IFA president Tim Cullinan said the Programme for Government has positive aspects, but lacks clear commitments on budgets and spending.

“Overall, while there are lots of words, it lacks hard figures,” he said. “In implementing the programme, farmers will be looking to this Government to support farming and bring forward climate action measures that are practical, achievable and that properly reward farmers,” he said. “Farmers must be viewed as part of the climate solution,” he said.

“Any climate change bill will have to take account of the benefits that farmers and agriculture provide in carbon sequestration. All carbon sinks including grassland, hedgerows, crops, peatlands and forestry must be fully accounted for with the most up-to-date science.”

“The devil will be in the detail in terms of how emissions targets are to be achieved and how they are calculated. We will engage fully in the discussions that will take place,” he said.“I note the clear statement that biogenic methane must be treated differently and we will ensure this is the case in any new proposals or targets.”

Government package for beef farmers welcome

IFA president Tim Cullinan has welcomed the announcement by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed of a €50m direct payment package for beef farmers to cover price losses incurred as a result of the collapse in the market, due to COVID-19 and other factors, including Brexit.

Cullinan said: “The details of the scheme and the small print will be very important. The IFA met with Department of Agriculture on Monday to progress the scheme details further.

This new package, along with the recent €35m BEEP-S scheme secured for suckler cows, is badly needed

“The IFA made detailed submissions to Government outlining the strong case for a direct payment support package and our officers around the country have worked hard lobbying politicians,” he said.

“This new package, along with the recent €35m BEEP-S scheme secured for suckler cows, is badly needed.”

IFA livestock chair Brendan Golden also welcomed the beef package, saying finishers had taken a severe financial hit this spring.

He said the COVID-19 crisis has impacted significantly on markets, especially the food service sector, which was closed down. “As a major beef exporter, Ireland was hit much harder than many other countries.”

He said the figures show winter finishers selling cattle have taken a beef price battering in the order of €200 per head, when compared to pre-Brexit and pre-COVID-19 prices.

Positive outcome

Golden said the IFA campaigned hard on this all spring and it was good to see a positive outcome.

“Without a direct payment package to make up, in some part, for these price losses, many winter finishers will not survive after this spring, which has been financially horrendous,” he said.

EU cannot make increased offer to NZ on lamb imports

IFA national sheep chair Sean Dennehy said with Brexit negotiations on a knife edge and the UK such a major player in the sheepmeat sector on the EU market and also as the main import destination for New Zealand lamb, it would be madness for EU negotiators to make any offer to New Zealand at this time in the EU-NZ trade negotiations.

Dennehy said New Zealand is only filling about half of its existing 228,254t quota on sheepmeat into the EU in recent years. “There is no basis to increase the New Zealand tariff rate quota on sheepmeat. Any attempt to do so can only be interpreted by European sheep farmers as a sell-out or a sacrifice of the sector for benefits in other trade areas,” he said.

On Brexit, Dennehy said the EU has to insist that the traditional historic volumes going from New Zealand into the UK market go with the UK, and in turn are removed from the EU quota. “In practice, this would mean that the EU quota post-Brexit would halve. This has to be part of Brexit and any new trade deal between the EU and NZ.”