Macra na Feirme has said it will “not stand for quotas in any farm enterprise”, as the possibility of quotas for dairy output was raised in the Food Vision Dairy Group meeting yesterday (Monday, March 7).
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) yesterday outlined three scenarios regarding “restricted growth” of the dairy sector in Ireland, according to Macra na Feirme.
The group said they were “adamant in calling out” of what could have been a quota “dressed up as something else” when the group first met in early February.
National president of Macra na Feirme, John Keane stated that “Irish farmers are world leaders in sustainable and secure food production systems.
“It is baffling to think that the department are considering reintroducing quotas that will slow generational renewal even further, halt efficiency gains in the sector and leave farm families in vulnerable positions.”
Macra na Feirme recently described the move by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue to “divide” the farming sector as “tactical”.
The organisation also stated that the future of the livestock sector should be looked at as a whole and not in isolation.
National president Keane further said that clarification is needed and that the minister must reassure farm families that volume caps or herd restrictions will not be implemented in any sector.
“Division of farmers and farming communities does nothing to serve the Irish rural people.
“Countless farmers have contacted me worried about their future, their investment, and their family’s financial stability,” Keane added.
Considering the growth in global demand for dairy products, national president Keane raised the question of who the DAFM identified as better at producing sustainable dairy produce than Irish farm families.
Macra na Feirme along with other farm organisations will meet Minister McConalogue this evening (Tuesday, March 8).
The minister is expected to outline a government proposal to increase crop production in Ireland to offset supply challenges due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.