Now beef might be my main remit but geography dictates a more than passing interest in the other bovine sector. Bear in mind too that recommendations from the Food Vision dairy group probably impact every other sector in Irish agriculture.

We’ve all seen the impacts a small per-cow increase in the amount of organic nitrogen excreted had on the land market this year so if something stirs in the dairy sector, it’s best to take notice. I’d imagine it was one of the factors behind the 20% drop in cereal production and that’s before there’s any more fallout from changes to the nitrates derogation.

I attended an event in the Timoleague agricultural catchment last week and there was both good and concerning news from it. On the plus side, Ted Massey, head of nitrates at the Department of Agriculture, complimented the farmers involved in their efforts to reduce the level of nitrates in water and put their success down to working together to achieve it. They continue to invest and implement measures to improve water quality in one of the highest stocked parts of the country.

However, the financial implications of changes to the derogation were of massive concern. If the derogation limit is set at 220kg N/ha and the option to export slurry wasn’t there for those farms, cow numbers would have to drop by 370 across the 18 dairy herds in the 758ha catchment.

Taking a conservative average milk solids yield of 500kg/cow and a milk price of €5.60/kg of milk solids, that’s just over €1m less income coming into those few townlands. If, over time, the derogation is phased out and the limit becomes 170kg N/ha, that would mean a reduction of 840 cows. That could mean an income of around €2.35m lost to that small area. Yes, there are input costs to produce the milk but both the costs and income find their way into a lot of households from that small corner of west Cork to much further afield. Finding an income generator of comparable size will be difficult enough in a rural area and that is something I feel has to be considered by those charged with designing a dairy reduction scheme.

The possibility of a final payout was bound to appeal

Proposals around a dairy cow cull might dominate headlines but its less fashionable relative, a voluntary reduction scheme, is a sure bet in terms of implementation.

As soon as word of it emerged, some farmers who had considered leaving dairy production held on for another season or two at least until details emerged.

The possibility of a final payout was bound to appeal. I’m unsure of the exact number that will participate but from what I’m hearing anecdotally, there’s strong interest especially from farms where there’s no successor interested in taking over.

In the initial Food Vision dairy group draft document released earlier this year, it stated that a farmer would be able to diversify into other areas of farming activity not involving breeding ruminants and that conditions on land leasing will need to be considered.

In dairy areas where access to land is an issue, sterilising that land from milk production makes little sense. The devil will be in the detail of that scheme and it’s worth input from more than just the dairy sector. Hopefully sense will prevail.