The IFA’s position on how the €100m should be distributed is yet to be finalised. The management committee of the national livestock committee met this week and will present options to the full national council next Tuesday 28 May. However, IFA president Joe Healy has said that the fund is “for farmers – not for factories, agents or dealers and that there should be no strings attached”.
He said that the allocation and targeting of the €100m to the farmers who need it most is critical.
“It must take account of the farmers who incurred the beef price losses and the income situation,” he said.
Healy added that farmers who sold finished cattle since last September and suckler producers are the two groups who were hardest hit. “Farmers who sold finished cattle through the marts must be eligible and not agents and dealers. The Department of Agriculture has all the data and information on the AIMs system,” IFA livestock chair Angus Woods said.
ICOS wants farmers who traded animals through marts to be able to avail of the funds.
Beef finishers have had a disastrous 2018 and 2019 but so too did sellers of weanlings, forward stores and cull cows, a spokesman said.
“It will not be acceptable that the compensation could be directed to a handful of factory agents if this scheme amounts to slaughter-only assistance.”
He added that AIMS could be used to identify eligible animals that were sold through marts.
ICSA secretary general Eddie Punch said its suckler and beef committee is to meet next Monday to formalise its position on the €100m beef fund.
He said that factory feedlots should not get any money from the €100m fund. However, Punch added that farmer-owned feedlots are a very important part of the business and should be eligible.
“Clearly, winter finishers are in the eye of the storm and the payment should reflect that. However, others in the cattle trade have an argument to be included.
“There is a mechanism needed to ensure that payment is targeted at people who have owned cattle for a minimum period of time,” Punch said.
While acknowledging that time is needed to get the scheme details right, the ICSA wants to see money paid out no later than 31 July.
All specialist beef farms, suckler farms and fattening farms should be eligible for payment, including farmer-owned feedlots, according to the INHFA. However, it said factory-owned feedlots should not receive the money.
The INHFA has called for flat-rate payment of the money. For the 78,000 cattle farms, INHFA president Colm O’Donnell said this would average €1,300 per farm, but it would need to be front-loaded on a certain amount of stock.
If primary producers are excluded, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed would be sending a bad message to the sector, he added. The payment of the money “has to be speedy, it wouldn’t want to lag past mid summer”.
ICMSA president Pat McCormack said the funding should be paid out by the end of June to cover the farmers’ losses and should not be used to compensate factory-controlled feedlots.
“Using the fund to pay just a slaughter premium is way too simplistic and very unfair as well as creating a very dangerous precedent in the event of a no-deal Brexit,” McCormack said.
“It is very clear that farmers – whether finishers, store, weanling or calf producers – have suffered Brexit-related losses and the fund must be utilised to support all these producers, with the payment dependent on the age and type of animal,” he said.
Beef Plan Movement chair Eamon Corley said the money should be paid within six weeks.
It should be paid to:
Farmers who sold weanlings and store cattle which were in their possession for the previous 100 days either through a mart or a private sale. Farmers who have sold finished cattle either in a mart, private sale or in a factory that were in their possession for the previous 100 days.To cattle sold between 1 September 2018 and 30 April 2019, but it exclude contracted feedlot cattle as well as factory feedlot cattle.Payment should be prioritised so that the lower-income farm sectors get paid first.Corley said: “100% of the money to go to the farmers affected, with none going to factories, stakeholders or administration.”
Read more
Beef sector to decide how €100m Brexit fund will be distributed – Hogan
Department to decide what farmers are eligible for €100m Brexit fund
The IFA’s position on how the €100m should be distributed is yet to be finalised. The management committee of the national livestock committee met this week and will present options to the full national council next Tuesday 28 May. However, IFA president Joe Healy has said that the fund is “for farmers – not for factories, agents or dealers and that there should be no strings attached”.
He said that the allocation and targeting of the €100m to the farmers who need it most is critical.
“It must take account of the farmers who incurred the beef price losses and the income situation,” he said.
Healy added that farmers who sold finished cattle since last September and suckler producers are the two groups who were hardest hit. “Farmers who sold finished cattle through the marts must be eligible and not agents and dealers. The Department of Agriculture has all the data and information on the AIMs system,” IFA livestock chair Angus Woods said.
ICOS wants farmers who traded animals through marts to be able to avail of the funds.
Beef finishers have had a disastrous 2018 and 2019 but so too did sellers of weanlings, forward stores and cull cows, a spokesman said.
“It will not be acceptable that the compensation could be directed to a handful of factory agents if this scheme amounts to slaughter-only assistance.”
He added that AIMS could be used to identify eligible animals that were sold through marts.
ICSA secretary general Eddie Punch said its suckler and beef committee is to meet next Monday to formalise its position on the €100m beef fund.
He said that factory feedlots should not get any money from the €100m fund. However, Punch added that farmer-owned feedlots are a very important part of the business and should be eligible.
“Clearly, winter finishers are in the eye of the storm and the payment should reflect that. However, others in the cattle trade have an argument to be included.
“There is a mechanism needed to ensure that payment is targeted at people who have owned cattle for a minimum period of time,” Punch said.
While acknowledging that time is needed to get the scheme details right, the ICSA wants to see money paid out no later than 31 July.
All specialist beef farms, suckler farms and fattening farms should be eligible for payment, including farmer-owned feedlots, according to the INHFA. However, it said factory-owned feedlots should not receive the money.
The INHFA has called for flat-rate payment of the money. For the 78,000 cattle farms, INHFA president Colm O’Donnell said this would average €1,300 per farm, but it would need to be front-loaded on a certain amount of stock.
If primary producers are excluded, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed would be sending a bad message to the sector, he added. The payment of the money “has to be speedy, it wouldn’t want to lag past mid summer”.
ICMSA president Pat McCormack said the funding should be paid out by the end of June to cover the farmers’ losses and should not be used to compensate factory-controlled feedlots.
“Using the fund to pay just a slaughter premium is way too simplistic and very unfair as well as creating a very dangerous precedent in the event of a no-deal Brexit,” McCormack said.
“It is very clear that farmers – whether finishers, store, weanling or calf producers – have suffered Brexit-related losses and the fund must be utilised to support all these producers, with the payment dependent on the age and type of animal,” he said.
Beef Plan Movement chair Eamon Corley said the money should be paid within six weeks.
It should be paid to:
Farmers who sold weanlings and store cattle which were in their possession for the previous 100 days either through a mart or a private sale. Farmers who have sold finished cattle either in a mart, private sale or in a factory that were in their possession for the previous 100 days.To cattle sold between 1 September 2018 and 30 April 2019, but it exclude contracted feedlot cattle as well as factory feedlot cattle.Payment should be prioritised so that the lower-income farm sectors get paid first.Corley said: “100% of the money to go to the farmers affected, with none going to factories, stakeholders or administration.”
Read more
Beef sector to decide how €100m Brexit fund will be distributed – Hogan
Department to decide what farmers are eligible for €100m Brexit fund
SHARING OPTIONS