Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan has stated that Government's soon-to-be-published proposals for a dairy cow reduction scheme are being brought forward because farmers, farming organisations and the agri-food sector have sought them.

Minister Ryan told the Irish Farmers Journal that he will allow Minster for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to take the lead on laying out his cow reduction plans and that Minister McConalogue will have his support.

The Green Party leader declined to give a definitive answer when asked whether an equivalent scheme should be opened to suckler farmers to reduce cow numbers or leave sucklers entirely.

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He suggested he will support farmers’ wishes if they do look for a suckler exit scheme where Minister McConlaogue has previously ruled out introducing a suckler reduction scheme any time in the near-future.

Coming from farmers

“To be honest, these sort of initiatives I think are coming more so from the agricultural side, from the agricultural community and industry, not coming from the environmental side per se,” he said on the dairy reduction scheme last Friday.

“So, I think I will wait for Charlie [McConalogue] to see what he thinks is appropriate in that regard.

“People, I think, have a misconception. It's being reported as a cull coming from environmental pressure.

“It is coming from the dairy industry, the farming sector and as such, I’ll wait to see what the Department of Agriculture presents.”

Minister Ryan added the he will “be listening to farmers as to what they want” with regards to cow cull schemes in his comments to the Irish Farmers Journal.

Tensions flare

Last week saw Irish Farmers Association (IFA) deputy president Brian Rushe call out Minister McConalogue for allegedly creating "mistrust" in farming organisations after the minister claimed the IFA had proposed the dairy scheme.