GOV VOWS TO SUPPORT GALWAY SHEEP BREED FROM EXTINCTION

Date Published: 22-Feb-2013

The government has vowed to support Galway’s sheep farming sector.

It follows calls from Labour Senator Lorraine Higgins who this week told the seanad that the Galway sheep breed is in danger of extinction.

She asked that Galway sheep farmers be included in the AEOS 3 scheme to sustain the sector.

Latest statistics show that the percentage of Galway ewes relative to all lowland ewes has declined from 61 percent to 8 percent in the period from 1975 to 1992.

Senator Higgins told the seanad that sheep farming is a unique part of Galway’s heritage and must be protected.

Responding, Minister Fergus O’Dowd told the Senator that Galway sheep farmers will be supported with ranking and selection for the scheme expected to take place in the second quarter of this year.