Ireland said to weigh the issue of reducing dairy cattle herd

The proposal comes as Ireland has clearly failed to meet its climate targets, one of which is to reduce emissions from agriculture by 4-20 per cent by 2030. To achieve this target, the internal document says, “fundamental measures” taken so far to reduce agricultural emissions and a “switch” in livestock production would require 65,000 dairy cows to be taken off the market each year by 2025.

The 18,000 Irish dairy farmers were surprised by the proposal. Pat McCormack, chairman of the Irish Dairy Association, told German news agency DPA:

“Bilateral negotiations would be needed to work out a plan that is right for the whole sector. It would be important to have a commitment from the government and a budget to fund the plan.

A spokesman for the Department of Agriculture said the government wanted to offer farmers “voluntary, financially attractive options, covering also diversification”. According to the Irish Independent this would mean €3,000 per cow and €200 million per year by 2025. However, the Department of Agriculture said the document was “part of a consultation process” and not yet a “final policy decision”.

Similar consultations are under way in France. Here too, the government says that livestock must be significantly reduced to curb greenhouse gas emissions. No similar measures are being discussed in Germany. According to a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, “Germany is neither considering nor discussing such a measure”. “The agricultural sector has steadily reduced greenhouse gas emissions in recent years and the sectoral target set in the Climate Protection Act has been met so far.”

Lebensmittelpraxis