“It’ll soon be easier be a drug dealer than a dairy farmer,” was the exasperated comment from one aggrieved dairy farmer at an ICMSA meeting this week.
Similar comments came from the floor on Tuesday evening in the Horse and Jockey Hotel in Thurles, as topics such as the incoming fertiliser register, the potential drop in derogation and current milk price were discussed.
One farmer remarked: “I have followed Teagasc all my life and now I’m a dirty dairy farmer,” while another said: “Last year was probably the first time in 50 years we got a good price.”
The potential drop in the derogation from 250kg organic N/ha to 220kg N/ha dominated discussions.
Reduction a 'catastrophic' threat to dairy
ICMSA dairy policy officer Paul Smyth warned the reduction would be a huge threat to the dairy industry that will have “catastrophic” economic consequences.
He warned farmers to have a plan in place and “prepare for the worst”.
In relation to the mooted dairy exit scheme, ICMSA president Pat McCormack told the Tipperary farmers that there is no budget in place, and therefore no scheme.
“I think the Minister is after coming up with a notion that the 250 to the 220 will clear what dairy cows he wants,” McCormack said.
He added that a number of farmers got in touch with him recently, asking about the scheme, who only continued to milk cows this year in order to qualify for it.
Milk price
Falling milk prices were another huge worry among farmers in the room.
Milk price, McCormack said, is on a concerning downhill trajectory.
“Some mechanism needs to be put in place to recover milk prices. A man rang me the other day from Cork milking 350 cows – he says something has to happen by September or he’s gone,” he stressed.
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