Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 April 2023
327. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the extent to which he remains satisfied regarding the future of the dairy industry, with particular reference to the need to reduce carbon emissions while at the same time ensuring the development of the industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18877/23]
View answerI remain confident that the outlook for the Irish dairy Industry remains positive - the long-term fundamentals of the dairy sector are really strong. We produce a safe, nutritious and sustainable products that are in demand across the globe and, despite the current market downturn, these products are still in demand from trusted buyers.
The Irish Dairy Industry is the jewel in the crown of our €16bn export agrifood sector. It is a sector of immense importance to the economy.
In 2022, Irish farmers produced over 8.8 billion litres of milk, an increase of over 2 billion litres since the abolition of quotas in 2015. Total Irish milk production increased by 0.7% percent in 2022 year on year. Irish Dairy exports exceeded the €7 billion mark in 2022 and reached 130 different markets last year.
The number of Irish dairy cows currently stands at 1.65 million head. CSO statistics show that the total number of dairy cows in the country has increased every year for the last five years. There has also been continuous growth in the average dairy herd size since 2011, rising from 64 to 92 cows per milking herd currently. It should however be noted that increased production is driven by other factors as well as an increased herd, for example improved genetics.
I established the Food Vision Dairy Group last year to advance the actions for the dairy sector identified in the Food Vision 2030 strategy, taking account of the requirement for the sector to contribute to achieving the targets set for agriculture emissions in the Climate Act process.
The first priority for the Group was to chart a pathway to achieving the legally binding target of a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture by 2030, equivalent to a reduction of 5.75 MT of carbon dioxide equivalent.
The Dairy Group submitted their final report in October 2022, which has been published on my Department’s website. The report identified measures which could contribute to reducing emissions. The publication was timely as it then served to inform the Climate Action Plan 2023 which was launched in December 2022. The implementation roadmap for actions outlined in the Plan is contained in a supplementary annex of actions which was published in March.
My Department will work collaboratively with all other Departments and agencies involved to implement these priority actions.
