the journal this week

Was just wondering with the new regulations and all that there trying to enforce , im not a glanbia supplier but one might wonder at the timing of the an taisce new appeal and the environmental regs , is there collusion and both parties have the one thing in mind, no more expansion and we must use farming as their only a pain in the hole to the country to leave the country looking like a world leader in green policy
Just my own thoughts when milking this morning
 
Has a contractor ever actually been prosecuted by a County Council for spreading slurry during the closed period
There was someone prosecuted in Co Cork a few years back. Taken to court and was fined (don’t know how much) for spreading in December.
The man told me himself. So it does happen, just probably not that often.
Same with hedging , landowner and contractor both fined.
 
Was just wondering with the new regulations and all that there trying to enforce , im not a glanbia supplier but one might wonder at the timing of the an taisce new appeal and the environmental regs , is there collusion and both parties have the one thing in mind, no more expansion and we must use farming as their only a pain in the hole to the country to leave the country looking like a world leader in green policy
Just my own thoughts when milking this morning
Who are the two parties?
 
As a rule, the EU does not grant derogation to countries with deteriorating water quality but has made an exception for Ireland due to our relatively high water quality. Hard to see that lasting.
 
Historically this wouldn't be a big dairy area but nitrate levels have been high in groundwater for years due to the lighter nature of our soils. If we got zero rainfall in November and ground was dry as a bone it would still be madness to spread slurry because in the absence of growth, a couple of wet weeks in December or January will wash the nitrate through the soil profile and into the groundwater. Just because the tanker can travel doesn't mean it makes sense to spread. Around here, spreading in late January or early February is more sensible than in October as there is a greater chance of imminent growth to take up the nitrogen.
 
Ah jesus. An taisce and government / dept of ag and environment
Didn't think you need to ask such a question.....would it not be sorta obvious
That's quite a reaction, Nothing is obvious as far as random conspiracy theories go. I had a feeling that's who you're referring to, but your reference to not being a glanbia supplier threw me off.
 
People think most of the green party are from mostly larger towns or city's.it could be thst alot of their policies are from rural members..
E.g. pippa living on a farm, chair of the party executive is living in an area thats the next thing to organic where you'd meet a sheep on the road sooner than another person or car.
You wouldn't know what their thoughts are re farming
 
The derogation is under serious threat, mostly due to deteriorating water quality in certain areas.
Whether farms need a derogation to farm profitably likely depends on individual costs but I would not like to base my future on its existence.
Maybe the government have been guilty of mis direction with their food harvest targets but that's not going to pay anyone's loans for them.
The whole glanbia vs an taisce thing seems completely wrong but is an indication of future thinking .
My main issue is if the majority of farms end up with higher costs due to the actions of a minority and that looks a likely scenario
 
A large numer of farms which are in derogation are in it to allow them to be viable at a full time scale, contrary to popular belief alot of them are in the sub 120 cow bracket. Talk of payments from Europe is rubbish as they won't pay any more than they are now and its milk out the gate that pays the bills, in the majority of cases. Would lads milk cows and work part time if dero goes, unlikely. Getting and paying for more land to maintain numbers, out of the same milk sales, also unlikely.
Dunno whats gonna happen and making decisions very difficult. It'll effect us all differently depending on stage of career etc
 
Historically this wouldn't be a big dairy area but nitrate levels have been high in groundwater for years due to the lighter nature of our soils. If we got zero rainfall in November and ground was dry as a bone it would still be madness to spread slurry because in the absence of growth, a couple of wet weeks in December or January will wash the nitrate through the soil profile and into the groundwater. Just because the tanker can travel doesn't mean it makes sense to spread. Around here, spreading in late January or early February is more sensible than in October as there is a greater chance of imminent growth to take up the nitrogen.
what % of your grass growth would be after the 15th of sept the new proposed cut off date to say the 15th of Nov? what percentage of growth is between the 15th of Jan and 15th of March, give or take
 
My thinking is that whatever you have spent on buildings in the last ten years you will have to spend as much or more in future years just to stay legal and possibly milking less cows .
I think the last fifty years of farmers making toxic anaerobic slurry are over . There are two problems cow belches and slurry.
There are numerous solutions. Treating the slurry. Separating the slurry. Or the buy Bog Man a bigger yacht solution of straw bedding.
The belches can probably be treated by industrial feed additives and we know who makes money from that .
 
what % of your grass growth would be after the 15th of sept the new proposed cut off date to say the 15th of Nov? what percentage of growth is between the 15th of Jan and 15th of March, give or take
I don't measure grass (I know I should) so I can't say. I'd expect growths to be very variable, particularly in spring. Stretch it out to 3 months though and you can be sure that growth from Jan 15th to April 15th far exceeds growth from September 15th to December 15th.
 
i can see more controlled and limited use of chemical Fert and sprays as a viable way forward. making sure slurry doesn't get to rivers will have to be improved on.

But any cent spent on cows belches i see as a total waste of time and just a distraction from the real air polluters
 
My thinking is that whatever you have spent on buildings in the last ten years you will have to spend as much or more in future years just to stay legal and possibly milking less cows .
I think the last fifty years of farmers making toxic anaerobic slurry are over . There are two problems cow belches and slurry.
There are numerous solutions. Treating the slurry. Separating the slurry. Or the buy Bog Man a bigger yacht solution of straw bedding.
The belches can probably be treated by industrial feed additives and we know who makes money from that .
If it is Global Warming that we are trying to sort out then we could actually try to tackle the issues causing Global Warming, our over use of hydrocarbons.
But I do agree with you on the slurry and the intensification of farming, and if they actually want to deal with that, they need to start to promote mixed farming and family farms.
 
Its Mary and paddy cutting turf is the real problem in climate change.



China has 1082 coal burning power plants. Next nearest is India with 281.
 
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25% of global co2 emissions comes from coal burning.
the top 100 emission producing firms in the world account for 70% of emissions.
i hope they will reduce their share.
The only way they will really reduce their emissions is if you and I reduce our consumption of the goods and services they produce im afraid. Big business is only big cos of the little guy down at the end of the chain
 
Ireland worrying about emissions is like having a non pissing swimming corner in a swimming pool.
Love to see eamon Ryan out in Tokyo on his push bike, telling them about global warming. They'd cook the fecker
can we start a go fund me to get the f**ker sent over there and try get him infront of the right ppl to do it 😂😂
 
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