Many suckler and sheep farmers ‘making less than the dole’

Many farmers are making less from suckler and sheep farming than what’s paid on the dole, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association president Patrick Kent claimed yesterday.

He said the dole rate for a single person is €188/week or €9,777 per annum, but, according to the Teagasc National Farm Survey estimates for 2013, the average income from suckling is €9,594 and sheep farming is only slightly better at €11,178.

“Farmers in the low income sectors are sick and tired of listening to platitudes from politicians about the importance of our meat exports. The reality is that the show is nearly over for this type of farming unless there is a radical shake-up of how much the farmer gets from the final retail price,” he said.