Smith seeks Europe-wide plan to stimulate sheep sector

AN INITIATIVE across the EU to stimulate the sheep sector was sought by Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith during his address to the European sheep industry summit in Limoges, France.

“Action needs to be taken at EU level to address difficulties the sector has experienced in recent years.

Mr Smith said there must be a continued focus on quality and the stimulation of demand through marketing, labelling, health promotion and generic promotion of lamb.

He said he made it clear that he is committed to supporting the sector wherever he can and will be pressing strongly in Brussels to have appropriate policies drawn up to ensure its long-term sustainability.

He added that the sector should be a priority for any unused funds within the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget.

IFA president Pádraig Walshe said Mr Smith was very determined in his message that action must be taken on sheep in the CAP health check and that unused CAP funds be directed to the sector.

IFA Sheep Committee chairman Henry Burns said all of the ministers from France, Ireland, Britain, Spain and Romania fully endorsed the proposals in the report recently presented to the European Parliament by Irish member Liam Aylward.

Mr Aylward’s report includes a proposal for a new sheep maintenance payment per ewe.

He also proposed EU funds for lamb promotion and action on labelling.

However, Fine Gael’s Michael Creed, TD, accused Mr Smith and Mr Aylward of shedding crocodile tears on the state of the sheep sector.

“It is an insult to the intelligence of sheep farmers to ask them to believe that Messrs Aylward and Smith can rescue the European sheep sector with the Aylward Report, when one considers their abject failure at home to pay out the €28 million promised in May ‘07 to the Irish sheep sector.”