Farmers fought hard for the bonus for cattle over 30 months of age and it shouldn’t be scrapped, Edmund Graham, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Association (ICSA) beef chair, has told the Irish Farmers Journal.

“Farmers fought hard for that to be brought in the time of the beef protest. It was agreed between farmers and Meat Industry Ireland (MII) in Kildare Street.

“I don’t see how MII can take it upon themselves to even talk about this without engagement with farmers,” he said.

Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) livestock chair Brendan Golden said there needs to be discussion with farmers before any changes are made to bonus structures.

“Farmers have to go in a direction and they either need to be supported by the market or receive Government support to do that,” he said.

Statement

Graham and Golden were responding to the statement from MII director Dale Crammond, who said that the issue of paying the bonus for cattle over 30 months has to come into question. This step change is given the direction of travel the beef sector wants take in relation to earlier finishing, Crammond said last week.

Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal at the launch of MII’s beef sector sustainability report last week, the MII boss said that there is a commitment there to roll out a plan as to how farmers can be incentivised to finish cattle earlier.

“One of the next steps will be to meet with the [beef factory] members and have a conversation with them.

“There’s been no decisions taken around any of that at this point.”