Dairy farmer practices and attitudes relating to grass-based, high-feed-input, and indoor production systems in Ireland

Abstract

Grazing has become a less common dairy farming practice in most European countries. Ireland is an exception with its predominantly grass-based system. After the removal of European milk quotas, farmers were encouraged to expand within a grass-based paradigm rather than pursuing yield increases through feeding more concentrate. This research assessed Irish dairy farmer attitudes toward grass-based, higher-feed-input, and indoor paradigms. A paradigm of agriculture is a shared understanding about how agriculture should be carried out. Grass-based, higher-feed-input, and indoor paradigms propose different solutions to economic, environmental, and animal-welfare challenges facing dairy farming. An online survey was distributed to Irish dairy farmers in August 2018, which received 396 responses. There was support among respondents for the grass-based paradigm of maximizing milk from forage and minimizing concentrate use, with 73% of respondents strongly agreeing or agreeing this was the best option for Irish dairy farmers. The results suggest there were not significant ideological disagreements among respondents about the economic, environmental, and animal-welfare merits of different paradigms. Rather, the results showed respondents supported grass-based or higher-feed-input paradigms for different reasons as follows: profitability and lifestyle for the former, and the ability to expand production without access to additional land and less dependence on weather for the latter. These findings could be of interest in countries where grazing is less widely practiced, but where there is a desire to increase the uptake of grazing practices. Messaging about the profitability and simplicity of the grass-based system clearly resonated with respondents, and could be replicated in other countries. There is a desire within the Irish government, industry, and advisory bodies to keep dairy expansion within a grass-based paradigm. The results suggested individuals may diverge from this paradigm not because they disagree with messaging about its benefits, but rather if difficulties with land access or managing weather variability lead them to expand through feeding more concentrate. To maintain production within the grass-based paradigm, more opportunities could be created for farmers who are restricted from further expansion, such as alternative supply chains or payments for environmental services.