Donal Murphy

Project Title: Evaluation of nutritional strategies to improve health in peri-partum Irish dairy cows

Biography: Donal is looking at the effect of different nutritional strategies on peri-partum health in Irish dairy cows with particular focus on incidences of subclinical and clinical milk fever in the transition period. The transition period is a period of great challenge to the dairy cow with peak incidences of metabolic disease which can further disrupt the subsequent lactation. The study will seek to identify nutritional strategies that are applicable to pasture based dairy production through on farm nutritional experiments.
Donal comes from a dairy-calf to beef farm in county Carlow which has fuelled his passion for agriculture and has pursued this by achieving a 1st class honours in Agricultural Science from UCD in 2025.