May 31, 2023

Irish dairy herd cull must be voluntary, warns milk suppliers association

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association has cautioned that any plans to cull Ireland's dairy herd must be voluntary, taking into account the individual circumstances of farmers, The Irish Times reported.

Pat McCormack, president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) stressed the importance of a voluntary scheme, as it would be unfair to force culling on those who have made significant financial commitments based on specific targets.

According to a report by the Irish Independent, up to 65,000 dairy cows per year may face culling as the government strives to align the agriculture sector with climate targets. An internal briefing paper from the country's Department of Agriculture explored measures to help the sector close the emissions gap.

McCormack argued that farmers should be involved in any changes to strategy and expressed their willingness to contribute to the environmental journey. H

e highlighted the need for investment in scientific infrastructure to achieve lower emissions and emphasized the farmers' commitment to environmental impact reduction.

McCormack also noted that the current dairy herd size is similar to that of 30 years ago, as numbers had initially dropped due to quotas over a decade ago but have since risen.

Regarding the potential cull, McCormack pointed out that if it were voluntary, some farmers would decline participation, while others might choose to exit the dairy sector. He expressed disappointment that farmers in other sectors did not have similar opportunities for reduction or exit.

-      The Irish Times