‘Disgust’ at Dept’s plans on sucklers

THE Chairman of Connacht IFA has expressed his ‘disgust’ at the Dept. of Agriculture plans to cut numbers in the Irish suckler cow herd, saying that it could lead to ‘the destruction of our rural economy’.

In an open letter sent out this week, Pat Murphy said that the Dept. of Agriculture plans for the suckler sector were an insult to all suckler farmers.

“This new CAP is obviously environmentally based, with much focus on methane emissions. Suckler cows are not the problem.

“Reducing their numbers will not solve the problem, in fact, I think that it will make the situation worse. Forcing people to cut numbers will not achieve desired results and will only divide farmers.

“Where I am based in the West of Ireland, 8 out of 10 farmers rely on the suckler cows for family farm income. Many of these farms are fragmented and much of the land is not suitable for conversion to dairy or tillage,” said Pat Murphy.

He added that the report of economist Jim Power into the beef industry, highlighted the importance of the support for suckler farmers because of the benefits to the rural economy and the communities in which they live.

“Farmers need to be able to decide for themselves their own futures together with their families.  We need to encourage all sectors in farming to move forward and adopt better practices.

“Options such as reseeding, liming and actually knowing your soil’s capability are much better ways of helping farmers play their part to meet Ireland’s emissions targets, than forcing people to give up on possibly the only farming practice suitable to their area.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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