Louise the dairy cow farmer in IrelandAgriculture

Louise looks after 200 dairy cows on a day-to-day basis. But all of the grazing they do leads to increased levels of nitrate in the groundwater. In order to meet its climate goals, the EU now wants to reduce the size of cow herds to limit the amount of nitrate going into groundwater – meaning Louise may soon have to slaughter a large number of cows. The loss of her animals is not only heartbreaking, it also puts her future as a dairy farmer at stake.