Cow banding uneas

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) confirmed to us, at the time of print, that the January 2023 implementation of cow banding is going ahead, despite opposition from farmers throughout 2022 for it to be postponed. It came to the fore at the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA), raised on several occasions by different farmers, with one saying to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, that he wasn’t asking the minister, but was telling him, to delay its implementation. Minister McConalogue explained that cow banding was non-negotiable and was a condition of Ireland’s nitrates derogation, which, he reminded the room (a few times) was something only three countries in Europe were in receipt of – Ireland being one of them. The main issues, as we see it, are that farmers do not fully understand the new system, due to a lack of clear communication and information from the DAFM (according to farmers); and that panicked decisions will be made by farmers because their hands are being forced. In response to a query from Irish Farmers Monthly, the DAFM said that it was developing a ‘simple and efficient mechanism’ to verify the appropriate nutrient excretion rate based on each dairy herd’s milk production. This proposed mechanism, the DAFM said, aims to: minimise any administrative burden being placed on farmers; and allow the earliest possible confirmation of which band each dairy farmer should fall into. The DAFM also said that had been working with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage to finalise an amendment to the Nitrates Regulations to facilitate the sharing of data in preparation for the introduction of banding (due to happen on January 1, 2023). We will watch how this plays out but meanwhile, there is a nitrates-banding calculator on the DAFM’s website that can help farmers estimate their herd’s indicative band. It can be accessed here: https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/c9563-rural-environment-sustainability-nitrates/#nitrates-derogation