A cap on cattle numbers is now Government policy. However, there is no clarity on when or how this limit will be imposed at farm level.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue insisted this week that a “stable national herd” was required to reduce farming’s carbon footprint.

His comments follow An Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s statement in Moorepark last week where he confirmed that the Government wanted to “stabilise the national herd” to address carbon emissions.

In an exclusive interview with the Irish Farmers Journal on Tuesday, Minister McConalogue insisted that limiting cattle numbers would form a key plank of Ireland’s strategy to reduce carbon emissions from agriculture.

“We need to reduce the [carbon]footprint of it [agriculture], and we need a stable herd in terms of doing that,” Minister McConalogue said.

Although the minister ruled out a significant cull in beef and dairy cattle numbers to achieve this carbon reduction, his statement closely mirrors comments by Micheál Martin at Moorepark last Friday.

Despite other sectors receiving significant compensation through the EU Just Transition Fund for climate action, the minister pointed to the CAP as the vehicle to support farmers.