The cut to the derogation from 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha, which came into effect from 1 January this year, is the main reason farmers have reduced cow numbers, an Irish Farmers Journal survey has found.Of the 305 dairy farmers who took part in the survey, 20% said they are milking fewer cows this year compared to last year.
The cut to the derogation from 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha, which came into effect from 1 January this year, is the main reason farmers have reduced cow numbers, an Irish Farmers Journal survey has found.
Of the 305 dairy farmers who took part in the survey, 20% said they are milking fewer cows this year compared to last year.
Some 35% of farmers said that the main reason they reduced numbers was due to the cut to the derogation, 18% said it was due to a lack of a successor, another 18% said it was due to lack of profitability and 17% said it was due to a shortage of labour. A final 13% said they reduced numbers because of a loss of land.
Meanwhile, another 57% of dairy farmers who took part in the survey said that they have maintained cow numbers in 2024, and 23% have increased cow number in 2024 compared to 2023.
Milk supply
A significant cohort of farmers (59%), said that their 2024 milk supply will be down when compared to the litres of milk they produced in 2023. The majority (51%) said it would be down by less than 10%, while another 38% said it would be down by between 11% and 20%.
Just 2% of farmers thought their milk supply would decrease by more than 40%.
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