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Farmers need better supports to achieve environmental and climate targest, IFA national livestock chair Brendan Golden has said.
Golden outlined how it is becoming tougher for farmers to meet higher production costs without extra funds, saying: "Farmers cannot be green if they are always in the red."
Golden's comments came at the first trans-national BovINE meeting for the European beef industry, organised by Poland.
Golden said: “Under the Green Deal, the EU is driving up costs and wants organic production standards at conventional prices.
“At the same time under the Mercosur trade deal, the Commission is importing beef that fails to meet EU standards.”
Down driven
The online meeting entitled Sustainable Beef Farming addressed policy and practice in the context of the Green Deal.
Golden described the Green Deal as very ambitious, with a major impact on farming.
“It’s a top down driven plan from the EU Commission and needs detailed assessment based on facts and solid science.”
“The EU family farm model and economic sustainability needs to be placed at the top of the Green Deal agenda by both politicians and policy makers.”
CAP concerns
Golden also said it was never more important in the history of the EU to have a strong CAP Budget.
“With the EU CAP budget negotiations concluded, the funding issues now turns to the Irish Government. Important issues include targeted payment for vulnerable sectors like suckler cows and a payment for carbon sequestration.
“Farmers are very concerned about eco scheme proposals in Pillar I, which involve additional environmental compliance without any additional budget.”
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