DEAR SIR:

Great credit is due to you and this publication for driving the idea of suckler payment for cows. I support the idea, however I think in order for this to gain support from the Government and Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed, we should look to ensure the support relates to a beef calf calved on the farm with a beef sire and dam. I would also propose that in order to get the support, a farmer must genotype each calf with each sample. This in turn will help us identify the best-performing beef animals. It will also allow you confirmation that the dam and sire are from the beef herd. The fear of giving a support to the suckler cow is that she does not calve from one year to next – she may calve at 36 months or not at all and thus in turn makie the beef herd even less efficient. The Department could also change the support criteria in the coming year with payment only on heifers who calve 24-28 months of age or even apply the support to cows that only calve within 390 days in order to reduce the calving period and help increase productivity. We cannot expect to get a support without carrying out some requirements - we cannot expect a handout for nothing. Keep up the good work and let’s hope Minister Creed can see some sense on this issue.