Five key stakeholder organisations in the Irish dairy sector have come together to issue a joint commitment on climate action.

Issuing a statement this morning (Wednesday, May 19), Dairy Industry Ireland (DII), the Irish Cooperative Organisation Society (ICOS), the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) and Macra na Feirme outlined their commitments.

The representatives of the Irish dairy sector including farmers, co-operatives and processors have agreed a set of 17 high-level principles in relation to climate action.

The organisations said these principles detail "the major contribution of the sector to the economy of Ireland, its ongoing sustainability, its commitment to climate action, the various initiatives that will be required to support the sector".

They are calling for "an end to the divisive, unhelpful and damaging public debate on climate change and agriculture".

The principles on climate action include the following points:

The stakeholders also highlighted that the dairy sector "is proudly based on the family farm model and cooperative ownership, and supports over 17,000 dairy farms, 60,000 jobs with dairy sector output valued at €11.3 billion and exports valued at €5.2 billion in 2020".