Teagasc: 18% fewer sucklers

TEAGASC have revised upwards the predicted decoupling decline in suckler cow numbers to 18%, leading to a drop of 7% in the Irish beef production.

Kevin Hanrahan of Teagasc said, “Maintaining the link between the slaughter premium and production would not halt the decline in suckler cow numbers. However, it would result in an improvement of 5% or more in income for around 40% of beef producers.”

“The majority of beef producers would be better off as a result of full decoupling of payments. The main losers would be the larger, commercial farms. While these account for a relatively small number, there would still be a substantial amount of money redistributed from this group across a large number of small beef farms.”