Longford student receives bursary to advance "education and innovation within the dairy industry"

A Longford student has been awarded a Lakeland Dairies’ 'Pathway To A Better Future' bursary. John Doris from Ballinalee, Longford is one of nine students throughout Ireland to receive the bursarie.

John Doris was awarded the bursary from Lakeland Dairies to support his academic pursuits.

In a move to develop future leaders in agriculture, Lakeland Dairies awarded €2,000 / £2,000 bursaries to nine students following a challenging interview process. This is the first time Lakeland Dairies ran such a programme and nearly 100 students applied for the bursary.

Back: Killian O'Reilly, Jack Barry, John Dorris, Eoin O'Sullivan and Aimee McKnight.

Front: Dierdre Cooke (Lakeland Dairies Learning and Development Partner), Sinead McAtamney, Maria Finnegan, Liz Shouldice (Chief People Officer Lakeland Dairies), Kate Gormley, Louise Weir and Anne Smith (Lakeland Dairies Group Head of Talent).

The bursary programme is a key part of Lakeland Dairies’ sustainability strategy – Pathway to a Better Future – which was launched in 2023. John is a fourth-year agriculture science student in UCD.

The exciting initiative was designed to support students pursuing undergraduate or higher-level degrees in agricultural science, dairy science, and engineering, as part of Lakeland Dairies’ commitment to fostering the next generation of leaders in the agricultural sector.

Nine outstanding students from Lakeland Dairies’ farm families and co-op staff received the contribution to assist with their academic pursuits. The bursaries were presented to the winners at Lakeland Dairies’ head office in Cavan last week, marking a significant step towards advancing education and innovation within the dairy industry.

The successful bursary recipients are:

• Maria Finnegan: Cavan

• Eoin O’Sullivan: Meath

• John Doris: Longford

• Jack Barry: Cavan

• Kate Gormley: Leitrim

• Killian O'Reilly: Cavan

• Aimee McKnight-Scott: Armagh

• Sinead McAtamney: Antrim

• Louise Weir: Down

Commenting on the success of the Bursary programme, Liz Shouldice Chief People Officer at Lakeland Dairies, said: “We were really impressed with John’s application and are delighted to award him this bursary. We are thrilled to support these bright, ambitious students through our Pathway to a Better Future bursary programme.

“Education is at the heart of our commitment to innovation and sustainability within the agricultural sector. These students represent the future of the industry be that inside the farm gate or factory gate and we are proud to assist them as they embark on their educational journeys.”

“Lakeland Dairies places a huge importance on education, sustainability, and innovation in shaping the future of our great sector agriculture. The bursary programme, which attracted over 100 applications, is a vital part of our ongoing efforts to support the next generation of agricultural leaders.”

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