Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Simon Coveney has said that the co-operative model can achieve the necessary farmer buy-in and the pace of change to reduce emissions and other environmental issues in the dairy sector.
Speaking at the Sustainable Dairy Future Conference in University College Cork (UCC) yesterday (Monday, December 4), Minister Coveney said that the co-op movement can play a particularly important role in addressing environmental issues in dairy.
The two-day event was organized by the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS), the ICOS Skillnet, and University College Cork (UCC), which hosted the event.
Minister Coveney told attendees that the presence of the co-operative system in Ireland was an advantage in improving the sustainability of the sector.
“One of the huge advantages that we have in the dairy sector versus other sectors in food and agriculture is the presence of co-operatives, which is why I think it is strategically important the ICOS is the main driver behind this conference, and needs to continue to be the driver behind the change in this industry,” the minister said.
“If it’s led by farmer-owned co-ops well then I think the buy-in and the pace of change can happen in a way that can deliver ambitious targets,” he added.
Minister Coveney commented: “I’m a huge believer in the co-operative movement in the context of dairy. I only wish we could build something similar in the beef industry, and indeed in other food sectors.
“So this has to be a partnership between co-ops, their members, Teagasc, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the government more broadly, and the European Commission, in the context of the change that needs to unfold at a farm level, and at a processing level as well.”
During his remarks, the minister drew attention to the need for economic sustainability as well as environmentally sustainability.
“If we change the industry is such a way to undermine income levels, well then we’re seeing an industry that is going to shrink or indeed change its form in a way that will undermine the Irish farming model quite fundamentally,” he said.
Minister Coveney also acknowledged that emissions mitigation is a challenge in the agriculture sector.
“It is a sector that’s finding it challenging to do it at the pace that’s being demanded of it.
“Let’s not pretend that mitigation is as easy in the agricultural and food production sector as it is in other sectors. You can’t switch from a cow to an electric cow,” he said.
“I want to welcome the progress that has been made in this sector over the last 10 years, because there has been significant progress in terms of farm practice, how we manage grassland management, feed conversion efficiency, and how we look to improve farm practices to reduce emissions where possible,” he commented.
However, Minister Coveney added: “That is making a difference, and we are starting to see that in the numbers, but we do need to go beyond that, and that’s the reality.”