It is vital that sucklers are kept in rural areas, Iveragh Co-operative Mart manager Mike Kissane has stated.

He said the money spent by farmers in Ireland's traditional beef model was reinvested locally.

The impact of poor beef prices at factory level is having a knock-on effect on rural communities, according to Kissane.

Prices back on last year

This was demonstrated at the south Kerry mart's annual spring show and sale recently, as Kissane describes.

"Last week, we had a show and sale. Compared to the same sale in 2018, prices were back €100 to €150 per animal.

"On over 500 animals, that's about €75,000 less that went into the rural economy in the Iveragh penninsula.

"That is money that is not there to spend this year in Valentia island, Ballinskelligs, Portmagee, Dromid. That's a sad reflection on the trade."

Meeting

Kissane was speaking at a meeting held by the Irish Farm Family Action Group (IFFAG) in Kenmare on Wednesday evening.

He urged farmers to take action, as the clock was ticking on the future of the suckler cow in rural Ireland.

He said if nothing was done to entice young people to farm, there was a danger the entire western seaboard would be turned into a wildlife park.

A speaker from the floor said: "It won't be suckler cows we'll be talking about in five years time. It will be people."

He gave the example of when Colaiste na Sceilge opened in Caherciveen in 1999 it had 850 students and this number is under 550 at present.