Dave and Rob Kearney are the new National Dairy Council ambassadors
Leinster and Ireland rugby stars Rob and Dave Kearney have been named as ambassadors to the National Dairy Council for their 50th anniversary year this year.
The brothers, from Willville in Carlingford, were unveiled as NDC reps on Friday night’s Late Late Show and will be following in the footsteps of Irish captain Paul O’Connell.
“The Kearney brothers are terrific role models who resonate with adults and children alike,” said NDC Chief Executive Zoë Kavanagh.
“They bring together an established and a rising star of Irish sports – and are collectively an embodiment of balanced diet and active lifestyle.”
Rob and Dave Kearney are both strong supporters of Irish farming and food production, having grown up on a farm on the Cooley Peninsula. Their parents, David and Siobhan, are the fourth generation to farm in this location.
A new television advertisement to promote Irish dairy will be filmed on the Kearney family farm after the Six Nations Championship and will be launched on the national airwaves to mark National Dairy Week in May.
Zoë Kavanagh said this year’s campaign rests within the “Irish Dairy: Sustainable & Nutritious by Nature” strategy which is rooted in provenance, quality and the excellence of our dairy produce.
“The new advertising will set out to promote dairy as part of a healthy balanced diet and active lifestyle for all of the family. It will show the goodness of our dairy based on quality pasture-based dairy farming. It will highlight that good nutrition starts with a balanced diet – including dairy – and that good eating habits start when you’re young.
“Between the ages of 5-12 years, 37% of Irish girls and 28% of boys have insufficient calcium in their diet. 42% teenage girls & 23% teenage boys in Ireland also have inadequate calcium intakes,” said Ms. Kavanagh. “Now more than ever before the inclusion of milk in the diet from cradle to grave is important.”
The National Dairy Council also has a strong interest in promoting the positive role that milk can play in sports nutrition.
Meanwhile, the Kearneys said they were delighted to be involved with the NDC.
“We’re proud of our farming roots and recognise the amount of hard work that goes behind producing the type of good quality food we have come to expect in Ireland – Irish food deserves all the support it can get and we are both delighted to be working with the NDC in the months ahead,” said Rob.
“There is a growing interest in sports nutrition, in professional and amateur sport and the concept that how you fuel your body can affect your performance in training and in matches – whether you are playing a local school match – or as a professional sports person – it embodies the principals we apply in our every day life on and off the field,” said Dave Kearney
The new advertising campaign featuring the Kearney brothers will form part of the three year strategy “Irish Dairy: Sustainable & Nutritious by Nature,” now entering its second year.
It aims to promote the image, quality, taste and nutritional credentials of Irish dairy and promotes the full spectrum of dairy produce including the ‘milk, yogurt and cheese’ food group as well as butter and cream.
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