State urged to back Irish dairy in escalating Glanbia cheese plant row 

Farm leaders have called on Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue to support the dairy sector as concern over the An Taisce versus Glanbia judicial review continues to escalate.

Speaking after a meeting with the Fianna Fáil leader and the Agriculture Minister this morning, ICMSA president Pat McCormack said it is important that the state considers the “bigger picture” of this particular planning case – specifically in relation to future development and Government commitments to the Irish dairy sector.

"The core problem here is the position the state is taking – or rather, the non-position the state is taking.

“Glanbia’s peak supply programme is not any kind of feasible answer to the questions that arise. You can’t have a situation where the largest processor in Ireland is telling its suppliers that it can’t handle volumes of milk that the farmer-suppliers have planned and invested for.

“We won’t be able to make any progress if the state sees its role as some kind of neutral bystander. The state is not a referee here, the state has to set the overall direction and manage the sustainable development of our dairy sector.

"That means it has to decide those elements and then direct policy to support them. Several branches of the state gave permission for the Belview plant to proceed with onerous conditions attached but, it has been seriously delayed by a legal action.

"The state has to make up its mind what it wants. That must be based on what’s good for our dairy sector and wider economy, and then the State has to support and drive that. An Taoiseach and the minister have to lead this,” Mr McCormack said.

IFA president Tim Cullinan raised concerns about the impact that national planning process was having on the development of the sector.

“I stressed to the Taoiseach that the planning process is fundamentally broken. The Government must change our planning process to tighten up the basis on which judicial reviews can be taken. The current system is doing untold damage right across the economy,” he said.

The IFA president outlined that last year, dairy exports amounted to €5.2 billion.

"For every €1 of dairy product exported, €0.90 is spent within the Irish economy. In contrast, just €0.10/€1 exported by the multinational sector is reinvested into the Irish economy.

“Seventeen thousand dairy farmers in Ireland support over 40,000 indirect jobs across processing, haulage, sales and services. This employment is in areas throughout the country where employment prospects are limited and purchasing power is lower.

“The Irish dairy sector is a good news story which has provided opportunities to farm families to develop their business and for young people to enter farming. It cannot be held up by spurious judicial reviews,” Mr Cullinan said.

Judicial review

Last month, a High Court case commenced between Glanbia Ireland and An Taisce over proposed plans to build a €140m continental cheese plant in Belview, Co Kilkenny.

The judicial review centres on the decision of An Bord Pleanála to uphold planning permission for the joint venture between Glanbia and Dutch dairy producer Royal A-Ware Food Group – a family-owned company in business for the last 150 years.

An Taisce's challenge to the planned plant include claims the environmental effects of the milk inputs for the cheese plant were not properly taken into account for the purposes of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and Habitats Directives.

As a result of the planning delays Glanbia has proposed the introduction of peak milk supply restrictions for the months of April, May and June from next spring until at least 2024 as, without its new plant, the processor won’t have enough capacity to process further volume growth.

The outcome of the judicial review is expected over the coming months.

As Ireland’s National Trust, An Taisce says its statutory role requires it to comment on individual planning applications that significantly impact the environment.

In a statement on its website, it says: "The charity’s overall is to enhance water quality, climate action, the protection of biodiversity and food security, access to environmental justice, and environmental education for all of Irish society. A key part of this mission is upholding civil society’s right to use democratic structures and judicial processes for the common good.

"Glanbia recently announced that it plans to temporarily curtail milk supply in mid-summer 2022. They ascribe their decision to legal action taken by An Taisce as part of the planning process for a large cheese factory in Co. Kilkenny, a joint venture between Glanbia and Dutch dairy processor Royal A-ware, that was proposed to operate from the end of 2022. This has led to calls for An Taisce to withdraw the case.

"Out of respect for the court and the ongoing legal proceedings, An Taisce will not make any further comment on the case until the matter is decided. An Taisce remains fully committed to its mission."

Online Editors