IFA chief calls for funds to alleviate income crisis in sheep sector

THE number of sheep shorn in Ireland will continue to decline rapidly unless serious action is taken urgently by the Government to allocate funds to the sector, it was claimed yesterday.

Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) president Padraig Walshe called on Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith to immediately allocate €29 million in unused Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) single payment funds to the sector in the form of a sheep maintenance payment.

“The unused single payment funds must be used to alleviate the income crisis and restore confidence in the sheep sector,” he said.