Fears over impact of dairy cow cull in Tipperary

Deep concern for local economies throughout Tipperary has been expressed following revelations of a government briefing paper suggesting that a large cull of the national dairy cow herd could help the State meet its targets to cut carbon emissions.

The dairy sector in Tipperary has boomed since the abolition of milk quotas almost a decade ago and now generates multi-millions of euro, greatly boosting the county’s economy.

Figures from last year show that the population of dairy cows alone in Tipperary stood at 161,921 - the second highest in the State behind Cork where the combined dairy herd stands at 367,556.

With the population of Tipperary now at just over 167,000, there are almost as many dairy cows in the county as people.

In fact, the entire cattle population in Tipperary is also the second highest in the State after Cork, at around 679,000, underlining the importance of livestock to the economies of every town and village in the county.

SERIOUS CONCERN

Now, serious concern has been expressed by farm organisation leaders and politicians after it emerged that 65,000 dairy cows may have to be removed from the national herd every year for the next three years if the farming sector is to meet its climate targets.

These figures are set out in an internal Department of Agriculture briefing paper, in which officials express the view that 10 per cent of the livestock herd would need to be displaced over the coming years – equivalent to approximately 740,000 animals nationally.

“Approximately 60,000-65,000 dairy cows per annum would need to be displaced in 2023, 2024 and 2025,” the briefing document, prepared last year, states.

The paper also made reference to a dairy retirement or exit scheme and how it might work to manage dairy cow numbers, while the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has said he is considering the option of a voluntary diary reduction scheme.

NEGATIVE REACTION

All of this has provoked negative reaction from rural politicians, such as Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath who has predicted that the consequences of such a cull would be “dire” and send food prices soaring further.

Meanwhile, Ballymackey farmer and National President of the IFA Tim Cullinan said the Department of Agriculture report, which only came to light in the media after a Freedom of Information request, would further erode farmer trust in the Government.

“Reports like this only serve to further fuel the view that the Government is working behind the scenes to undermine our dairy and livestock sectors,” said Mr Cullinan.

“Farmers should not be finding out about this through the media. It is totally unacceptable and shows contempt for farmers,” he said.

“While there may well be some farmers who wish to exit the sector, we should all be focussing on providing a pathway for the next generation to get into farming,” he said.

Mr Cullinan accused the Government of “talking down” the agriculture sector. Talk of such a cull was driving young people away from farming at a time when only six per cent of farmers in Ireland were under 35. “We need proper engagement on how we get young people into farming rather than the Government running down the sector.”

Mattie McGrath, an Independent TD in Tipperary, said culling the national herd would lead to food shortages and predicted the impact on rural counties like Tipperary would be dire.

“We’ll have no food to feed ourselves,” he said of the potential cull, and predicted it would lead to hyper-inflation of food prices and “decimation of our agriculture products”, which were so valuable to the economy.

Another high profile Tipperary farmer, Pat McCormack, the National President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, said it was important that any such cull should be optional for farmers.

VALUE TO TIPPERARY

A glimpse of just how valuable the dairy sector is to Tipperary and indeed the Nenagh area can be gleaned from the 2022 financial results revealed at the recent meeting of Arrabawn Co-Op, its accounts reflecting the company’s best year yet, with the highlights including turnover surpassing €500m for the first time and suppliers achieving a record average milk price. Operating profits for the year increased by €5.5m to €9.589m.

Last year the other big dairy co-op in the county, Tipperary, unveiling its performance for 2021, delivered its best ever financial year ever with turnover exceeding €300 million for the first time in its history and an operating profit of €5 million.

Last year the former Chairperson of the North Tipperary branch of the IFA,  Imelda Walsh, underlined the value of the farming sector to Tipperary, stating that over 9,900 people were employed on the county’s 7,714 farm holdings.

She revealed that farmers in Tipperary receive just over €86 million per annum under the basic payment scheme and €10.8 million under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme - much of this money going back into local economies in the county.  Some 4,407 people were employed in the food and drink processing sector in Tipperary that was underpinned by farming.

News of the cull proposal came on a week when a new report from the Central Statistics Office indicated that agriculture was the highest emitting sector in the State for greenhouse gases - accounting for 38 per cent.

The recommendation on reducing the national herd also came on a week when the Environment Protection Agency projected that Ireland will achieve a reduction of only 29 per cent in its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 - far short of a legally binding target of 51 per cent that is at the core of the Government’s climate policy.