Some 69% of suckler farmers are against a cut to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) to fund a suckler cow support scheme in the next CAP, a survey by the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has found.

The remaining farmers were supportive of BPS cuts of varying amounts to fund such a scheme.

Some 310 suckler farmers in the west and northwest were surveyed.

Of those, 57% said that a support scheme should be similar to the previous Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme and 28% preferred a model such as the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP).

Most (82%) of the farmers surveyed favoured front-loading of support on a set number of cows, with 37% of farmers voting to limit it to the first 10 cows.

Some 84% of farmers were in favour of a traditional cow breed bio-diversity measure in any new agri-environmental scheme, paying up to €150/cow.

Sixty per cent of those surveyed plan to maintain their current herd size, with 14% planning to cut cow numbers.

Read more

Suckler margin for 2018 breaks €1,100/ha in Kildalton

Student blog: one man, two dogs, 500ha and 2,500 ewes