Environmental policy must 'address real commercial needs and concerns' to get farmer buy-in

"That means making environmental schemes attractive and workable for commercial family farms."

The ICMSA has said that with the new agri-environmental scheme ACRES, "no effort" has been made to make the scheme "appealing or workable" for commercial dairy farmers

Environmental policy has to "address real commercial needs and concerns" if it is to get buy-in from farmers.

At a meeting with Tánaiste Leo Varadkar this week, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association deputy president Denis Drennan called for the Government's policy on farming and agricultural emissions to "reach out" to commercial family farms, and "cease the useless and regressive either/or approach" to organic and commercial farming.