17 APRIL 2019

A group of senior ICSA officials has this evening met with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed TD to further press for action on a range of issues including a Brexit support package for beef farmers and CAP reform. Leading the delegation, ICSA president Patrick Kent said, “Our message to the Minister is clear; less intensive and low income cattle, sheep and tillage farmers need better payments.”

He said, “CAP reforms will have to prioritise delivering the bulk of payments to those that need and deserve it most. These farmers are the backbone of Irish farming; the ones that are less intensive, who keep emissions down and who are barely surviving on meagre incomes.”

Addressing the ongoing difficulties facing beef farmers, Mr Kent said, “Brexit has happened as far as beef farmers are concerned. It started happening long ago and has been used as an all-encompassing excuse by the meat industry to cut prices. The impact has been devastating and the agony has only been prolonged. Today we brought our demand for a Brexit support package for beef farmers directly to the Minister’s table. This is a demand that cannot be ignored if there is to be any hope for the beef sector.”

Mr Kent reiterated ICSA’s position that an EU Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status must be sought and used as a mechanism to sell suckler beef as a premium product to discerning consumers. He said, “Any strategy to get PGI status for the entire kill, including dairy beef, risks making the same mistake as the previous attempt in 2009, which was rejected by the EU Commission. PGI status should be used as a device to improve returns from suckler systems.”

“ICSA does not support artificial incentives to encourage farmers to keep more suckler cows. Instead we need to focus on paying better direct payments to more extensive systems of farming because we have seen time and time again that scarcity is far better than traceability or sustainability for farmers.”

ENDS