Aurivo’s Chairman, Raymond Barlow, his fellow Aurivo Board Director Lawrence McNamee and Stephen Blewitt, General Manager, Aurivo Dairy met with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD to stress the importance of the agriculture sector and those who work within it in the midlands, west and north-west region.  

70,000 people (14% of those directly employed in the region) are currently employed on farm or in direct manufacturing and related services (a further 12 to 15% are employed indirectly in roles supported by farming income).  The Aurivo top brass stressed that recent legislative changes are making dairy farming less attractive for all those involved, and the negative impacts of over-regulation must be considered if rural communities are to have a future financially and socially.

Aurivo commended the Minister on his recent approach to seek a further Nitrates derogation for Ireland, reminding him that the region covered by Aurivo has the lowest stocking rate at 0.39 cows per Hectare, less than 40% of other areas of Ireland and that consequently there are exceptionally good phosphate and nitrate levels in the waterways of the Aurivo region.

Aurivo is well on target to achieve its scope 1 and 2 emissions reductions by 2030 and outlined to the Minister the numerous initiatives it has put in place to improve the environment in which it operates and to assist its farmers achieve their 25% GHG reduction by 2030:  

• Aurivo’s Farm Profitability Programme (in its tenth year), where best practices are rolled out on focus farms and used to educate and inform the wider Aurivo supply base
• Aurivo’s Future Milk Sustainability Bonus of ½ CPL where milk suppliers commit to carrying out agreed environmentally focused initiatives.
• The Co-op’s Carbon Soil Measuring initiative in conjunction with Farmeye
• Aurivo’s forage and soil testing and nutrient planning programme and its involvement in the Signpost Programme in conjunction with Teagasc
• Aurivo’s involvement with ASSAP and the Thrive Calf to Beef Programme

However, Aurivo pointed out that the Government must offer further supports to ensure that environmental targets on farm are achieved.

The presentation to Minister McConalogue took place on the farm of Liquid Milk Suppliers, Gareth and Dawn Porter in Donegal.