TheIrish Cattle & Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) is calling on the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to ensure that family-owned feedlots are not excluded from the €100m Brexit beef compensation fund.

There have been calls for feedlots not to be included in any compensation measures and figures have been quoted that 18% of cattle killed come from feedlots.

Impact of TB

However, ICSA beef chair Edmund Graham has pointed out that family farms struck down by TB often opt to give their farm feedlot status in order to continue running their farm business.

“It is important to remember that many feedlots are owned by farm families. Their feedlot status is a Department of Agriculture TB measure and used for managing TB regulations only. This does not mean they are not genuine family farms,” Graham said.

Factory-owned feedlots

On the issue of factory-owned feedlots however, Graham was adamant that they should not be eligible for any compensation measures.

“Factories are the ones who have made a killing over recent months and ICSA will be insisting they have no access to any portion of these badly needed funds. It is our absolute priority that these funds need to be directed at those who are genuinely deserving.”

At the Irish Farmers Journal Beef Summit in Ballinasloe, the head of Meat Industry Ireland Cormac Healy stated that 5% of cattle killed in Ireland come from factory owned feedlots.