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A voluntary scheme to reduce suckler numbers makes more sense than introducing a couple payment according to John Halley, Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) suckler chair.
Halley said comments by European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan suggesting farmers should be paid to stop farming sucklers needed to be given careful consideration.
“Suckler farming is delivering unacceptably low margins because of the ongoing inability of the meat industry to deliver a viable price.
"Excess supply of cattle is being used by meat factories to drive down price. Therefore, policy proposals to encourage farmers to keep more suckler cows than they would otherwise do are doomed to failure,” Halley said.
Cheap beef
He said a payment linked to the number of cows a farmer owned would be used by processors to ensure a cheap supply of beef. ICSA were of the view that a reduction scheme would be preferable.
It proposes a scheme that would be voluntary and involve payments over a five-year period to reflect the average number of cows calved over a three-year period. However, Halley stressed real viable alternatives were needed for farmers who wished to exit suckler farming.
Renewables
Halley said: “While there are undoubtedly farmers who want to leave because of age, ICSA believes that it is now time to look at putting the right policies in place to make renewable energy a viable alternative for farmers.
“The current policy framework is not working and there is a massive missed opportunity to develop renewable energy options such as anaerobic digesters and solar panels.”
Offering training and assistance to farmers who leave sucklers would also need to be looked at Halley said.
This training could be in other farming enterprises or alternative rural enterprises.
He said for those who remain in suckler farming, the future could be bright but for this to happen, a determined effort would be needed to secure protected geographical status (PGI) for suckler beef and a strategy to market suckler beef as a niche product would have to be developed.
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