ICMSA say Govt “pretence dropped” and real aim now clear – “They want family dairy farms gone”.

Commenting on the decision of the Government to designate almost the entire country for a drop from 250kgs of N to 220kgs of N in 2024, the President of ICMSA said that the decision marks the end of the current Government’s cynical pretence about managed reduction of dairy volumes and the real intent now stands revealed. Pat McCormack said that the almost nationwide reduction – taken together with Cow Banding – represents a twin-attack on the family dairy farm system that built Ireland’s multi-billion Euro dairy system and funnelled those export revenues through their yards into their local communities. Mr. McCormack said that the Government’s final unveiling of what he said was obviously “their true intention all along” will rebound on the Government because it will force local politicians and TDs to confront the destructive reality of Government policy.

“Its’s out there now – the almost nationwide reduction of N, regardless of geographic consideration or improving water quality – and nobody can plead ignorance anymore. The Government has shown us what they intend doing and we are now calling on every single rural politician in Ireland to show this Government what rural Ireland intends doing over the next rounds of elections.  We expect and will get that support because everyone can see that at this stage it’s not about the data or the science: it’s actually about the ideology and the Government’s need to keep in harness viciously anti-farming elements. These elements do not want our commercial family farm sector reduced – they want it gone. These decisions, these attacks, will fall – and are designed to fall – on the dairy farmers with less than 100 cows: in other words, the majority of Irish dairy farms.”, said Mr. McCormack.

Mr. McCormack appealed to the Minister to delay making a proposal on these ruinous ideas to the EU Commission so that sensible proposals can be put in place that will not fatally wound Ireland’s most famous and world-renowned family dairy farm sector.

Ends    30 June 2023

Pat McCormack, 087-7608958

President, ICMSA.

Or

Cathal MacCarthy, 087-6168758

ICMSA Press Office