Irish milkers fear reduction in livestock

In Ireland, the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC) is calling for significant reductions in the country's livestock to reduce CO₂achieve the 2030 targets. According to the council, the expansion of Ireland's dairy herd has been the largest contributor to the increase in agricultural emissions in recent years.

According to the CCAC, Ireland's agricultural sector accounts for 32% of total greenhouse gas emissions. "Emissions have increased by approximately 2011% since 14, which we believe is largely due to the increasing number of dairy cows," the report said. The advisory council has therefore proposed to reduce the number of suckler cows in the country by 500.000 to 1,5 million. Michael Creed, Ireland's agriculture minister, has already said that culling cannot be ruled out if livestock farmers do not embrace the measures in the Climate Action Plan.

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has opposed the advisory board's ruling, claiming Ireland is one of the most carbon-efficient producers in the world. "The CCAC's plan does not take into account the economic and/or social impact on livestock farmers," IFA president Joe Healy said. The Irish Times† "Reducing the number of suckler cows will result in an increase in global emissions as beef is produced in countries with less sustainable systems."

Pressure on beef prices
Not only does a possible culling of the Irish dairy herd create uncertainty for Irish dairy farmers, because the prospect of a no deal brexit creates a negative sentiment. The interest group Meat Industry Ireland (MII) reports that British retailers are not prepared to confirm orders before the autumn. According to the organization, this is also the reason for the weak prices for cattle.

According to Irish Food Board, the price was ahead of cattle in the first half of 2019 on average at €3,98 per kilo. However, this has fallen to approximately €2 per kilo in the past 3,60 months. For heifers the price is approximately €3,60 per kilo, for bulls €3,20 to €3,50 and for cows €2,70 to €3,30. However, Irish processors say they expect prices to fall further in the coming months.

Kimberly Baker

Kimberly Bakker is an all-round editor at Boerenbusiness. She also has an eye for the social media channels of Boerenbusiness.

k.baker @boerenbusiness. Nl

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