IFA concern over national herd numbers

Minister’s comments at odds with Taoiseach

IFA President Tim Cullinan said that recent comments by Minister Eamon Ryan on cutting cow numbers are at odds with previous commitments from the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste that the Government would not be seeking any reduction in cattle numbers in Ireland.

Minister Ryan’s comments on Virgin Media during the week reveal that his real objective is to reduce cow numbers in Ireland to appease those with an anti-animal farming agenda in his own party.

“Since 1999, the number of cars in Ireland has increased by 75%, the number of plane journeys has increased by over 150% while the number of cattle has more or less stayed the same. Yet, the Minister wants fewer cows. The average cattle herd in Ireland is less than 80 animals but the Minister wants these farmers to cut back on their production from which they derive their income. No other sector is being asked to take a direct hit on their incomes and farmers, like all other households, will be impacted by the mitigation measures in the other sectors such as energy and transport,” he said.

“Rather than looking to developments in technology that are showing promising results, the minister is playing to his own gallery by proposing to reduce cattle numbers without any concrete alternatives for farmers,” he said.

“Minister Ryan talked about anaerobic digestion in his recent interview. However, the Government have done nothing to make this feasible at farm level. In any event it will take years to put such infrastructure in place and it’s unclear that it would improve incomes for farmers,” he said.

Mr Cullinan said the Government cannot force through sectoral emission ceilings without complying with requirements in their own legislation.

“An economic and social impact assessment of the effect of a sectoral ceiling; how the distinct characteristics of biogenic methane are reflected; and the risk of carbon leakage are all requirements under the legislation. The Government, including Minister Eamon Ryan, would be derelict in their duty if these issues are not given due regard as required in the act,” he said.

Support for Horse Farmers

Following a meeting with Minister Martin Heydon, IFA Horse Project Team Chairman Richard Kennedy, said that we must now see farmers who are actively involved in the breeding and rearing of horses included in farm investment support schemes under the new CAP from January 2023.

“We were pleased that Minister Heydon is supportive of the case that IFA have made to include the horse farming sector under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) in the future and we must see this support come to fruition and be available for farmers to apply for in early 2023.”

The horse sector is an integral farming activity throughout every country in rural Ireland and makes a contribution of €2 billion to our economy, but it remains one of the only agricultural sectors that has not been included in a meaningful way in the support measures that are available through the CAP funded on-farm investment grant schemes.

The IFA Horse Project Team members welcomed the opportunity to meet face-to-face with Minister Martin Heydon and he acknowledged that there was a very good business case put forward by the IFA for including farmers who have with horses, in TAMS under the new CAP regime, which begins in January 2023.

The requirement for continual reinvestment on farms to improve safety measures and maintain the positive environmental and economic contribution that the equine sector makes, were all put forward to the Minister and acknowledged as good reasons for including the horse farmers in TAMS. The IFA delegation called on the Minister to ensure that horse farmers are no longer excluded from the Tams grant scheme.

Mr Kennedy said that it is important that this happens, as many farmers have been excluded from theses support measures to invest in their equine accommodation and handling facilities for many years. It needs to happen now to maintain standards, particularly safety standards.

“Reinvestment is essential if we are to see the next generation of farmers continue the tradition and contribution that horses make to the national agricultural output. Maintaining the grassroots farmer involved in breeding and rearing of horses is key to the continued success of our equine farming sector, a sector that is world renowned across the world as leaders in producing top class thoroughbred and sporthorses.”

Mr Kennedy said that Irish horse farmers want to maintain the highest standards and continue to produce top quality stock. Including the sector in the TAMS investment scheme will allow this to happen

Save Crops in Shannon Callows

IFA Connacht Chairman Pat Murphy said farmers want the OPW to manage the water levels on the River Shannon by dropping the water levels, while ensuring that it doesn’t cause problems further downstream.

“There’s a large amount of hay and silage either being harvested or yet to be harvested. The crops on the Shannon Callows make up a substantial portion of winter fodder and are extremely important for farmers. July is a key month for farmers in the Callows to harvest crops which helps ensure winter fodder is secured,” he said.

“There have been significant levels of rainfall within the upper Shannon catchment recently. To avoid substantial crop losses over the coming days, farmers need the Minister to take immediate control of the situation and ensure the water levels are managed appropriately to reduce the risk of flooding. This will allow farmers to save their extremely valuable crops.”

In the longer term, an agency must be established which would include local farmers to manage the overall Shannon project to rectify the problems and maintain it thereafter.

This must be established without delay and cannot be put on the long finger.