The leading mart representative body are calling for the relaxation of stocking rate rules for farmers in Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) and drop the retention period for stock from seven to five months.

Currently, farmers in ANC must maintain a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare for seven consecutive months to qualify for payments.

However, the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS), said that this puts farmers under undue pressure during a time when marts are limited due to pandemic restrictions.

This is also a big issue for older farmers, where individuals over the age of 70 are currently cocooning

“The current seven month stipulation translates into farmers needing to purchase cattle and sheep now and not resell them until the end of November which could lead to animal welfare problems in the middle of winter if there is a shortage of housing on farms,” Ray Doyle, livestock and environment executive of ICOS said.

Cocooning

“This is also a big issue for older farmers, where individuals over the age of 70 are currently cocooning, are unable to source cattle directly and can’t readily get anyone else to buy in their livestock for them.”

Doyle also added that he is hearing reports that mart managers were being asked to visit farms where farmers were cocooning but that this wasn’t possible as Government instruction outlined that people were to avoid non-essential travel.

Doyle concluded by saying that this could make a real and practical difference to “hard pressed farmers particularly for older people who form a large cohort of those depending on the ANC payments system”.

Read more

Farmers urged to apply for suckler supports

Rushes do not need to be sprayed to secure payments – Department