Thursday, 23rd
August 2018
East Cork
Outlining the key prin- ciples that must form the basis of the upcoming re- view of the TB eradication programme, IFA Animal Health Chairman Pat Far- rell said the cost burden on farmers has gone on for too long. He said they have lost patience with the Min- ister
for Agriculture Mi-
chael Creed and his lack of appreciation of the true impact his Department’s controls are
having on
farmers and their families. IFA has always support-
ed the development of
a TB Forum, provided it delivers a meaningful plat-
info@eastcorkjournal.ie Agriculture
form for stakeholder views to be incorporated into the programme.
Pat Farrell said the Min-
ister and his officials must start listening to the views of farmers who have en- dured the hardship of TB controls, and address the huge shortcomings in the programme which IFA have identified if he wants the support of farmers for the programme.
Pat Farrell said, “It is un-
deniable that progress has been made in reducing the levels of TB nationally, but these national figures mask
The Animal Health
Chairman said it is very worrying that there are areas of the country that have not experienced the same levels of reductions, and areas that have re- gressed. Pointing to the se- rious deterioration of the situation in Monaghan, he said this raises serious concerns about the effec- tiveness of vaccination in the county as it had one of the lowest levels of TB and has been part of the vac-
the trauma experienced by farm families throughout the country who have TB breakdowns”.
23
info@eastcorkjournal.ie Deadline Monday at noon
KEY DEMANDS FOR TB PROGRAMME REVIEW - IFA
cination programme for a number of years.
Concluding, Pat Farrell
said the Minister and his officials have a job of work to do, in convincing farm- ers they are serious about eradicating TB.
“This
can only be achieved by providing adequate finan- cial support for farmers to ensure they are not out of pocket when TB con- trols are imposed on their farms and the DAFM re- sources necessary to deliv- er on eradication within the shortest possible time frames.”
ing dates organic fertiliser
The extension to spread- for fertiliser & recently
announced by the Minis- ter for Agriculture Michael Creed
flexibility for farmers who need to replenish their fod- der stocks.
“The measure to en-
courage tillage farmers to grow fodder crops and the commitment to introduce a fodder import scheme represents some progress. However, more needs to
is an important
IFA ACKNOWLEDGES PROGRESS ON DROUGHT ACTIONS, BUT MOMENTUM MUST BE KEPT UP
IFA President Joe Healy has acknowledged that a number of measures to deal with the drought con- ditions have been intro- duced, but momentum has to be continued.
be done, and done quick- ly,” he said. “Farmers expect
Department duce
the fodder the
to intro- import
scheme quickly. Some co- ops and merchants have identified available fodder abroad and it is vital that the scheme is put in place quickly,” he said.
The IFA President said it was important
that
changes under GLAS are confirmed and clarified as a matter
of urgency.
The flexibility to allow conservation of fodder on fallow ground is welcome, but urgent movement on the Low-Input Grassland measure is critical. This will allow farmers to con- serve extra fodder.
Joe Healy again called on Minister Creed to in- troduce immediately
the
low-cost loans which were promised in last October’s Budget, adding that these loans must be available for working capital. “Many farmers have
now run up huge bills with
their co-ops and
merchants purchasing additional feed. Opening up the loans would make available over €150m in liquidity for farmers which would help to pay feed and other bills,” Joe Healy said. “All direct payments
have to rolled out on time, starting with the increased ANC payment next month and the 70% advance pay- ment under the Basic Pay- ment Scheme in October.”
MINISTER CREED MUST DELIVER FOR SUCKLER FARMERS - IFA
With a IFA strong campaign for increased support for sucklers and rising expectation on Agriculture
Minister
Michael Creed to de- liver in the forthcoming Budget, IFA President Joe Healy said, “Minis- ter Creed must front up and beat down the door of Finance Minister Pas- chal Donohoe to ensure that
additional support
for the suckler cow is delivered in the October Budget”. He said a key priority
in the IFA’s pre-Budget submission is the
de-
mand for a targeted pay- ment of €200 per suckler cow.
Some of the key find- ings in the IFA commis-
sioned report on The Economic and Societal Importance of the Irish Suckler Beef Herd by Professor Thia Hennessy, Head
of the Business
School in UCC, include; •
The beef sector
in Ireland is very signifi- cant, accounting for over one-third of all agricul- tural output and over 20% of total Irish food and drink exports. •
The value of
beef sector is €2.9bn, with exports growing and exceeding €2.6bn in 2017. •
over 80% of total cows. •
77,738 cattle
farmers make a consider- able contribution to the Irish local economy, both through the inputs they purchase and the outputs produced. Cattle farmers spend over €1.5bn annu- ally on agri-inputs, most of which is spent in the local rural economy. •
The multiplier The suckler
cow herd is distributed throughout the country, but is particularly domi- nant in the West, where suckler cows account for
@eastcorkjournal / #eastcorkjournal
effect for the beef sector is greater than that of the agriculture sector in general - a €1m increase in beef sector output would generate a fur- ther €2.11m in the wider economy. •
Suckler farm-
ers contribute to wider societal sustainability, particularly in marginal or economically disad-
eastcorkjournal
vantaged areas, where their presence is vital to the social fabric and cul- tural capital. •
/ •
Ireland punch-
es above its weight when it comes to beef exports, being the largest export- er of beef in the EU and the sixth largest exporter of beef in the world. • We produce
some of the world’s most sustainable
beef, with
our carbon footprint the fifth lowest in Europe and almost one quarter of the Brazilian footprint for beef. •
The income sit-
uation on suckler farms is unsustainable, with the Teagasc National Farm survey for 2017 showing an average income of only €12,529 in 2017.
A number
of factors threaten the Irish suckler herd and its future
development
and sustainability such as Brexit, Mercosur and CAP budget cuts. •
traction the suckler
A 10% con- in
herd would lead to a loss in beef output of €145m and a loss of total out- put in the economy of €305m. • Without pos- action there
itive of rural will
be implications for the farming community, the vibrancy
are-
as, the agri-input sector, employment in the beef processing sector and the value of exports. IFA National Livestock
Chairman Angus Woods said the national suckler herd is the backbone of our €2.9bn beef sector. “There is beef farming in every rural parish in every county across the country”.
He said Minister
Creed and the Govern- ment must respond pos- itively in the Budget
to
the demand for a target- ed payment of €200 per cow. He said there was a majority backing in the Dáil for this support ear- lier this year.
Angus Woods said the
IFA proposal to Govern- ment is for a targeted payment
of €200 per
suckler cow, structured under environmental and
animal welfare measures in the CAP Rural Devel- opment Programme and financed predominantly from national resources and savings from the ex- isting RDP schemes. He said this would have no impact on the Basic Pay- ment to farmers under CAP Pillar I.
As part of the IFA campaign, farmers and IFA officers in all coun- ties will undertake an in- tensive local lobby of all politicians over the next number of weeks leading up to the Budget on Oc- tober 9th
. IFA will hold a full na-
tional lobby of all TDs and Senators in Dublin on September 26th
. Tel: 021 463 8000 • Email:
info@eastcorkjournal.ie • Web:
www.eastcorkjournal.ie
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
