The Irish Farmers Journal understands that the Department of Agriculture is actively considering the introduction of a cull cow scheme that would pay suckler and dairy farmers to reduce cow numbers.

Discussion around the scheme is understood to have taken place within the Food Vision Dairy Group, which met again at the start of this week.

Individuals within the group have told the Irish Farmers Journal that many believe the move could be a prelude to including a recommendation on a cull cow scheme in the interim report due to be presented by the dairy group in the coming weeks.

Furthermore, chair of the group, Gerry Boyle, has instructed Teagasc and the Environmental Protection Agency to review the most recent science on methane. They are to investigate how changes in the methodology used to calculate methane emissions in the context of global warming could impact when assessing the national herd’s effect on climate change.