicity Council, the National Dairy Council (NDC) was established by the Minister of Agriculture in 1964, as a semi-state body to promote and support the consumption of milk and dairy products.
The Council changed from a semi-state body to a private farmer funded organisation in 1973 subsequent to Ireland joining the EEC. In 1978, the European Commission introduced a financial support programme to assist the undertaking of national promotional campaigns in an effort to increase dairy consumption and thereby reduce the problem of disposing of surplus milk production within the EEC.