It’s certainly a title that grabs the attention. Keeping farmers farming in the west of Ireland is a particular challenge for those charged with implementing policy.

Be it CAP schemes, breeding programmes or farmers’ representation, all policies pursued ultimately affect farm incomes and profitability.

Increased payment for the suckler cow

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There is a lot of discussion at present about an increased payment for the suckler cow. As a suckler farmer, of course I would like to see an increase in the payment for the suckler cow. The level being suggested and fought for is €200 and while this payment would help offset part of the cost of keeping the cow, it should not come at the expense of a lower weanling or store price or, in particular, a lower beef price.

Furthermore, we should not go back to a situation where farmers are farming premiums rather than being profitable.

Suckler and beef farming must be profitable and viable and any further payments received in subsidies must not end up in the pockets of the beef factories via a lower beef price paid to the farmer.

”Farmers will have to do more for higher payment”

Current Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney and An Taoiseach Enda Kenny has stated that if the suckler cow payment is to be increased then farmers will have to do more and that this payment will have to come from another area of the agriculture budget.

Of course if the budget was increased then I’m sure farmers would be willing to do a little extra work in order to realise this payment.

But any new scheme would have to be approved in Europe, probably as an agri-environmental scheme. In order to achieve this increased payment and get the scheme approved in Europe, I suggest an adjustment to the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) that would include a payment for the calf, rather than just the cow, as it is at present.

This payment would be based on all-high index calves born, male and female, across the terminal and replacement indices – better breeding for more environmentally efficient animals. This change favours the producer of the quality weanling produced for beef or export, while at the same time retaining the original aims of the BDGP.

While some have suggested that less production and the planting of west of Ireland farms with trees is the way forward, I strongly suggest that improved efficiencies and better breeding is the way forward.

Keep farmers farming cattle, not trees.