Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 3 February 2015

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine

Dairy Industry (Resumed): ICOS and Positive Farmers

2:00 pm

Mr. Michael Murphy:

In terms of grass-fed animals, it is a wonderful story in the sense such practice results in a drop in costs, it is environmentally friendly and it has health benefits in terms of CLAs, which are not highlighted enough. For example, farmers in Holland who let their cows out to graze for 126 days a year for six hours a day are paid a bonus. The Dutch perceive there is a benefit to be gained in the market from being able to tag on to the product that the animals were grass-fed.