Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has said he foresees a “very strong future” for the Irish dairy sector despite the need to reduce emissions.
Comparing domestic food production to international standards, the minister highlighted the very strong position of the Irish sector, in both quality and sustainability, due to its grass-based system.
Speaking on Teagasc’s The Dairy Edge podcast, the minister said he is committed to ensure the sector remains accessible to young farmers, and provides space for those who need to grow their herd to become economically viable.
However, Minister McConalogue emphasised the need to ensure that, while providing this space, overall emissions in dairy farming as well as the wider agri-food sector are reduced.
“That’s a challenging balance to achieve but it is doable,” according to Minister McConalogue.
Commenting on the emissions-reduction target for the agriculture sector, which has the lowest range at 22-30%, he said:
“My negotiation approach has been to ensure that we enable and back Irish family farms to continue to be as productive in producing food. But also to take every step we possibly can to minimise emissions.
“It’s important that the target is one that we can achieve, that is why we are taking the time to settle on that.”
He added that the use of organic manure and fertiliser, the transition to low-emission slurry spreading (LESS), and the use of multi-species swards can help reduce emissions.
While the potential of feed additives lies in the years ahead, there are significant steps that can be taken to reduce emissions in the Irish agriculture sector, according to the minister. He added:
“It’s going to be important that we work together and implement the steps that can achieve emissions reductions. Alongside that, it is crucial that we continue to produce food, milk and dairy products as the world population increases.”
Addressing the potential of organic farming in Ireland, the minister said he wants to see an increase in the number of organic dairy farms. Just under 2% of agricultural land in Ireland is farmed organically, whereas the EU average is 7.5%, according to Minister McConalogue.