Irish farmers protest against plan to slaughter cattle to achieve environmental goals

A dairy farmer grazes his herd on the Beara Peninsula in West Cork. Credit: Getty INUTAN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Imagesmages

Irish farmers are protesting a proposal to cull tens of thousands of cattle a year to help Ireland meet its climate change goals.

Irish government wants reduce emissions from agriculture by a quarter by 2030. Latest media reports This week suggested that one of the options under consideration was to reduce the national dairy herd by 10%, culling 65,000 cows a year for three years at a cost of €200m (£170m) a year.< /p>

One Irish politician called the plan «absolute lunacy» and there are warnings that some farmers will refuse and others will leave the sector if order is enforced.

The Irish government says there is no final political solution. was accepted and that any culling would be voluntary under a «retirement scheme» for farmers.

But some farmers fear that voluntary culling alone will not achieve their goals. Tim Callinan, president of the Irish Farmers Association, has warned that beef and dairy production will simply move to other countries if Ireland is capped, undermining attempts to reduce emissions.

“Reports like this only serve to further fuel the notion that the government is working behind the scenes to undermine our dairy and livestock sectors,” he said. “While there may well be some farmers who want to leave the sector, we must all focus on giving the next generation a path to farming.”

Pat McCormack, president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, said that she is “disappointed” by the fact that this industry has been targeted.

“We are the only industry that has a clear roadmap, and to be completely honest with you, our herd is no more than 25-30 years ago,” he said. “Can the same be said for the transport industry, can the same be said for the aviation industry?”

If there is a cull, he said, “it should be a voluntary scheme. This is absolutely critical.”