DEAR SIR: I attended a cattle mart in the southeast last week. Entered in the sale was a small herd of very good quality, sound suckler cows, all between three and six years old, confirmed in-calf to AI bulls. All the cows were sold for less than their empty value as store cows. For me this is a graphic reflection of the crisis within the suckler sector.
Sitting beside me at that sale was a fellow suckler farmer who is a grassroots member of ICSA, but also a member of another farming organisation.
On the basis that I am a senior officeholder within a farm organisation, he posed two difficult questions to me on the state of our sector and farm organisations response to those difficulties.
“Why is it that farm leaders and their handlers are prepared to enter a dialogue with anyone about the problems in farming, except with each other? What is it about the hierarchy of farm organisations that their fundamentalist approach to all farm topics is, ours is the one true path to salvation?”
I’m afraid my attempt at a response to these questions was less than satisfactory at that time, but I will return to the topic later in this correspondence.
My committee and I are of the view that with regard to the size of the national suckler herd from the farmers’ perspective, less is actually more. The current 930,000 suckler cows in the country need to reduce by at least a further 250,000 in order for the market to reach a balance which can make a reasonable return for those that remain.
The only way that this can happen without economic and social carnage on Irish farms is by way of a slaughter scheme similar to the Mulder scheme for dairy stock in the late 1970s. It has been difficult for many of us to digest the necessity for a serious cull of the national suckler herd. However, we have been faced with a perfect storm of a rising flood of inferior dairy by-product, a shifting western consciousness of the benefits to the planet from the practice of veganism, as well as very poor leadership from Minister Creed.
We may or may not approve of former president Mary Robinson’s decision to forego all meat from her diet in order to set an example for others to help save the planet for her grandchildren. Irrespective of our approval for Mrs Robinson’s stance, her influence on the western world as a former UN High Commissioner and currently chair of the Elders is immense.
Over recent weeks, in another farming paper, a debate has been taking place about the future of the national suckler herd. Contributors included Angus Woods of the IFA and Pat McCormack of the ICMSA. I read both Angus’s and Pat’s articles very carefully. Their respective positions are skilfully presented and well-argued, but of course different. What Angus, Pat and I have in common is that we are all trying to solve the same problem by pulling in three different directions. However, we are collectively allowing a weak Minister of Agriculture to ignore the crisis while our sector burns.
I now return to my friend at the mart and his tough questions. For the record, I honestly believe that farm unity is as far away as Irish unity – ie no time soon. However, I also believe that it is possible that the three of us could conceivably come to a consensus on this single issue on behalf of all our members. We owe it to all Irish farmers to at least try.
In the coming days, I intend to contact both Pat and Angus, with a view to an informal meeting. I will propose that we leave all our egos and our senior staff at the door. Time enough to introduce staff to a situation like this when it’s time to tidy up the detail.
My opening words to Angus and Pat at that meeting, if it ever takes place, will be: “On behalf of my committee, I would like to say that neither I nor my association the ICSA have a monopoly of wisdom on the future of Irish livestock farming.
“Please let us search together for a pragmatic solution for the suckler sector.”
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‘The €40/cow scheme is a joke’ – frustrated farmers at crisis meeting
DEAR SIR: I attended a cattle mart in the southeast last week. Entered in the sale was a small herd of very good quality, sound suckler cows, all between three and six years old, confirmed in-calf to AI bulls. All the cows were sold for less than their empty value as store cows. For me this is a graphic reflection of the crisis within the suckler sector.
Sitting beside me at that sale was a fellow suckler farmer who is a grassroots member of ICSA, but also a member of another farming organisation.
On the basis that I am a senior officeholder within a farm organisation, he posed two difficult questions to me on the state of our sector and farm organisations response to those difficulties.
“Why is it that farm leaders and their handlers are prepared to enter a dialogue with anyone about the problems in farming, except with each other? What is it about the hierarchy of farm organisations that their fundamentalist approach to all farm topics is, ours is the one true path to salvation?”
I’m afraid my attempt at a response to these questions was less than satisfactory at that time, but I will return to the topic later in this correspondence.
My committee and I are of the view that with regard to the size of the national suckler herd from the farmers’ perspective, less is actually more. The current 930,000 suckler cows in the country need to reduce by at least a further 250,000 in order for the market to reach a balance which can make a reasonable return for those that remain.
The only way that this can happen without economic and social carnage on Irish farms is by way of a slaughter scheme similar to the Mulder scheme for dairy stock in the late 1970s. It has been difficult for many of us to digest the necessity for a serious cull of the national suckler herd. However, we have been faced with a perfect storm of a rising flood of inferior dairy by-product, a shifting western consciousness of the benefits to the planet from the practice of veganism, as well as very poor leadership from Minister Creed.
We may or may not approve of former president Mary Robinson’s decision to forego all meat from her diet in order to set an example for others to help save the planet for her grandchildren. Irrespective of our approval for Mrs Robinson’s stance, her influence on the western world as a former UN High Commissioner and currently chair of the Elders is immense.
Over recent weeks, in another farming paper, a debate has been taking place about the future of the national suckler herd. Contributors included Angus Woods of the IFA and Pat McCormack of the ICMSA. I read both Angus’s and Pat’s articles very carefully. Their respective positions are skilfully presented and well-argued, but of course different. What Angus, Pat and I have in common is that we are all trying to solve the same problem by pulling in three different directions. However, we are collectively allowing a weak Minister of Agriculture to ignore the crisis while our sector burns.
I now return to my friend at the mart and his tough questions. For the record, I honestly believe that farm unity is as far away as Irish unity – ie no time soon. However, I also believe that it is possible that the three of us could conceivably come to a consensus on this single issue on behalf of all our members. We owe it to all Irish farmers to at least try.
In the coming days, I intend to contact both Pat and Angus, with a view to an informal meeting. I will propose that we leave all our egos and our senior staff at the door. Time enough to introduce staff to a situation like this when it’s time to tidy up the detail.
My opening words to Angus and Pat at that meeting, if it ever takes place, will be: “On behalf of my committee, I would like to say that neither I nor my association the ICSA have a monopoly of wisdom on the future of Irish livestock farming.
“Please let us search together for a pragmatic solution for the suckler sector.”
Read more
Watch: capacity takes centre stage in six-bay suckler shed
‘The €40/cow scheme is a joke’ – frustrated farmers at crisis meeting
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