This is on top of an investment of €18,060 for extra soiled water storage and additional calf housing over the past ten years, based on a typical 100 cow dairy farm.
Complying with regulation and adopting more sustainable practices costs the average Irish dairy farmer €16,900 annually compared to a decade ago, according to Irish Farmers Journal analysis.
This is on top of an investment of €18,060 for extra soiled water storage and additional calf housing over the past 10 years, based on a typical 100-cow dairy farm.
The costs associated with regulation and sustainability expectations include using low emission slurry spreading (LESS), which is an estimated €750 extra per year in contractor charges.
The reduction in the maximum stocking rate from 250kg N/ha to 220kg N/ha in 2024 for the majority of the country adds up to an extra €6,000 annually, while reducing chemical nitrogen by 10% is an additional €6,800 from the farmer’s pocket.
Keeping non-dairy replacement calves on for an extra 10 days each spring is costing dairy farms some €1,500 between milk replacer, meal and straw.
The adoption of sexed semen is adding approximately €1,250 to dairy farm bills, based off 50 sexed straws in order to generate 25 heifer calves on the ground. Participating in the National Genotyping Programme (NGP) is €600 for the average Irish dairy farm at €6/cow per year.
Calf housing
Increasing soiled water storage and calf housing has been a significant cost to dairy farmers over the past decade.
The analysis shows that, on average, an extra 15 spaces are needed to keep calves on longer, which equates to €10,500 excluding VAT in building costs.
Regulation changes around soiled water storage require farmers to have one month’s storage, up from 10 days. At €120/m3 to build a tank, the extra storage requirement will cost farmers €7,560 for every 100 cows.
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