The government has been accused of launching a “a twin-attack on the family dairy farm system” today, (Friday, June 30) by the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA).
Pat McCormack, president of the ICMSA, said the government has decided to reduce down the Nitrates Derogation from 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha.
It has been estimated that 7,300 farmers are currently farming at the higher stocking rate of 250kg organic manure nitrogen per hectare.
But the president of the ICMSA believes that “almost the entire country” will be forced to drop from 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha.
McCormack said the almost nationwide reduction combined with cow banding is a double attack on family dairy farms.
The European Commission imposed “conditionality” around water quality trends when it awarded Ireland its current Nitrates Derogation.
Their “Implementing Decision” states that where water quality is poor, or where worsening trends occur over the period 2021-2022, the maximum livestock manure N/ha limit must be reduced from 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha from January 2024.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) yesterday (Thursday, June 29) provided a briefing to the Agriculture Water Quality Working Group – which includes representatives of farm organisations, Teagasc, private agricultural consultants, Local Authorities, An Fóram Uisce and officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage as well as the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine – on the latest water quality data.
Agriland understands that the EPA has suggested that its latest analysis of water quality data does not support a substantial number of farmers to farm to a higher stocking rate of 250kg organic manure nitrogen per hectare.
In related material seen by Agriland the EPA highlighted to the Agriculture Water Quality Working Group that a significant percentage of the county will likely see the N/ha limit reduced from 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha.
The agency is set to deliver its report today (Friday, June 30) to the European Commission on how Ireland is adhering to the conditions set out under the Nitrates Derogation.
Dairy farms
McCormack believes that the government’s current policy is “destructive” for Irish dairy farms and that the impact of reducing down to 220kg N/ha will have significant economic impacts across rural communities.
The ICMSA president added: “It’s out there now – the almost nationwide reduction of N, regardless of geographic consideration or improving water quality – and nobody can plead ignorance anymore.
“The government has shown us what they intend doing and we are now calling on every single rural politician in Ireland to show this government what rural Ireland intends doing over the next rounds of elections.
“We expect and will get that support because everyone can see that at this stage it’s not about the data or the science: it’s actually about the ideology and the government’s need to keep in harness viciously anti-farming elements.”
He has claimed that there are “elements who do not want our commercial family farm sector reduced – they want it gone”.
“These decisions, these attacks, will fall – and are designed to fall – on the dairy farmers with less than 100 cows: in other words, the majority of Irish dairy farms,” McCormack added.
He has appealed to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, to “delay” submitting a report to the European Commission on how Ireland has adhered to the conditions set out under the Nitrates Derogation.