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A group of over 20 farmers has met with Glanbia to discuss the future of the Greenfield research dairy farm.
The meeting took place on Friday 26 April and the group’s primary aim was to urge Glanbia to continue its role in Greenfield.
However, the farmers also expressed their interest in taking over Glanbia’s share if the processor did pull out.
Mechanism
“If Glanbia step away, we’d like to see a mechanism for how they could do that and how we could step in and take over their share,” one of the farmers told the Irish Farmers Journal.
Greenfield was established in 2009 by host family the Phelans, Glanbia and the Irish Farmers Journal.
There have been key learnings in the good and the bad
The farm was set up with the aim of researching and demonstrating best practice in the design, construction and operation of a low-cost, grass-based milk production system.
“It has been highly successful and beneficial for the industry,” the farmer added.
“Some people might not agree with everything that has happened on the farm, but there have been key learnings in the good and the bad.
“The element of transparency has provided learnings for the industry and resources that couldn’t have been achieved through other research farms.
“This notion that milk can be produced very cheaply hasn’t materialised, but the end goal is to make sure that the project sees out its term until 2025.”
The farmer also said he believed that the strength and legitimacy of lease agreements within the industry would be questioned with Glanbia essentially breaking their lease mid-contract by withdrawing from the project.
Shelf life
Reaction to the news on the future of Greenfield has been mixed from other quarters.
ICMSA president Pat McCormack said that farmers would understand that a project of this scale had a “shelf life”.
“Obviously, we followed the progress of the Greenfield project very closely and we agreed with the premise on which it was developed,” McCormack said.
We have to recognise that circumstances have changed
“But we have to recognise that circumstances have changed and the expansion model or conversion model that Greenfield was designed to test might not be the context we’ll be looking at going forward.
“Increasingly, it’s looking like a more precise environmental and financial sustainability model that relies less on the high-volume low-margin idea that was the inspiration for Greenfield is going to be the way forward.”
Important template
Teagasc director Gerry Boyle acknowledged that Teagasc’s involvement in the farm had been important and that the farm had provided key learnings for the industry.
“The Greenfield dairy farm is important for transferring technical and business knowledge to dairy farmers,” Boyle said.
It has provided a business template for a pathway into a career in dairying
“The lessons learned from the farm over the last 10 years of its operation, particularly by new entrants into spring milk production, have been enormous.
“It has provided a business template for a pathway into a career in dairying for many young farmers, while also demonstrating the application of best technologies for successful dairy farming.
“Farmer discussions groups visiting the farm have always found take-home messages that could be applied on their own family farms,” he said.
The board of Greenfield is due to meet on Monday 29 April.
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