Restructuring of Irish Dairy Co-operatives since 1950 An example from County Tipperary

Abstract

The amalgamation and subsequent rationalisation of dairy co-operatives offer an important example of the restructuring the Irish agricultural sector has experienced over the past fifty years. The process also provides indicators of economic and social change at local level over the period. The study focuses on the process of change in the local co-operative creamery in Slieveardagh parish, county Tipperary. during the 1950s and 1960s, before its amalgamation with a dairy cooperative which covered much of the south-east. The expansion of the co-operative over the subsequent two decades, manifested in changes in milk assembly, milk supplier numbers, and social conditions, is also discussed.

Keywords:

• Dairy co-operatives
• amalgamation
• rationalisation
• Slieveardagh