Milk suppliers chief hits out at call for waterway buffer zone on Galway farms
Galway Bay fm newsroom - Calls for a 10 metre buffer zone to exclude cattle from all streams, rivers and lakes could prove to be a massive issue for Galway farmers.
That's the view of the President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association who says such a demand would load more costs onto already struggling farm families.
Lobby group, Friends of the Irish Environment, has called on Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney to introduce the zones following what they argue are repeated closures of bathing waters this summer.
President of the ICMSA John Comer says farmers have never been more aware of their role as guardians of the countryside and the environment.
He argues that imposing such a restriction would need to be supported by real facts and evidence.