ICSA Beef chair Edmund Graham has criticised factories for attempting to direct the trade by pulling prices this week in order to fill their own feedlots. “Prices being pulled this week is a disgrace as there is no real justification for it. The average GB price (England, Scotland, Wales) has increased by the equivalent of 20c/kg excluding VAT since the start of August. Meanwhile, after a few weeks of improved prices, factories are attempting to drive Irish prices to a new low for 2023. This is not acceptable,” he said.

ICSA president Dermot Kelleher has said that the government needs to fix the mess they have made with the Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) immediately. “This tax is nothing less than a land grab which will destroy family farms that have committed no offence except to farm near cities, towns, and villages. From 1 February2024 landowners, who are in the business of farming not property speculation, are being terrorised with a tax that they can’t possibly afford. This is grossly unfair and must be sorted now.”

ICSA president Dermot Kelleher has called for a further extension to the slurry spreading deadline as the weather has provided no opportunity at all to responsibly spread slurry in the past few weeks.

ICSA Beef chair Edmund Graham has called on the new Food Regulator to pay special attention to the takeover of Kildare Chilling by Dawn Meats which he said has devastating implications for competition for both beef and lamb. “Farmers have lost all faith in the CCPC which has nodded through this takeover. The reality is that a factory that many farmers depended on to sell cattle and lambs at a fair price is now under the control of one of the big two. This will not be a good outcome for farmers.”

ICSA will launch the association’s Life Focus initiative at the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska Co Laois next week, September 19-21.

In the spirit of Farmers Supporting Farmers, a group of ICSA farmers has come together to form ICSA Life Focus. Chair of the group ICSA’s Mona O’ Donoghue Concannon said that mental health and stress related issues are widespread in farming and that ICSA wants to help families experiencing problems.

ICSA president Dermot Kelleher has called for a whole of farming approach to the consequences of the EU Commission response to the nitrates derogation. “All farm organisations need to work together to ensure the interests of all farmers are effectively defended. The interests of family run dairy farms are important and so too are the interests of cattle, sheep, and tillage farmers.

ICSA president Dermot Kelleher has said the decision by the Minister for Finance, Michael McGrath TD, to remove the pouring concrete element for precast products, although correct, highlights the utter insanity of the levy in the first place. “The 5% concrete levy...

ICSA Sheep chairman Sean McNamara has said lamb price in Ireland is now well out of sync with the UK and EU countries. “Current Irish lamb price, including QA bonus, excluding VAT, is at €6.23 paid compared to €6.62/kg in Great Britain, €8/kg in France and €6.97/kg in...

ICSA Animal Health and Welfare chair Hugh Farrell has said that “confusion reigns supreme in relation to a strategy for IBR.” Mr Farrell was commenting on the new suckler scheme known as the Beef Welfare Scheme which includes a measure to take IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis) samples and the lack of clarity around what are the implications of a positive test result.

ICSA Animal Health and Welfare chair Hugh Farrell has said that he is encouraged by progress being made at the Deer Management Strategy Group, chaired by Teddy Cashman, towards a workable deer management programme. “For too long now, the out of control deer population has been a major problem on several fronts, including the spread of TB. I am hopeful that we are moving towards a plan which will include a dedicated programme manager to co-ordinate and implement a strategy to bring deer numbers under control.”