WEST Cork ICSMA chair DJ Keohane has reiterated the derogation is vital for the survival of small farmers in response to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns who said that it is ‘denying reality’ to not be prepared for an end to nitrates derogation.
Deputy Cairns said that the derogation has actually most benefitted areas of the agriculture sector outside farmers, including fertiliser companies, and exporters. ‘What we have seen is intensification or the sector and department policy has incentivised that,’ she said. ‘But when the rug is pulled form people and you have to reduce your herd, it’s a reduction in income, income you need, income you may have already spent. It’s understandable people want to keep it. But Ireland is the only country that has this exemption and ultimately EU law will prevent us from having it. It’s denying that reality walking farmers to a cliff edge, like when the derogation was reduced. I think farmers would be better served by a government that would plan for that than claim blindly defending something that isn’t going to last is fighting for farmers, I don’t see how that makes
sense.’
But ICMSA chair DJ Keohane who farms in Timoleague said it is not ‘big dairy’ but small farmers who have most to lose from derogation loss, and noted some farm incomes had collapsed by well in excess of 60% in just two years.
‘It is precisely the small-to-medium dairy farmers who most need their derogation; they are exactly the ones under most pressure on stocking rates on modest holdings and they are the ones for whom those extra eight or 10 or 15 cows out of a total herd of 90 - presently permitted under their Derogation – on a 100-acre dairy farm is the difference between feasibility and giving it all up. The so-called “bigger dairy” described by Deputy Cairns will be all right and are most unlikely to be dependent on the derogation to stay in business. It’s the other end of the scale – where every cow is vital – that will be the group made unviable and who will have to give up
dairying. ‘
