12 JUNE 2020

ICSA president Edmond Phelan has welcomed the announcement today by Minister Michael Creed of a financial aid package for beef finishers amounting to €50m. Commenting on the measure Mr Phelan said, “ICSA has been pushing for this since the beginning of the lockdown when it became abundantly clear the beef sector would take a direct hit as a result of Covid-19. We will be holding discussions with Department officials on Monday, and it is our goal to get these funds out as quickly as possible.”

Mr Phelan added that while the package is a significant move towards alleviating the economic impact on beef finishers, they are not the only ones who have been affected during this time. “The totality of the economic hit on the farming sector needs to be addressed. ICSA is adamant that the losses sheep and suckler farmers have suffered are also acknowledged.”

Mr Phelan also welcomed the announcement that the Beef Taskforce is to reconvene at the end of June. “Beef farmers have been completely let down by the lack of movement with the Beef Taskforce during the Covid crisis. It is clear there is no future in producing beef at current prices and we cannot keep going from one crisis to the next. The Taskforce needs to get busy on delivering a realistic pathway to sustainable prices for beef farmers,” he said.

ENDS