Why we believe dairy expansion needs to come with a health warning

Ireland is failing to address escalating levels of toxic ammonia (NH3) air pollution, a nitrogen pollutant with harmful effects on delicate ecosystems and human health.

Agriculture is responsible for over 99pc of ammonia emissions, primarily due to animal excreta, with recent increases directly attributed to dairy expansion and escalating nitrogen fertiliser and feed usage.

Ammonia air pollution damages human health through the formation of small particulates (PM2.5).

These particulates are linked to higher death rates, respiratory problems, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive decline and low birth weights.

Ireland has been in breach of our legal ammonia limits since 2016, and the European Commission has assessed Ireland as being at high risk of non-compliance with our ammonia reduction commitments beyond 2030, in spite of the multiple abatement measures that Teagasc and the Department of Agriculture continue to propose to bring these within legal limits.

An Taisce has repeatedly highlighted that these abatement measures lack credibility, and are doomed to fail as they are voluntary, unenforceable and largely unfunded. Urgent and effective action is needed, and government inertia has led An Taisce to lodge a legal infringement complaint to the Commission on ammonia air pollution.

Contrary to the industry narrative, and in spite of what past agriculture ministers and their Department have asserted, Ireland’s agricultural environmental credentials are highly questionable. All of our environmental indicators are going the wrong way: ammonia and GHG emissions are increasing, water quality and biodiversity are decreasing; and agriculture has been shown to be the main driver for each of these.

Scientists have long warned that headlong dairy expansion comes with rising societal costs, damaging our future, our health and our ecosystems.

It also undermines Ireland’s international ‘green’ reputation and exposes Origin Green as a marketing brand with little substance. While this may not have been clearly understood by past politicians, the hard numbers show there can no longer be any excuse for inaction.

Despite this, and contrary to Ireland’s environmental and legal commitments, further increases in dairy cow numbers are planned. Teagasc have failed to make it clear that in order to stay within overall ammonia emissions limits, any rise in dairy numbers must logically be balanced by reductions in beef cattle numbers.

Teagasc’s efficiency measures approach has failed to meet ammonia and climate targets. That means it is now time to cut herd numbers and nitrogen inputs quickly, before we find ourselves in a similar situation as the Netherlands.

The Department of Agriculture are unnecessarily rushing to complete the next agri-food strategy, and it is vital that this work pauses to allow it to align with the recent EU Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies.

These signpost the pathway to lower agri-chemical dependence, better diets, increased food security, and they look to a better future for farmers and rural Ireland.

We urge Minister Dara Calleary to acknowledge the reality that Irish agriculture has been set on a damaging path since 2010. As Ireland’s failure on ammonia emissions shows, a change in direction in Irish agriculture cannot happen soon enough.

Scientists have long warned that headlong dairy expansion comes with rising societal costs, damaging our future, our health and our eco-systems

Dr Elaine McGoff is Natural Environment Officer with An Taisce