The Food Vision Dairy Group has outlined the parameters of a voluntary exit or reduction scheme in the final version of its report, which has been seen by Agriland.

The report recommends that “in return for an appropriate incentive”, a scheme to encourage dairy farmers to “voluntarily reduce or exit the production of ruminant breeding livestock for a minimum number of years” should be considered.

It also details that the choice to participate in any scheme would be for the “individual farmer to make based on individual circumstances”.

Estimates outlined in the report indicate that for every 100,000 dairy cows reduced, “450,000t or 0.45Mt of carbon dioxide equivalent are removed from the inventory”.

This calculation in the report is based on a methane contribution of 37,000 tonnes (122kg of methane per dairy cow in addition to 11.4kg methane per dairy cow in stored manure) and a nitrous oxide contribution of 8,000 tonnes (deposited by animal and chemical N) for every 10,000 cows.

However the Food Vision Dairy Group cautioned that:

“The scheme will only have a direct impact if structured in a way which ensures that reductions in breeding ruminants on a participating farm are not offset by increases in breeding ruminant numbers on that farm, or on other farms.”

The group also stated in its report that the principles that need to be considered for such a scheme include:

  • A voluntary scheme to allow farmers to completely or partially destock breeding ruminants for a contract period.
  • The farmers would commit to a specific reduction number via culling at the commencement of the contract.
  • The scheme would operate over that contract period and provide an annual payment each year per breeding ruminants in line with stated and verified reductions.
  • The farmer could not calve any breeding ruminants or register births on AIM where they had opted to completely reduce numbers.
  • Where applicants opt for a partial dairy herd reduction in the scheme, terms and conditions on restrictions regarding breeding ruminants will be set out in the ‘Reduction Scheme Agreement’ at the time of application.
  • The benefit would be a reduction in breeding ruminants, translating into a direct emissions impact.
  • Legally the commitment would need to be linked to the herd and the holding, therefore a farmer could not opt for the scheme and remove all their breeding ruminants and then transfer the holding during the contract and for the transferee to start a breeding ruminant enterprise on that holding.
  • However, the farmer would be able to diversify into other areas of farming activity not involving breeding ruminants, conditions on land leasing will need to be considered.
  • In developing a detailed scheme, there would need to be extensive consultation with stakeholders to ensure that the scheme is well understood and effective, and that unintended consequences are avoided.

The Food Vision Dairy Group also outlined a number of challenges that would be associated with such a scheme, which includes securing the level of public funding required to incentivise the adoption of the scheme.