Cork farmers alone ‘to lose €5m in budget cuts’

FARMERS in Co Cork, one of the country’s most intensive agricultural regions, will lose more than €5 million because of the budget cuts in the sector, a meeting in Dunmanway was told last night.

Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president Padraig Walshe said the cuts would result from a shortfall in the suckler cow welfare scheme and a drop in disadvantaged areas payments.

“The cut in the disadvantaged areas will result in an income loss of €2.6m for farmers, while the shortfall in the suckler scheme will see beef farmers suffer a loss of €2.6m,” he said.