Dublin, Ireland (12 January 2026)

National Dairy Council (NDC) new sentiment tracking shows a further increase in confidence and positive attitudes toward dairy’s role in sustainability and nutrition.

New research from the NDC shows a strong increase in public trust in Irish dairy farmers and their care for the environment, with nearly three-quarters of Irish adults now expressing confidence in how dairy farming is carried out. The research was undertaken during November 2025.

Key findings:

• 74% of Irish adults now agree that “I trust Irish dairy farmers to take care of the environment” — up from 47% in 2022.
• Trust has increased by a further 2% since May 2025.
• 81% agree that “dairy can be part of a sustainable diet” — up from 68% in 2022.
• 82% agree that “dairy is part of a healthy, balanced diet” — up from 65% in 2022.

Since 2022, the NDC has been tracking public sentiment across all adult age cohorts at regular intervals, measuring attitudes toward sustainability, nutrition and environmental care. The latest results, from November 2025, show that 74% of the population agree with the statement “I trust Irish dairy farmers to take care of the environment” — a 2% increase on the tracking from May of this year.

Agreement has also strengthened across the other two key measures tracked by the NDC. Belief that dairy can be part of a sustainable diet has increased from 68% in 2022 to 81% today, while agreement that dairy is part of a healthy, balanced diet has risen from 65% to 82%. These figures are stable since May 2025.

Commenting on the findings, Emma Walls, National Dairy Council CEO, said: “Against a backdrop of negative commentary and misinformation about farming, this sustained increase represents an excellent result and demonstrates that the positive, evidence-based messaging on dairy farming is clearly resonating with the public.

Ultimately, however, the real credit for this shift lies with our dairy farmers. Their ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, introducing multiple sustainability measures on farm is building trust and confidence with Irish people.”

The NDC will continue to tell the story of Irish dairy farmers through increased focus on its Farmer Ambassador programme and by using the Quality Milk Awards to highlight the story of quality and sustainability in dairy farmer.

Iarlaith Corcoran, Managing Director at Opinions Research, said, “The scale and consistency of the increase we are seeing is notable. Trust in Irish dairy farmers’ care for the environment has risen steadily across multiple waves of research since 2022, and the latest results show that this positive shift is being sustained across age groups. This suggests a genuine improvement in public understanding and confidence, rather than a short-term change in sentiment.”

About the Research

The NDC’s sentiment tracking programme began in 2022 and surveys nationally representative samples of Irish adults at least twice each year. It tracks agreement with three statements relating to dairy’s role in a sustainable diet, a healthy, balanced diet, and trust in Irish dairy farmers to take care of the environment.

Notes to Editor

About the National Dairy Council – The National Dairy Council (NDC) champions the role of sustainable, quality, pasture-based dairy production and its nutrition benefits in supporting healthier and more active living.

We are a farmer-funded representative body that works to promote and protect Ireland’s internationally renowned dairy reputation for excellent products, sustainably produced. We believe in a future in which Irish dairy is recognised and trusted as a vital part of people’s diet, indispensable to Ireland’s social and economic wellbeing. All of our actions are built on a comprehensive understanding of dairy’s role across the life-stages, supporting and using research to answer important questions about dairy products, how they are produced and their role as part of a balanced diet. The NDC plays a vital role in shaping Irish public opinion on dairy production & products. We have a proven track record in promoting dairy products but now we need to actively promote farmers and dairy farming’s social license to operate in Ireland.

For further information, please contact: Niamh Gunn, National Dairy Council, email: Tel: 0876735319