Macra: Young farmer scheme to maximise grass potential

Initiatives such as Origin Green and Food Wise 2025 promote Ireland’s sustainability credentials, writes Sean Finan, current president of Macra na Feirme.

Internationally, Ireland’s grass-based system is seen as being world class and our unique selling point. However, there is huge potential for improvement in grass utilisation on farms through further investment.

In some sectors, sufficient profitability levels do not exist to drive investment without grant aid. Research shows that many Irish farms are only producing 50% of their grass growth capability.