THE NATIONAL Dairy Council is to use Irish soccer stars to promote the school milk scheme, which has seen a dramatic decline in pupils taking part.
It has teamed up with the Football Association of Ireland to devise a pilot scheme to run in a selection of schools in counties Dublin, Sligo, Donegal, Monaghan and Limerick.
Soccer players will visit schools and engage in activities and discussions on exercise and sports.
Classes will also have presentations by club promotion officers on the benefits of dairy consumption within the context of a healthy and balanced diet.
The pilot phase will run from October to December this year and will then be reviewed with a view to nationwide expansion.
The school milk scheme itself has operated in Ireland for just over 26 years, making milk available to school children at a discounted price. While the number of schools that participate in the programme has more or less remained constant, participation has dropped from 234,000 in 1987 to 85,000 in 2004.
The marketplace has become very competitive with the growth in popularity of newer and heavily advertised products such as soft drinks, isotonic drinks, fruit juices and mineral water.
In 2003 the Obesity Taskforce report estimated that 37 per cent of Irish children aged 10-17 drink fizzy drinks at least once daily.
Helen Brophy, chief executive of the National Dairy Council, said the school milk scheme accounted for an estimated 0.8 per cent of total national consumption, whereas in Finland it accounted for 5 per cent of consumption.
The council hopes to increase participation in the scheme by 30 per cent before 2012. Under the partnership, club promotion officers for the FAI will develop a network with dairy co-op members in each region.