DEAR SIR, I would like to strongly refute the notion that calf slaughter is a necessity for the dairy sector going forward.

There is a small number of people milking a not so small number of a certain type of extreme dairy type animal that are pushing this agenda now for a while.

Silent majority

What I call the silent majority of Irish dairy farmers, are milking a good square British Friesian x Holstein cow that is producing a good quality calf for the beef industry.

If you are producing an animal that is of no worth to anyone, I think you should take responsibility for your actions, be prepared to rear that animal, or else rethink your breeding policy.

The dairy sector cannot stand alone and apart from the beef sector, one cannot survive without the other.

The reputational damage to Irish livestock farming would be huge if we don’t cut out this totally unnecessary practice. There is no carbon footprint, profitability or other excuse that I can think of to justify it.