ICOS livestock executive Ray Doyle and live exporter Seamus Scallan of the Wicklow Calf Company received support from TDs and senators on the Oireachtas agriculture committee this Tuesday in the face of challenges to the live trade.

"This trade in live animals is vital to maintaining competition in the marketplace and acts as a counterweighing force to the beef sector which is dominated by four private companies," said Doyle.

Pressure

However, he warned that this was under pressure from animal rights activists using difficulties at one border crossing between Bulgaria and Turkey to call for a complete end to the business.

"The EU may ban the complete live transport of live animals from the EU to third-country markets. This has to be resisted," Doyle said.

He warned that outlawing live exports outside the EU would not only cut Ireland off from its markets in the Middle East and North Africa, but also be a first step to all live animal transport within the EU.

"That’s the thin edge of the wedge as far as NGOs are concerned," he said.

Concerns

Scallan highlighted concerns for live calf exports ahead of next month's peak export period, estimating that over 200,000 calves would be exported this year compared with 166,00 last year.

Lairage capacity at Cherbourg, France, remains limited to 4,000 calves per day and Scallan pointed out that contrary to what Department of Agriculture officials told the same Oireachtas committee two weeks ago, the new ship commissioned by Irish Ferries is only scheduled to sail on dates maximising use of the lairage from May.

"That’s not good to us in May; the market will be flooded," Scallan said.

A period of bad weather could worsen any backlog and create "a serious welfare issue with those calves," he added.

Read more

Bandon calf numbers almost double in a week

Scramble for calf export capacity