This article is from page 38 of the 2007-11-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 38 JPG
THERE is a renewed confidence in the dairy sector following the Tea- gasc National Dairy Confidence.
The sector, which is entering a time of massive change, is welcoming an increase in market returns for dairy products.
The possibility of milk quotas in- creasing could create an opportunity for Irish dairy farmers to organically erow their milk production business for the first time since 1984.
Speaking at the conference at- tended by more than 1,000 farmers, Professor Gerry Boyle, Director of Teagasc, said, “This opportunity has been denied to a whole generation of milk producers who have been locked into a rigid quota system for most of their farming life. The pro- posed policy changes unveiled by the European Commission require care- ful evaluation and consideration.
“As director of Teagasc I am taking an active hands-on interest in this process, so that the best outcome is
achieved for the Irish industry. I be- lieve that there will be new oppor- tunities for young committed dairy farmers to develop profitable dairy businesses in the future, but we need to plan for that now.
“We must ensure that there are adequate numbers of high quality replacement heifers being produced, so that individually and collectively we are ready to grasp the opportuni- ties that may arise in the future,” he Sr nLG
“The technologies to optimise protf-
it are developed and the Teagasc ad- visory service has been realigned to transfer this technology onto farms to allow producers generate higher profits while safeguarding the envi- ce)eeetoale
“Better breeding coupled with higher production and better utilisa- tion of grass continue to be the cor- nerstones of profitable dairy produc- tion. Dairy farmers are increasing their income by thousands of euro by using the latest grass budgeting tech- niques,” Prof Boyle concluded.