Irish Creamery Milk Supplier Association (ICMSA) president Pat McCormack has highlighted that there is lots of potential interest in a voluntary dairy cow reduction scheme if provided by Government.
“Depending on the terms and conditions, there is a lot of potential interest in a voluntary reduction scheme.
“It needs to be explored. All we’re doing is exploring the potential,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.
McCormack was speaking after a Dáil debate on a national herd cull on Wednesday.
Voluntary
The ICMSA president insisted that what is being discussed is a voluntary reduction scheme, not a forced cow cull.
If the right terms and conditions were included in a dairy cow cull scheme, farmers would be interested, said the ICMSA. \ Philip Doyle
He said that if Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue can put a “pot of money” on the table for farmers to reduce numbers, there will be uptake.
McCormack described how he has also had beef farmers get in touch to seek their inclusion in any cow reduction scheme, alongside dairy farmers.
However, the Tipperary farmer warned that “the level of sterilisation [of farmland] needs to be feared” and reiterated that any reduction scheme put forward for farmers, must have the right terms and conditions.
His comments come as an Irish Farmers Journal survey of dairy farmers found that 9% of dairy farmers would exit the sector altogether if offered the right reduction scheme.
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Irish Creamery Milk Supplier Association (ICMSA) president Pat McCormack has highlighted that there is lots of potential interest in a voluntary dairy cow reduction scheme if provided by Government.
“Depending on the terms and conditions, there is a lot of potential interest in a voluntary reduction scheme.
“It needs to be explored. All we’re doing is exploring the potential,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.
McCormack was speaking after a Dáil debate on a national herd cull on Wednesday.
Voluntary
The ICMSA president insisted that what is being discussed is a voluntary reduction scheme, not a forced cow cull.
If the right terms and conditions were included in a dairy cow cull scheme, farmers would be interested, said the ICMSA. \ Philip Doyle
He said that if Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue can put a “pot of money” on the table for farmers to reduce numbers, there will be uptake.
McCormack described how he has also had beef farmers get in touch to seek their inclusion in any cow reduction scheme, alongside dairy farmers.
However, the Tipperary farmer warned that “the level of sterilisation [of farmland] needs to be feared” and reiterated that any reduction scheme put forward for farmers, must have the right terms and conditions.
His comments come as an Irish Farmers Journal survey of dairy farmers found that 9% of dairy farmers would exit the sector altogether if offered the right reduction scheme.
Read more
Dairy farmers reject cow cull proposals
Sparks fly in Dáil over dairy cow cull proposals
TDs blast Minister over cow cull proposals
Minister clashes with IFA over cow cull
SHARING OPTIONS