Brendan Crosse

Brendan Crosse is a 2021 Nuffield Scholar. Brendan’s Nuffield study topic is: ‘Creating alternative primary agri-food industries: the feasibility of establishing a large-scale co-operative sheep milk industry in Ireland’

Brendan will explore how others created successful alternative primary industries and what were the critical success factors with a particular focus on learning from established and emerging sheep dairy industries across the world. He will also explore how a co-op can play a role in the growth of this sector.

Brendan is a UCD Science graduate and has completed a European Erasmus MSc in Food Innovation and Product Design, where he studied in Paris and in Lund University, Sweden.

In 2016, Brendan and his brother, Michael, saw an opportunity to get into farming by establishing a sheep dairy farm. Their business is called Sheep Milk Ireland Ltd. The business is currently supplying a number of cheesemakers across Munster.

Over the past number of years, they have scaled the business and are developing innovative sheep milk powder products. They also completed the Food Works accelerator programme run by Bord Bia, Teagasc and Enterprise Ireland, and Enterprise Ireland has since invested into the business.

Sheep Milk Ireland aims to create a large-scale sheep dairy industry in Ireland and offer other farmers the opportunity to get into the industry.

Brendan intends to travel to France, New Zealand, Australia and China during the course of his Nuffield Scholarship.

Creating alternative primary agri- food industries: the feasibility of establishing a large- scale co-operative sheep milk industry in Ireland