Dairy Chitchat 4, an udder new thread.

That's been put forward by a tillage group this past year.

There was a researcher from galway University had a survey for tillage farmers to fill about taking slurry from dairy farmers.

It was anonymous so any blaggard could fill it out. I filled it out but tried to be as sarcastic as I could. Any enviro could fill it out too and claim to be in tillage.

The trouble is the nitrates from the slurry will leach more on the tillage ground than if applied on grassland. But the agronomists have the minister codded about ontakes and offtakes and that no leaching occurs with tillage.

why would anyone consider building extra storage in current environment

we used to export dung for straw for years. Our farm stood still for that period and didn’t improve because lack of nutrients

With 220 now confirmed and 170 very much in cards in next few years our lobby bodies really need some co joined thinking …..Dutch style action is now needed .we have a useless minister for ag and a govt cornered by the greens and an opposition just interested in getting our votes

since quotas have been abolished (correctly so )our advisory bodies have landed us here with one track one dimensional advice ….kiwi systems were sold as only show in town ……load on cows worry about slurrystorage etc in a few years was the mantra they admitted they forgot about the extra calves they should now grow a pair and admit they forgot about water quality and envirnoment until it was too late ….they have gotten away very very lightly on this

Kg if your taking stock as we all should do ......make sure your not selling yourself short on your costs and wages for yourself

Yea. Like their recent token protests. Too little - too late. 220 was guaranteed 12 months ago according to teagasc.

There will be nothing done about the derogation cuts so why would they not just drop it again next year or the year after. This new farmers party if they can get it together is the only thing that might frighten them.

The ship isn't going to be turned re derogation it's a lost cause, a well funded reduction scheme that will take the financial sting of having to cut numbers is the last card the ifa have of securing for this years budget but its doubtful they'll even attempt this, they either make a meaningful last stand here our as a organisation their a spent force

The Ifa are probably incapable of this as the decisions makers in the ifa are also directly involved in co op boards ,they have already dismissed the dairy reduction scheme .I dont think ifa have any fire left in them ,a shambles of representation for dairy farmers

At this stage given where milk price is at, the price of rental land and the nailed on probability derogation will be scrapped for 2026, even if the co-ops have their ear, the game is up re milk volumes going forward and trying to get a compensation package in place is the only game in town now

I actually believe that the 220 will go just the same as the 250 did. I hate to admit it but I have began to put more work into developing my off farm career alongside streamlining the farm to make it less labour intensive. I ran the sums last night at 170kgs/N/Ha. On 54 Ha I can carry 80 cows, 15 bulling heifers, 15 heifer calves and 3 bulls. That leaves me at about 162kgs/N, so a little wiggle room in the system for keeping calves to 6 weeks etc if needed. That is definitely the road I am going down here and forgetting derogation, beef stock etc. Less fert, less slurry, less work and take on a small bit more off farm work.

I understand that option of off farm income is not available to all on here for various different reasons, but we all have to assess our own situation and do what suits.

What do you plan to do in a non derogation scenario? From reading your posts you seem to be in a Similar scenario to ourselves at home. When In 2026 if derogation goes which looks likely we would be forced to cut to around 95 cows and look at contract rearing replacements operating off roughly 130 owned acres and without current rented land factored in because who knows what will happen that now.

We are milking up on 120 this year how many people here took over milking cows and straight away reduced the herd by 25% and to top it off not able to keep any dry stock of any kind. With all this uncertainty what is there to encourage a young person like myself to take 3 steps backwards and 1 step forward by going home full time in years to come?

95 hectares here between rented and owned, all heifers contract reared. What can I milk at 220 or no derogation? Currently putting a ring on the slurry tower as it's the cheapest route for xtra storage

I’ll be gone as the prospect of getting ground locally is fairly scarce when it goes to 170.but then I guess the average lad milking 80 cows is only in the way.

kinda sad that it’s come to this that after 25 yrs of milking and trying to better the place and yourself you can be thrown to the wolves.a scary prospect of being mid 40’s and wondering what I’ll be at in a few yrs time

If they saw the attitudes here they wouldn't be long bypassing 170N straight to 130N.

The real issue here, and it can't be stressed enough, is that derogation depends on water quality which is assessed by EPA - the same EPA who showed their true colours last month via twitter/X.

This bias could end up affecting thousands of lives if not addressed, our waters could be crystal clear but the EPA cannot be trusted to give an objective recommendation any longer.