A meeting of the Food Vision Dairy Group, set up by the Minister for Agriculture to come up with ways to reduce green house gas emissions from the dairy sector is under way in Celbridge, Co Kildare.
The Food Vision Dairy group has circulated a final draft report to members with 18 suggested actions.
The group was set up this January, met more than 10 times and has already submitted an interim report to Minister Charlie McConalogue.
Its brief is to come up with recommendations to first stabilise and then reduce GHG emissions from the dairy sector.
In recent weeks a draft report with 18 recommendations was circulated to group members, who include farming organisations, State bodies Teagasc and the Environmental Protection Agency, dairy processors, academics and Department of Agriculture officials.
There are conflicting reports on whether or not the report will be signed off on and sent to Minister McConalogue today.
Farmers have concerns about a number of the reports 18 recommendations.
The recommendations on reducing the use of chemical nitrogen fertiliser – which aids the growth of grass – by 30% by 2030 has some dairy farmers worried they could find themselves short of grass or fodder for their cows.
They fear farmers could find themselves forced to start buying feed as a result of this shortage.
Concerns have been also raised about a voluntary exit or reduction scheme, which could see farmers reducing their cow number or exiting dairying entirely with compensation being paid.
That would lead to restrictions being put on farm holdings, which could affect availability of land for young farmers.
Another recommendation proposes a study on an emissions cap and trade scheme, where emissions limits would be assigned to farms and farmers could use it for farming activity or sell it to others if they wished.
Some fear that emissions limits could become a new quota system, restricting farmers’ ability to expand or increase production, or that emission credits could be lost to the agricultural sector entirely.
Group meeting to discuss dairy farming emissions report
Source: Viral Trends Report
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