Dairy sector’s huge value in Tipp - IFA
The dairy sector in Tipperary is estimated to have had an economic impact of €2.042 million in the county last year, the local branch of the Irish Farmers Association has stated.
The IFA said a report commissioned by Dairy Industry Ireland shows that the dairy industry nationally delivered €17.6 billion to Ireland’s rural economy last year.
The report, called the “Economic contribution of the dairy processing industry to the Irish economy and the processor’s forecasts to 2030”, states that the sector supports 55,000 full-time jobs.
“As farmers on the ground we are well aware of the importance of our sector to County Tipperary,” said Michael Kennedy, Chairman of the North Tipperary IFA Dairy Committee.
“In 2022, the dairy sector is estimated to have had an economic impact of €2.042m in County Tipperary alone,” said Mr Kennedy. IFA National Dairy Chair, Stephen Arthur, said politicians could no longer ignore the critical importance of the dairy sector to the rural economy. He criticised the decision coming in to force from next year to reduce the amount of nitrates farmers can use on their holdings. “The poorly-designed and ill-thought-out nitrates stocking rate cuts being forced on the dairy sector will have a potentially massive economic impact on rural Ireland given the economic contribution the sector is currently delivering as this report shows,” he said.
Mr Arthur said it was an irony that the report on the dairy sector’s large contribution to rural economies was published on the same day the Environment Protection Agency highlighted the failings in sewage treatment infrastructure across Ireland.
The EPA’s “Urban Waste Water Treatment in 2022” report, he said, highlighting significant failings in our waste water treatment facilities.
“Since 2019 the number of self-reported equipment breakdowns at waste-water treatment plants have increased by 84 per cent.
“While we have our own responsibilities to protect water quality from agricultural pressures, it is unfair to single out farmers as the sole sector to blame for all of our environmental challenges,” said Mr Arthur.