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Farmers locked up due to TB since last year are facing a financial “double whammy” according to the ICMSA.
Some 1,644 herds have been restricted by TB since the beginning of the year and have had to cope with the prolonged spring and now drought conditions at farm level.
“These farmers are particularly vulnerable and really need to be supported,” ICMSA deputy president Lorcan McCabe said.
“They can’t sell anything out of the farm while at the same time can’t afford to keep feeding their stock – they are suffering a classic double-whammy and we are appealing to the Department to look at some way of giving these farms some kind of relief and practical help.
“The present levels of income support and hardship grants on offer are really only token gestures when set against levels of expenditure and fall in income these farmers are experiencing.
“At the very least, the hardship grant should be extended to cover the summer months and not cease at the end of April as at present.”
The CSO has recently released figures that show that TB reactors have reached a five-year high in Ireland.
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