Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The dairy sector is a tremendously exciting one and a real driver of our agrifood industry and sector, and we have seen that develop further since the removal of quotas in 2015. We have seen significant growth in milk output and what that means in terms of employment in all parts of the country through processing, through added value and through the increase in our national exports, which have grown from approximately €8 billion in 2010 to €14 billion today. In the years up to 2030, the plan under Food Vision is to increase that €14 billion to €21 billion, and the dairy industry will be central to that. We need to continue to add value and to develop it.

A critical point is that we have to do it in a way that is sustainable and that manages and lowers emissions. Last week, I brought together and established the dairy committee under the Food Vision 2030 strategy. One of the first tasks I have provided it is to follow through on one of the commitments all stakeholders committed to in the strategy, which was to consider how we can efficiently manage the footprint of the dairy sector and ensure it stabilises, and then see that footprint reduce. In doing so, it will be about adding value while also ensuring that, in the years ahead, we can make sure new entrants can go into dairying and that those who need to become larger have the capacity to do so and be economically viable. However, we have to manage this in a way that ensures emissions do not go up. If emissions go up, it will challenge the sector overall and diminish the value of what we are producing. That is not the cycle we want. We want to be in a cycle where value is being enhanced and, ultimately, where farm profitability is improving all of the time.

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