Plans to double levies leave farmers furious
ICMSA president Pat O’Rourke said it would increase costs on farms and reduce farm incomes further. Mr O’Rourke said the Department of Agriculture caved in to demands of a small group and relaxed movement control on cattle earlier this year.
But all farmers are now being called upon to pay an additional 10 million to cover inefficiencies in the department and its failure to control the spread of disease.
The ICMSA leader said the levies cannot be increased without the prior approval of Dáil. “ICMSA will be lobbying TDs of all parties to reject this proposed increase. This is increased taxation on farmers under another name,” he said.
Mr O’Rourke said he is convinced the 10m sought from farmers can be achieved by cutting out the inefficiencies in the way the department operates the disease eradication schemes.
IFA president John Dillon said farmers will see the doubling of the disease levies as just more money into the black hole of the TB industry.
He blamed what he described as the department’s failure to tackle the diseased livestock problem as the cause of the increased levies.
ICSA president Charlie Reilly said it is not on for the minister to expect farmers to carry the can for disease
inspection on the double.
Beef farmers were conned into paying for their herd test on the basis that factory levies would reduce. Now beef farmers face a bill in factory disease levies on top of the cost of their herd test.
“If this is what social partnership is delivering for Irish farmers then its future participation should be called into question,” he said.
Mr Reilly said doubling disease eradication levies from 2.54/head to 5.08/head will impact on the income of beef producers who sell their livestock to the meat factories The reduction in department spending on BSE testing will also be passed back to farmers indirectly, he added.
