Cap Reform and Nitrate Restrictions: Implications for Irish Grass Based Dairy Production Systems

The benefit of a systems approach to analysing production situations has long been recognised in agricultural research. The development and application of production-oriented dairy models offer tremendous capabilities for both encompassing the realities faced by producers while also considering the adaptation possibilities available to them in light of internal and external forces of change. This farm level dairy model represents one such approach. The objectives of the study were: (1) to develop a comprehensive farm-level model of Irish milk production systems and (2) to apply the model to identify optimal adaptation strategies of dairy farmers within the context of European policy reform. This paper examines the implications of both the Luxembourg Agreement and the imposition of the Nitrates Directive on Irish dairy systems