In the mart: farmers react to €50m beef aid package

Elphin Mart, Co Roscommon

“The €50m scheme is needed badly by beef finishers. Farmers that filled their sheds with cattle must be losing a fortune with the way beef price is gone.

“It will go some way to recouping losses on winter finishing this year. If I don’t have that farmer around the ring, it means a lesser trade and the farmers that are selling here need all the money they can get to stay going. A new REPS would be great for this part of the country.

“Every penny of the last REPS was spent on farms upgrading facilities and looking after environmental issues. It was a great scheme and should have never been done away with. I was worried about the Green Party getting in and, to be honest, I still am. There would be war down here if live exports were stopped. People in the city don’t seem to grasp the importance of that.“

Aurivo Mart, Balla, Co Mayo

“I think the €50m beef aid package should be spread around all drystock farmers.

“I have no problem with beef finishers getting the money, they need it and deserve it but I think suckler farmers have taken as big a hit in the last couple of months.

“The beef finisher has been able to buy stores a little cheaper in the last few months, whereas the suckler farmer has the same costs all the time. There is a general fear in this area about the Green Party going into government. I don’t think they understand rural Ireland and they want everybody living in towns.

“From a farmer’s point of view I would be worried about the carbon tax. Farmers aren’t getting enough recognition for the amount of carbon sequestration that happens on farms, something other industries can’t do.”

Tuam Mart, Co Galway

“While I had some reservations about online selling, my two weanlings were stuck at €750 and then some bids came in online and they sold for €800 – so there is €100 more in my pocket this evening, thanks to online bidding.

“The €50m scheme is welcome. The initial BEAM scheme was good, but I didn’t like the sting in the tail with the need for a 5% stocking rate reduction and I hope there is no such measure in this scheme.

“In the 35 years that I was a Fine Gael TD, I never thought that I would ever be sitting down as friends with Fianna Fáil – there are plenty of lads joking with me about that around the mart at the moment.

“I think there are some policies of the Greens that will never see their way into a government programme but there are some ideas that might be very useful yet – everything in moderation.”