Agriculture

Retirement scheme and emissions cap among radical measures proposed for dairy sector

The Minister for Agriculture is to receive a report setting out options to reduce emissions from Irish dairy farms, but some of the proposals could prove controversial

Dairy farming accounts for approximately 40 per cent of the 23 million tons of C02 emitted by the agriculture sector

By the end of this month, Charlie McConalogue is set to get his hands on a new report setting out a range of potential options to help reduce emissions from Irish dairy farms.

It will make for interesting reading for the Minister for Agriculture and could involve hard decisions for him too, as it will propose a range of potentially controversial measures, including an unprecedented “cap and trade” system, a multimillion-euro voluntary dairy retirement scheme ...