The looming regulatory shift in 2028 which will increase mandatory weekly dairy cow slurry storage capacity to 0.40m³ will demand heavy capital investment in the sector, Dairy Industry Ireland (DII) has warned in a new strategy.

Its strategy A pathway for sustainable dairy outlines a roadmap to secure the long-term viability of the sector and was developed by Dairy Sustainability Ireland.

On water quality, adhering to the closed period for slurry application is a baseline environmental priority for all farmers, it says, which requires a joined-up approach from regulators and industry stakeholders.

“The vital enabler for this compliance is expanding on-farm storage capacity. While the late-2025 securing of the nitrates derogation extension through 2028 provides much-needed medium-term certainty, the looming 2028 regulatory shift – which increases mandatory weekly dairy cow slurry storage capacity to 0.40m³ – demands heavy capital investment,” it said.

Costs

To offset these steep costs, the strategy said that the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) must maintain its current prioritisation of nutrient storage applications with enhanced grant rates.

It also said that ranking and selection criteria in the scheme do not “bottleneck progressive farmers”.

“Furthermore, maximising the impact of recent 1,000m³ planning permission exemptions will be critical to delivering this infrastructure in a timely manner,” it added.

The strategy also stated that the potential for anaerobic digestion (AD) needs to be explored further to better understand the potential for a viable supply chain to be created while stronger linkages between dairy and tillage farmers are required to optimise the utilisation of organic manures.

Succession

On succession and the future of dairy farming, it added that a targeted approach to encouraging young people into dairy farming is critical to secure the future of Ireland’s unique family farm model.

“Dairy Sustainability Ireland will push for strong national supports in terms of targeted grant aid, preferential interest rates and expanding the definition of a young farmer.

“This is even more important given the challenges in securing labour and the costs involved. Access to permits to fulfil labour requirements to help work/life balance at farm level and maintain efficient operations at processing level will be an important focus for the sector,” it said.