Why this West Cork farmer cross-bred his pedigree Holstein herd
David Deasy took over a 60-cow pure-bred herd from his father in 2009. Now he milks 230 cows and is ‘getting fantastic results’ – but he is not happy about the levels of regulation around farming, or the lack of appreciation of farmers’ efforts
David Deasy feeds freshly cut grass to his cows on his farm at Timoleague, West Cork. Photos: Andy Gibson
Milk quotas destroyed a generation of Irish farmers, but the pendulum has swung the other way, with too many farmers overloaded with work and lacking facilities, according to Cork dairy farmer David Deasy.
“The EU said we’ll get rid of quotas and the government said agriculture will be the saviour of the country, drive on, drive on,” he says. “Now the message is ‘stop and everyone into reverse’.”
