The Irish government is considering killing 200,000 cows in the country in order to get in lock step with so-called climate change goals drawn up by the European Union..The move is apparently an attempt to reduce emissions created by the farming industry, with The Telegraph reporting “an option being considered by the Irish Department of Agriculture to reduce emissions by a quarter by 2030 is to initiate a cull of 65,000 cows a year for three years, effectively reducing the national dairy herd by 10%.”.The proposal, adds The Telegraph, reportedly would be offered as a voluntary option to aging farmers as a "retirement exit scheme.".responding to a tweet from author Ashley St. Clair. .St. Clair earlier tweeted an editorial published by Cowboy State Daily titled, "Ireland Looking To Kill 200,000 Cows To Fight Climate Change; Are US Herds Next?" . Subsequently, the Irish Department of Agriculture said the report refers to a "modeling document" included in a "deliberative process," but no final plans have been agreed upon..There are other countries where beef can be raised, said Tim Cullinan, president of the Irish Farmers’ Association.."Reports like this only serve to further fuel the view that the government is working behind the scenes to undermine our dairy and livestock sectors," Cullinan, told The Telegraph, warning that beef production would simply shift out of the country if the plan were to be enforced. "While there may well be some farmers who wish to exit the sector, we should all be focusing on providing a pathway for the next generation to get into farming." ."We’re the one industry with a significant roadmap, and, to be quite honest with you, our herd isn’t any larger than it was 25 to 30 years ago," Pat McCormack, president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, added to The Telegraph.."Can the same be said for the transport industry, can the same be said for the aviation industry?".The Irish Department of Agriculture has reported farmers would receive compensation of €5,000 (about CAD$7,190), per cow destroyed, reports The Irish Independent, adding, “Irish politician Peadar Tóibín, the Aontú party leader, spoke before the Irish Parliament last week, citing figures from the Farming Independent showing 200,000 cattle to be culled by 2025.” ."Just a year and half’s time. It’s an incredible threat to the farming sector at a cost of about €600 million. Now, a full 25% of beef that’s being imported into the European Union is coming from Brazil," Tóibín said during a May 30 session.."How is it environmentally friendly to kill large swathes of the Amazon, import that beef from Brazil to substitute for Irish beef that’s been culled here in this state. It’s a significant threat hanging over farmers in this country, and we must have a debate crystallizing exactly what the plan of this government is."."The Irish know about this from the potato famine," Australian geologist Ian Plimer told Sky News of the reported plan for Irish cattle.."A third of their population died, a third emigrated, and the same thing will happen. They will lose productive people from Ireland, and they’ll go somewhere else." .The Telegraph’s Jamie Blackett wrote in an opinion piece, "It seems increasingly clear that there is an eco-modernist agenda to do away with conventional meat altogether. It’s not just the Extinction Rebellion mob, either; many of the world’s politicians are on board."."It’s very fortunate we’re out of the EU or we could be facing the same pressure from Brussels. Now, we can only hope that (UK prime minister) Rishi Sunak, who represents a heavily rural constituency in the Yorkshire Dales, understands what’s at stake for farming communities."
