Ireland and China to co-operate in Dairy farming

kowtow

Great deal for Keenan feeders selling, and planning to manufacture in due course, in China. The independent article is full of praise, although perhaps "leading the world in agriculture" seems a little far off when the last of the stock are just coming back out from such a prolonged hungry winter.

However - amidst the hyperbole one statement caught my eye in particular..

Keenan group executive chairman Gerard Keenan said China and Ireland had real similarities. Ireland was planning to increase national milk output by 50 per cent between 2015 and 2020, from its current five million tonnes, while China was planning to increase its output by 25 per cent, to 50 million tonnes, by 2020.

Am I the only one to be concerned by the apparent contradiction?

freedominacup

kowtow wrote: »

Great deal for Keenan feeders selling, and planning to manufacture in due course, in China. The independent article is full of praise, although perhaps "leading the world in agriculture" seems a little far off when the last of the stock are just coming back out from such a prolonged hungry winter.

However - amidst the hyperbole one statement caught my eye in particular..



Am I the only one to be concerned by the apparent contradiction?

This a typical indo article about agribusiness, they can never grasp the figures.
Chines consumption levels were around 2% of E.U. levels in the mid-nineties, we could have supplied them then with all they required. If they are producing 40 million tonnes they have increased production and consumption by at least tenfold in the past 15 years which would be a story in itself. The consumption figure could be right I suppose considering the growth there in the past 15 years but production,with their water shortages, I don't think so. They started a number of 500 cow units a few years ago but quickly closed them when they realised they were using as much water as a "village" with several thousand inhabitants.

Timmaay

Reminds me of one of them middle east oil country, takes 2300gls of water between irrigation etc, just to produce 1 gallon of milk! But anyways, we were discussing this over on forum4farming also, the Chinese largely don't care about agriculture, electronics etc drive their economic, food can be imported. And if we thought Ireland is bad for small land blocks, the average farm over there is only an acre or so!

delaval

Timmaay wrote: »

Reminds me of one of them middle east oil country, takes 2300gls of water between irrigation etc, just to produce 1 gallon of milk! But anyways, we were discussing this over on forum4farming also, the Chinese largely don't care about agriculture, electronics etc drive their economic, food can be imported. And if we thought Ireland is bad for small land blocks, the average farm over there is only an acre or so!

Jesus Tim, you'd have some job getting a contracyor to come and bale a paddock there:):):)

bbam

Few years ago we visited a small farm in central China. About 10 miles outside a large city.
They had 3 acres. The ground was used to grow rice and veg which fed themselves and about half dozen sows. Pork was reared to sell, with a little been kept for the house.

The figures are hard to grasp. Only 10% of the land is farmable and a huge proportion of that hangs on mountainside.

The big advantage we have is that they just don't trust their own food supply. There have been many instances of contaminated food, some intentional to increase profits. So those who can afford will buy imported food over local produce.

I'd say for a considerable time going forward they will import huge volumes of dairy products. But the question is can we compete with NZ / AU in supplying them?

Irishmale

Probably can't compete with aus and nz in supplying china but while they are concentrating on them I would happily take to supplying an ever more wealthy India and North Africa. Just the Chinese concerned with food security at the minute.

jaymla627

Was over in australia last year working on a few dairy farms, tens of thousands of heifer calves where being exported to china at an average of 1200 dollars a calf at about 4 months old with 2,300 being paid for maiden heifers was keeping alot of australian dairy farmers going one lad i was with needed cash quick and ended up exporting 100 of his calves was only left with the ones they didnt want which where his jersey x breds seems the chinese dont like them so much either:D