Tirlán will explore the opportunity to introduce a native grain inclusion incentive in rations as part of its co-op sustainability action programme.
Under that programme, suppliers to the co-op can trigger a bonus payment by fulfilling seven of the 20 measures on the menu.
This move could see the list of sustainability options extended to include the purchase of rations incorporating a minimum inclusion of Irish grains.
Such a move would represent a significant underpinning of the tillage sector. Irish grain’s low carbon footprint and the need for a viable domestic tillage sector to supply straw and grain mean the environmental credentials of this move are well established.
Tirlán, as well as being Ireland’s largest milk processor, is also the largest buyer of grain and seller of animal feeds in the country.
Tom Short is a member of Tirlán’s council, one of a minority who are tillage farmers.
‘Ground-breaking’
He welcomed the potential move, conveyed by the co-op’s CEO Seán Molloy at a recent council meeting, as “ground-breaking”.
“It’s a positive statement, it would represent a commitment to the grain sector, and would be a template for how we can build resilience into our tillage sector,” he said. “With grain prices globally currently very poor, this is a welcome and much-needed morale boost.
Short believes that all Irish mills and feed providers should follow suit by including native cereals in their rations.
“Irish tillage farmers need the support of farmers in other sectors, and Irish farming needs a tillage sector with a decent critical mass,” he said.
“We are a low-carbon enterprise, we supply a valuable apron of land where slurry and dung can be safely used, we grow feed crops like maize and beet, and we supply straw for bedding.
“Quite simply, Irish tillage farming is critical to all farming, but it is in critical condition economically.”
Short wants Government to consider measures to ensure Irish grain is used preferentially by all the feed trade and looked for by livestock farmers.
Tom Short. \ Dylan Vaughan
Tirlán will explore the opportunity to introduce a native grain inclusion incentive in rations as part of its co-op sustainability action programme.
Under that programme, suppliers to the co-op can trigger a bonus payment by fulfilling seven of the 20 measures on the menu.
This move could see the list of sustainability options extended to include the purchase of rations incorporating a minimum inclusion of Irish grains.
Such a move would represent a significant underpinning of the tillage sector. Irish grain’s low carbon footprint and the need for a viable domestic tillage sector to supply straw and grain mean the environmental credentials of this move are well established.
Tirlán, as well as being Ireland’s largest milk processor, is also the largest buyer of grain and seller of animal feeds in the country.
Tom Short is a member of Tirlán’s council, one of a minority who are tillage farmers.
‘Ground-breaking’
He welcomed the potential move, conveyed by the co-op’s CEO Seán Molloy at a recent council meeting, as “ground-breaking”.
“It’s a positive statement, it would represent a commitment to the grain sector, and would be a template for how we can build resilience into our tillage sector,” he said. “With grain prices globally currently very poor, this is a welcome and much-needed morale boost.
Short believes that all Irish mills and feed providers should follow suit by including native cereals in their rations.
“Irish tillage farmers need the support of farmers in other sectors, and Irish farming needs a tillage sector with a decent critical mass,” he said.
“We are a low-carbon enterprise, we supply a valuable apron of land where slurry and dung can be safely used, we grow feed crops like maize and beet, and we supply straw for bedding.
“Quite simply, Irish tillage farming is critical to all farming, but it is in critical condition economically.”
Short wants Government to consider measures to ensure Irish grain is used preferentially by all the feed trade and looked for by livestock farmers.
Tom Short. \ Dylan Vaughan
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