The four-movement rule should be done away with and there should be no restrictions on cattle movements, Eamon Corley, chair of the Beef Plan Movement, has said.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal on Tuesday, Corley said that for competition it is good for animals to move.
When asked if removing the rule would benefit cattle dealers more than farmers, he said that people are going to deal cattle.
Putting a limit on movements is playing into the factories’ hands
“By and large it’s not going to pay a dealer. It may give a bit of an advantage to dealers but overall [removing the rule] would mean more competition for farmers. Putting a limit on movements is playing into the factories’ hands.
“No one wants to continually move an animal. Because the rule was introduced, it put farmers in a worse position,” he said.
Private arrangement
This week, in response to a parliamentary question from Kerry's Michael Healy-Rae, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said that the four-movement rule, a specification of the Quality Payment Scheme (QPS), is “a purely private arrangement” between Meat Industry Ireland and the IFA.
The Beef Plan Movement thinks that the four-movement rule is anti-competitive, Corley said.
“We were shocked that it was a private arrangement. We think that the rule has been responsible for huge financial losses to farmers. If the rule is removed it will allow more cattle to go into the marts, an area for competition.
“There is no competition in the beef industry at the moment. Anything that allows competition is good for the beef farmer.
“A poll on our WhatsApp on the four-movement rule got over 3,000 replies and 97% of farmers said that they wanted the rule gone.”
Corley told the Irish Farmers Journal that the Beef Plan Movement wants the rules on nomad cattle and the 30-month age limit for selling cattle removed.
Read more
IFA hits back at Creed in four movement rule controversy
No role for Department of Agriculture in four-movement rule
The four-movement rule should be done away with and there should be no restrictions on cattle movements, Eamon Corley, chair of the Beef Plan Movement, has said.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal on Tuesday, Corley said that for competition it is good for animals to move.
When asked if removing the rule would benefit cattle dealers more than farmers, he said that people are going to deal cattle.
Putting a limit on movements is playing into the factories’ hands
“By and large it’s not going to pay a dealer. It may give a bit of an advantage to dealers but overall [removing the rule] would mean more competition for farmers. Putting a limit on movements is playing into the factories’ hands.
“No one wants to continually move an animal. Because the rule was introduced, it put farmers in a worse position,” he said.
Private arrangement
This week, in response to a parliamentary question from Kerry's Michael Healy-Rae, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said that the four-movement rule, a specification of the Quality Payment Scheme (QPS), is “a purely private arrangement” between Meat Industry Ireland and the IFA.
The Beef Plan Movement thinks that the four-movement rule is anti-competitive, Corley said.
“We were shocked that it was a private arrangement. We think that the rule has been responsible for huge financial losses to farmers. If the rule is removed it will allow more cattle to go into the marts, an area for competition.
“There is no competition in the beef industry at the moment. Anything that allows competition is good for the beef farmer.
“A poll on our WhatsApp on the four-movement rule got over 3,000 replies and 97% of farmers said that they wanted the rule gone.”
Corley told the Irish Farmers Journal that the Beef Plan Movement wants the rules on nomad cattle and the 30-month age limit for selling cattle removed.
Read more
IFA hits back at Creed in four movement rule controversy
No role for Department of Agriculture in four-movement rule
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