Farmers are ramping up pressure on Government just days away from the Budget announcement, with beef prices and suckler support top of the agenda. Odile Evans and Thomas Hubert report.
Beef became the most important item on the agricultural agenda in the week leading up to Budget 2019.
Farmers boycotted the beef forum scheduled on Wednesday, instead protesting outside the Department of Agriculture. IFA president Joe Healy said he would not attend what is “a mudguard for inaction”.
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“Budget Day will be the acid test for Minister Creed. Beef farmers will judge him on what he delivers for sucklers,” Healy said.
Among many politicians present at the protest, Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesperson Charlie McConalogue said “negotiations are ongoing” for suckler support in Budget 2019. Fine Gael senator Tim Lombard warned of a “winter of discontent” among farmers.
Diverging views
Earlier in the week, at separate farmer meetings, Minister Creed and Minister for the Environment Denis Naughten expressed diverging views around support for the suckler sector. Creed said that a €200 suckler cow payment is “undeliverable”, while Naughten said that support is needed and must go straight into farmers’ pockets.
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Title: Budget battle for beef
Farmers are ramping up pressure on Government just days away from the Budget announcement, with beef prices and suckler support top of the agenda. Odile Evans and Thomas Hubert report.
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Beef became the most important item on the agricultural agenda in the week leading up to Budget 2019.
Farmers boycotted the beef forum scheduled on Wednesday, instead protesting outside the Department of Agriculture. IFA president Joe Healy said he would not attend what is “a mudguard for inaction”.
“Budget Day will be the acid test for Minister Creed. Beef farmers will judge him on what he delivers for sucklers,” Healy said.
Among many politicians present at the protest, Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesperson Charlie McConalogue said “negotiations are ongoing” for suckler support in Budget 2019. Fine Gael senator Tim Lombard warned of a “winter of discontent” among farmers.
Diverging views
Earlier in the week, at separate farmer meetings, Minister Creed and Minister for the Environment Denis Naughten expressed diverging views around support for the suckler sector. Creed said that a €200 suckler cow payment is “undeliverable”, while Naughten said that support is needed and must go straight into farmers’ pockets.
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