Michael Healy-Rae
Question:392. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43781/23]
View answerTuesday, 10 October 2023
Questions (392)
Written answers
In accordance with the Good Agricultural Practice for the Protection of Waters Regulations (SI 113 of 2022 as amended), three dairy cow nutrient excretion rate bands apply from this year; 80 kg N/cow, 92 kg N/cow and 106 kg N/cow.
In February 2023, my Officials wrote to all dairy farmers outlining the need for them to confirm which of the three bands would apply to their herd for 2023.
The excretion rate band a dairy herd is assigned to is based on the total volume of milk delivered to the milk purchaser(s) divided by the average number of dairy cows on the holding for the relevant period. The respective band applies for one year at a time and will be reviewed annually. For 2023 dairy farmers were given three options to determine their band:
Option 1: Select the rolling average for the three preceding years (2020, 2021, 2022), or
Option 2: Select the most recent preceding year (2022), or
Option 3: Select to use the herd’s 2023 average milk yield.
Option 3 is a once-off transitional measure available for 2023 only. It was introduced to enable farmers to reduce their herd’s average milk yield and move to a lower band if they wished.
Dairy farmers that selected Option 3, carry the risk that their herd’s 2023 band will not be confirmed until early 2024 when all data is available.
A dairy farmer who confirmed their 2023 band through the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) website can log into that website to see what Option they selected and their associated band. If following this, a farmer believes they selected the incorrect option they should contact ICBF in the first instance.