Decoupling aid sought from Taoiseach
ICMSA President Pat O’Rourke said the Association accepts that decoupling is a done deal, but wants to know how Minister Joe Walsh plans to achieve his stated objective of protecting Ireland’s agricultural production base.
Mr O’Rourke predicted that suckler numbers will fall by 30%, due to decoupling, unless the Government softens the blow for farmers. He expects that the national milk quota will be filled, but at the cost of a huge 30% income drop for dairy farmers.
