As the Irish dairy processing sector prepares for the end of milk quotas, the Government has announcement an innovation investment of €35 million in the dairy industry, aimed at positioning Ireland as a world leader in dairy innovation and helping maximise long term growth opportunities created by an anticipated increase of 50% in the Irish milk pool by 2020.

By An Taisce
Irish agriculture claims it can dramatically increase the size and output of the national dairy herd while not increasing net greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the sector. An Taisce believes these claims to be manifestly incorrect. It now calls on Agriculture Minister, Simon Coveney, as well as the Irish Co-Op Organisation Society (ICOS) to publicly guarantee the Irish taxpayers that they will not be forced to pick up the tab for massive EU fines as a result of spiralling agriculture sector emissions arising from the expansionist 'Food Harvest 2020'.

Claims made by Agriculture Minster Simon Coveney that the Irish dairy herd can be expanded by over 300,000 cows in the next five years "while maintaining the existing carbon footprint of the agriculture sector" are inaccurate and misleading because a major increase in herd size by will by any objective measure sharply increase dairy emissions, An Taisce has said..