Dairy farmers will have to ensure that their “cows are the best performing and the most efficient” when the lower nitrates derogation limit comes into play, the chief executive of the Irish Holstein Friesian Association (IHFA) has warned.
Laurence Feeney, who was speaking on the AgriFocus podcast by Agriland said that dairy farmers are currently facing a lot of changes and that there will be a lot more to come over the next couple of years with “environmental concerns” driving that.
“We need a profitable, efficient dairy industry and we would see IHFA as very much part of the fabric of breed improvement in Ireland because there are a lot of things that we can offer that address some of the challenges in relation to environmental concerns.
“In general we need an efficient productive cow that’s going to make money and there are things that can make an animal a little bit more environmentally friendly, one of the big things that we’ve started to see at the moment is around making cows last longer in herds,” Feeney added.
He said it makes sense that if a cow lasts longer in a herd it means that she does not have to be replaced and a lower replacement rate means that “a farmer can carry less replacement stock and more productive stock”.
“That’s very good in terms of nitrates regulations because farmers can manage their stock a little bit more efficiently,” Feeney said.
According to the chief executive of the IHFA there has been a shift in breeding towards “efficiency and longevity”.
He said that as cows age there are factors which can becoming limiting factors.
“When a cow is younger the most important thing is that they get in calf – as they get older there can be problems around lameness and mastitis so there can be limiting factors in relation to longevity and the physical makeup of the cow – such as has she got good quality udder, has she got good quality legs and feet.
“Those type of things are key issues that become more important as an animal gets older and those are some of the things that we have to start expanding on and start to breed for a little more – there are challenges there but there’s also opportunity there,” Feeney added.
He believes that the era of expansion may be over for dairy farm families and that they may now be moving more into an era of consolidation.
“People are changing their mentality in that they have what they have and they need to manage what they have as best as possible and be as efficient as possible within the farm.
“In general our members are concerned but optimistic about the future. I don’t hear too many people talking about exiting dairy. There is an understanding that dairying is still a good profitable enterprise and a good lifestyle and most of our members are really enthusiastic about dairying – they are the type of people who love their cows.
“But it has to make sense – more and more these days people are focused, it is a business. It has to make money and it has to feed a family and if it is not doing that, I don’t think people are so sentimental that they’re going to stick doing something that doesn’t make any sense,” Feeney said.
He said that overall IHFA members believe they have a future in dairy farming but he said there are also concerns over whether environmental regulations could become “more restrictive” in the short term.
According to Feeney the future of dairy farming is likely to be one of the key topics of conversation at this year’s AXA National Dairy Show (NDS).
The 41st show begins on Friday, October 13 and continues on Saturday, October 14 at Milstreet’s Green Glen Arena in Co, Cork.
Agriland Media Group is the official media partner of the AXA National Dairy Show again this year.
You can listen to the full interview with Laurence Feeney on the AgriFocus podcast by clicking here.