Farmers to know cow bands soon
“The science shows us, as milk yield increases, the cow's excretion rate will also increase.”
It is expected that farmers will be informed of what nitrogen excretion rate band their herds fall into early in February.
From this year, banding of excretion rates for dairy cows has been introduced, which was something that the European Commission had asked Ireland “to consider and include in our Nitrates Action Programme”.
“The reason for that is because not all cows are equal, the cow's excretion rate will depend on the genetics of the cow, and how she is managed,” the Department of Agriculture’s Ted Massey told Friday’s Teagasc Signpost webinar.
“The science shows us, as milk yield increases, the cow's excretion rate will also increase.”
Each herd will be assigned to one of three bands each year.
“Some herds will be assigned to the low band [cows producing up to 4,500kg milk yield annually] of 80kg of nitrogen per head; most herds – we reckon around two-thirds of herds – will be in the middle band [4,501kg to 6,500kg milk yield annually] which will be assigned to 92kg of nitrogen.
“And that is a significant change from the current overall excretion rate of 89kg that was applicable up to 2022.”
It will be based on the herd’s average milk yield over either the previous three years or for the preceding year, he said.
“For example, for 2023 banding, it’s the years 2020, 2021, 2022, if the farmer wants to opt for the three-year average; or it’s the year 2022, the most recent year,” Mr Massey said.
"Dairy co-op data will be combined with animal number data from the department Animal Identification and Movement database to determine the average milk yield per cow in the herd for each year."
At this stage, Mr Massey told the webinar, dairy co-ops are finalising processing of milk data for December, "and we expect in early February that the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation [ICBF] should have that data and be in a position to share it with farmers".
"We will also be writing to farmers very shortly to communicate on banding, just how exactly that process will work and the options available to farmers," Mr Massey added.
He explained that farmers will have two ways to confirm their band to the Department of Agriculture.
For those farmers whose milk data is being transferred to the ICBF by the dairy co-ops, "which is the majority of farmers, they will be able to go online on the ICBF website, look at the calculations, look at the banding, and be able to confirm which option they wish to select", he explained.
“For farmers whose co-ops are not transferring data to ICBF, or if the farmer hasn’t given consent, they have the option of using a paper form but that will be more onus on the farmer; they’ll have to go to their milk purchaser, get the form completed, and get milk statements for the previous three years.
“The preference and the long-term option for all farmers should be to use ICBF.”
For farmers who choose not to engage in either of those options, they will be defaulted to the high band until they submit information to prove otherwise, Mr Massey said.
“The reason for that is that a farmer who chooses not to engage should never be at an advantage over the farmers who do choose to engage and follow the legislation,” he added.
