The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has said that any suggestion to lift the cap on passenger numbers at Dublin Airport without referencing increased emissions is “surreal”.
Both the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) and Aer Lingus have urged An Bord Pleanála to remove planning restrictions linked to the facility’s north runway which opened in 2022.
Those conditions state that the 3.1km runway should not be used from 11:00p.m to 7:00a.m and that night-time flights should not exceed an average of 65.
The Aer Lingus report states that limiting passenger numbers to 32 million at Dublin Airport could cost the Irish economy €1.4 billion for every one million passengers not allowed to use the facility.
Dublin Airport
ICMSA president Denis Drennan said that farmers and the country’s multi-billion euro dairy processing sector will be closely watching the government’s reaction to the campaign to increase passenger numbers at Dublin Airport.
He said that economic arguments, similar to those now being used by Aer Lingus, were presented for maintaining Ireland’s nitrates derogation at 250kg of organic nitrogen (N) per hectare.
Drennan said it would be impossible for the government to increase flights at the airport by 33%, resulting in increased emissions, while at the same time demanding the agriculture sector lowers emissions.
He said that farmers are “waiting with interest” to see if any of the “environmental quangos and agencies” who spoke out against farm-related emissions will comment on the DAA and Aer Lingus request.
Drennan said the farm organisation would be “watching like hawks” to see if Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan is “as forthright in his analysis of this actually non-essential application”.
The ICMSA president added that he would expected Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue to “veto any such lifting of the passenger cap on grounds of consistency and equality”.