As if it stays around long enough to worry about that!

I love unsalted butter myself - Kerrygold brand.

I get unsalted organic butter. I figure if salt is a preservative that perhaps the salted stuff is older than the unsalted. Maybe I'm wrong, but I really don't like salt, so I would rather "salt to taste" than have someone else do it for me. Kerrygold sounds lovely ... but I really cannot imagine how a little country like Ireland - for all its lovely green fields and contented cows (I used to live there; I have seen both green fields and cows) - can supply the whole of North America (and, apparently, Europe and Australia) with butter from grassfed cows. Maybe they can; maybe I'm wrong. But it just seems unlikely to me. So, if Kerrygold doesn't, in fact, come from Irish happy, grassfed cows from where does it come? At that price I tend to be suspicious.

I found a new butter imported from Belgium that is called Chimay.
It's just as good as Kerry Gold and has the same butterfat as KG. What I was reading about butter is that the butter in the US has more water in it.
Ever melt it in a pan and see too much water coming out and your mushrooms begin steaming instead of frying.
That's the difference.
This one from Belgium is only about $2.99, much less than KG and tastes just as good.
I found it at an import food store.

I've also wondered about the lower price I often see on European butters, which I assume are better quality, such as KG; and I used to buy a Danish brand that was cheaper than butter from a local dairy. The Organic Valley butter at a natural foods store here runs over $7 a pound!

When I was in France a dozen years ago, I marveled at how butter, brie, and pate seemed to be such a bargain, incredible quality at what seemed like ramen prices! Someone told me that it's because in France the government subsidizes those foods (like corn or soy here).

My definite, all-time favorite!

I don't by USA butters unless they are organic. The rBGH growth hormone put into US cows is banned in over 60 countries due to it's contribution to many diseases, including prostate cancer. European butters are safe.

I don't think Kerrygold does supply the whole of North America, Europe, and Australia. It only supplies people who want grass fed butter and are lucky enough to be able to afford the extra cost. Also, they need to live in areas where they can access it. For example, I live in a huge metropolitan area and Kerrygold is not sold in all the thousands of grocery stores here. I have to go out of my way to find a store that carries it. Sadly, most people have still never heard of grass fed as an option for anything. If the demand for grass fed butter was high enough, Big Food would overwhelm the market with a cheap version that cuts corners (like everything else they do) and try to take whatever market share little Kerrygold has.

No, you're right, not ALL of N. America etc. However there are a goodly number of Trader Joe's and Whole Foods about, as well as other "Whole Foods" lookalikes, and they cater to the KG crowd, so there is, apparently, a lot of butter coming out of Ireland to feed those who are inclined to buy it. I have nothing against KG, don't get me wrong; its good stuff. But my choice, for my circumstances, is "just plain" organic. My taste buds don't differentiate sufficiently to make the higher price worthwhile - especially as I no longer enjoy a slice of bread slathered thickly with butter (and nothing else)

I was just thinking that the Belguim butter at $2.99 is cheaper than KG which is about $3.99 but both brands are in a small package probably equal to two sticks or only a 1/2 lb which makes it almost double the cost of regular butter or $8 per pound for Kerry Gold..
Is it worth it IDK? I think I used less of KG because there really was a lot less of water in it when I melted it so maybe I was using less on veggies because I needed less.