Dairy’s climate debate position undermined by water quality decline

Government ministers promise no cuts to the dairy herd, but the State’s climate strategy will do it indirectly. Photograph: iStockIreland’s dairy sector is blue chip. Wages averaged over €97,000 last year in the face of rising input costs. No other farming enterprise here commands that sort of return. The sector accounts for over €5 billion in exports and is the single largest component of our food and drink trade.

Beef farming, for instance, is predominantly loss-making without EU subsidies and on a hectare-by-hectare basis more carbon intensive. This is aggravated by the fact that 7,000 dairy farmers enjoy a European Commission-approved derogation that allows them to use additional nitrate, up to 250kg of livestock manure per hectare. An Taisce is taking a legal action against the derogation.

“Rivers such as the Bandon, Lee, Blackwater, Suir, Nore, Barrow and Slaney have high nitrogen levels with significant implications for the marine environments they flow into,” the EPA said in a recent report. Ryan wants deeper emissions cuts, above the 22 per cent lower bound limit specified in the State’s climate plan while McConalogue is resisting on the grounds that the 22 per cent will involve significant challenges and cutbacks in itself. Both are under intense pressure, from environmental NGOs on one side and farming organisations on the other.

A new report has found that over half of domestic waste water treatment systems (DWWTS) failed inspection last year. The systems are used by householders to treat sewage - with 500,000 in Ireland, mostly septic tanks.EPAIreland EamonRyan

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