Better planning could ease reliance on grass, says feed group chief

Irish dairy farmers would gain €500 in extra milk output per cow, by spending an extra €225 feeding it, says Gerard Keenan.

The boss of the Co Carlow-based agri-engineering and animal feed group, Richard Keenan & Co Ltd, says: “Ireland’s grass is a huge asset to the country, but there will always be years when the weather is a problem.

“In France, where herd sizes tend to be smaller at around 60 cows or less, and the milk quota is more rigid, our integrated nutrition system is about making more money from less milk. We get the same milk with 15% less feed.