The “massive hit” being imposed on commercial beef farmers as a result of the current CAP proposals has been slammed by former IFA president, John Bryan.

Intensive drystock farmers who invested heavily to build up entitlements were going to see their income savaged over the next five years, Bryan maintained.

He claimed that some farmers looked set to lose over 30% of their direct payments, although Teagasc analysis repeatedly showed that these holdings were totally dependent on CAP transfers to provide their income.

These losses will be compounded by the allocation of 25% of the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) to eco schemes, which will require farmers “to spend money” in order to secure payment, the IFA president pointed out.

Speaking to local radio station KCLR, Bryan claimed that it was going to be “impossible for farmers to make up the income loss” associated with convergence, front loading and the eco-scheme transfers.

The former IFA leader said the current consultation illustrated the level of disconnect that currently exists between the Department and farmers

He questioned whether a “proper impact assessment” of the CAP changes on the incomes of commercial drystock farmers had been undertaken by the Department.

Bryan accused the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue of talking “at” farmers and not “to” them, and he described the town hall meetings on the CAP consultative document as “lop-sided”.

The former IFA leader said the current consultation illustrated the level of disconnect that currently exists between the Department and farmers.

Bryan said the cuts in farmer incomes as a result of the CAP changes would be exacerbated by the climate change proposals and the Nitrates Action Programme.

He claimed that climate change was not being dealt with in a balanced manner in relation to agriculture; and he warned that the environmental measure being imposed under the NAP would leave Irish farmers at a “huge economic disadvantage”.