Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has insisted there was no plan at Government level to reduce the suckler herd.

He maintained that sucklers would continue to form a key element of the country’s beef industry.

The Minister was addressing the annual general meeting of the Irish Natura And Hill Farmers Association (INHFA), where an enforced cut in the suckler cow herd was also ruled out by the organisation’s incoming president Vincent Roddy.

Minister McConalogue dismissed suggestions that the conditions of the proposed Suckler Carbon Efficiency Scheme represented a cap on beef cow numbers.

He said the overall limit on cow numbers for the programme related to the overall cost of the scheme and the delivery of carbon reductions, rather than being a cap on the suckler herd.

CAP and climate

The meeting heard calls from Mr Roddy for a €250m increase in funding for CAP Pillar II schemes during his first speech as association president. He also stated his support for the current CAP proposals around front loading and convergence.

The INHFA leader took exception to historic comments from the Climate Change Advisory Council (CCAC), which he claimed had suggested that “limits be put on the national herd” and which he said pointed the “finger of blame” for increased carbon emissions “at our suckler cows”.

Roddy, who hails from Carracastle, Co Mayo, claimed the “narrative” that the suckler herd should be reduced because it is viewed as unprofitable was one that has “unfortunately” persisted and he called on the CCAC to update this view “based on the science and not whether a sector is profitable or not”.

“If this is done, I am confident that the suckler sector with its extensive farming systems will no longer be viewed as an ongoing threat in the battle against climate change,” he maintained.

I am confident that the suckler sector with its extensive farming systems will no longer be viewed as an ongoing threat in the battle against climate change

In relation to Government co-funding of CAP Pillar II schemes, Roddy called for a budget increase of at least €250m to deliver an overall annual budget in excess of €850m.

“These supports must come in the form of welfare-type schemes and not a carbon efficiency programme as currently outlined for the suckler sector,” he added.

Minister McConalogue did not give a firm commitment on co-funding, but he said engagement was continuing with the Minister for Public Expenditure Michael McGrath and that he was “fighting to ensure” the maximum allocation for farming.

However, on a positive note for hill farmers, Minister McConalogue gave a firm commitment to “a good strong environmental scheme” in the next CAP.

Vital supports

Mr Roddy had pointed out that access to agri-environmental supports was vital for all farmers and did not exclude those with “private hill lands and those operating high-nature value farming systems as was the case in GLAS”.

There was also good news from the conference for organic farmers. Minister McConalogue confirmed that “significant additional funding” would be made available to the organic sector to expand farmer participation.

The Minister conceded that plans to grow farmer involvement from 2% to 7% of overall numbers represented quite an ambition.

However, he said significant resources would be allocated to developing markets and that Bord Bia had been tasked with spearheading this drive.

Cheap food policy

Meanwhile, Mr Roddy blamed Europe’s cheap food policy for the flight of young people from farming.

“A stagnant CAP budget in recent times has contributed to the fall in incomes and the ongoing exodus from the land,” he said.

“If Europe wants to continue with a cheap food policy while demanding higher environmental ambition, they need to face the reality that the CAP budget will need to increase dramatically,” Roddy said.

On forestry, the INHFA insisted that the historic dependence on Sitka spruce had to be revisited.

“In our budget submission, we outlined how the afforestation programme should only facilitate the planting of commercial broadleaf and native woodland,” Mr Roddy explained.

“We also detailed how the scheme should only be available to genuine farmers that have farmed the land for a minimum of five years. Change on this is long overdue and I’m asking Minister McConalogue and Minister Hackett to consider carefully what we have proposed,” he said.

INHFA: the new team

The new leadership of INHFA includes incoming president Roddy, who takes over from Colm O’Donnell, as well as Micheál McDonnell and Pheilim Molloy as vice-presidents. The pair are from Mayo and Donegal respectively.

Sharon Cosgrove from Bangor-Erris remains as secretary, while Sligo farmer Hugh Gallagher takes over as treasurer.