New Entrants Receive11 Million Litres of Milk Quota
IRELAND – Eleven million litres of milk quota has been distributed to 55 new farming entrants under the government’s New Entrants to Dairying Scheme.
29 August 2013
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The entrants will each receive 200,000 litres with a further total of 4.1 million litres allocated to 36 other successful applicants under the Milk Quota Trading Scheme.
Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney, stated that this was the final batch of new entrants before quota removal in 2015 and brought an end to a successful scheme that had introduced over 400 farmers to dairying.
“The New Entrants to Dairying Scheme has, over the last 5 years, facilitated the entry of the best and the brightest into the dairy industry," said Mr Coveney.
"The entry, in that period, of over 400 enthusiastic and well-motivated farmers to the dairy sector, from a diverse range of farming enterprises, is acting as a significant primer for the industry as it embarks on the road to reach the ambitious target it set for itself in the Food Harvest 2020 Report of increasing milk production by 50 per cent by 2020”.
He commented on recent Teagasc research into post-quota milk, explaining that the scheme seems to be converting mostly young and educated farmers from beef into dairy.
Secure futures were outlined as a priority for the families with Mr Coveney adding that cash flow and maintenance of quality grazing pastures represent common challenges for young farmers.
