Land availability will be the new quota in Ireland

摘要

An Irish dairy farming partnership says expanding their herd from 100 to 170 cows to produce an additional 550,000 litres of milk post quota will offset a lower milk price this year.The Farrell family, County Meath, has spent a total of ?281,000 (￡204,000) updating farm mfrastmcture to accommodate high numbers.The herd is now forecast to produce 1.2m litres of milk, taking the total cost of expansion across the herd to ?4,000 (￡2,900) a cow.Despite the downward pressure on the milk price, the family views the ending of quotas as an opportunity to grow their business at Ringlestown Farm, Kilmessan. They remain confident about the future prospects for dairying and are pleased they pressed ahead with their expansion. But they say land availability in Ireland could put the brakes on further expansion.