Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 29 May 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Compliance with the Nitrates Directive and Implications for Ireland: Discussion (Resumed)

Mr. Conor Mulvihill:

I will say briefly that we would be part of the UI scoping document and we are trying to get some figures on that. We will be coming back to the committee with that. What I would say is that naturally, because of the grass-based system, Irish dairy processing already incurs higher costs because we have stainless steel that is fallow during the non-peak time. The beauty, however, of the grass-based system that we are here fighting to retain as part of derogation, is the lower cost and higher quality of that grass, and the milk that comes from it is well worth the cost. There is no doubt whatsoever, I would bet my bottom dollar, that the UI report is going to come and say that milk processing is going to be far less efficient. Ultimately, the farmer will bear that.

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