Group urges extra €1,600 payment for farmers in Origin Green strategy
Mr Kent said participants in the Bord Bia quality assurance scheme have extended their herds’ grazing season, improving weight gain and delivering better fertility. He made this plea yesterday, with Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney due to unveil his Rural Development Plan funding this afternoon.
Mr Kent said the ICSA’s plans are all beneficial to the bottom line in agriculture, but are also undertaken by farmers to improve the carbon footprint of each kilogramme of meat they produce. The ICSA wants these efforts to be linked to GLAS agri-environment scheme payments.
“We are calling for a restoration of the original levels of disadvantaged area payment on up to 45 hectares. The payment would be made at a rate of €50/ha on up to 32/ha and would involve suckler and sheep farmers working with Bord Bia’s Origin Green strategy,” Mr Kent said.
“The idea is that farmers who are in the quality assurance scheme and who thereby undergo a sustainability assessment in terms of carbon footprint would respond to the recommendations on how to reduce that footprint.”
The ICSA estimates that an extra €50m per annum for five years is required — from 2016 to 2020 inclusive — or a total €250m, would be needed to fund its plan.
“There is some leeway in the department’s initial proposals on how to utilise the total Rural Development Plan budget and we believe this money should be put to use to support active suckler and sheep farmers, who maintain breeding stock,” Mr Kent said.
“We would suggest that the scheme would require a minimum of one suckler cow per eligible hectare or equivalent number of breeding ewes.”
ICSA suckler chairman Dermot Kelleher said that suckler and sheep farmers are the backbone of meat exports, but are also the sectors in most doubt.
“It is very clear that the suckler sector is very unstable at the moment and is badly in need of an income boost.”
The ICSA wants low-income suckler and sheep producers prioritised in the funding plan to be outlined by Mr Coveney today.
