Press Room

Speaking in advance of tomorrow's National Dairy Forum which will be hosted by the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Macra na Feirme National President Catherine Buckley said that her organisation would be looking for a 5% annual increase in Ireland's national quota to be allocated to new and recent entrants to dairying.

"If we are to attract young people into the industry we need radical changes. The targeting of increased quota to new and recent entrants is required to allow the farmers who are the future of the dairy industry to rapidly expand their businesses in the years ahead and to prepare for an environment where we will no longer have milk quotas," she said.

"This additional quota would be purely a license to produce rather than an asset and the quota should be allocated nationally and completely separately from the milk quota exchange," she continued.

Ms Buckley pointed out that Ireland has a competitive advantage in dairying and that farmers should be allowed to exploit this. She said it was the final opportunity for the Department of Agriculture to affect change and restructure the dairy industry before the abolition of milk quotas.

"Dairy farming is a very labour intensive and tying occupation and young people must see the prospect of proper rewards for their time if they are to commit themselves to the sector," she said.

Macra believe more steps to encourage partnerships, including the introduction of an individual limit for young farmers in New Entrant Parent Partnerships are required.

"Under Social Partnership, the Government is committed to facilitating and promoting farm partnerships. In this context, the Government must ensure that, where practicable, schemes and rules shall act to encourage and promote farming in partnership in the interests of efficiency and competitiveness," she said.

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