Welcome to the NeighbourFood podcast. Our guests this week are father and son duo Jerry and Conor O'Riordan, who along with their brother Diarmuid have formed a cooperative of Dexter Cattle farmers in Munster called The Brave Herders. 

We spoke to them about their own family farm, why and how Jerry transitioned from dairy farming into dry cattle, which are now exclusively Dexter. How his sons Conor and Diarmuid brought technology and a group of like minded small farmers together as a co-operative to support each other, produce and sell their quality meat collectively both online, in selected butcher shops and NeighbourFood markets.

Conor is hands on in the farm and has a particular interest in animal welfare and environmental sustainability, so we spoke to him about what this means for him and the work they do on the farm. And how we, as consumers, can play a part in this too by choosing a flexitarian diet and meat as a special treat. 

And then of course, we learn of course about Dexter cattle, a Celtic cow, who are small in size, but big in flavour and hear the story of Jerry’s first encounter with this traditional breed. 

Here are two Brave Herders.

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