CAP is prejudiced against sheep farmers, senator claims
Only 7% of sheep farmers were under the age of 35. Picture: O'Gorman Photography
There is a huge prejudice against sheep farming in the new Common Agricultural Policy, it was claimed in the Senate.
Senator Erin McGreehan asked that a debate be arranged in the Upper House on the future of the sector.
She said sheep are synonymous with the landscape, heritage and tourism but in 2020 only 7% of sheep farmers were under the age of 35.
“The average age of a sheep farmer is 56 years of age. We are not encouraging young people to get into a really important agricultural sector,” she said.
Highlighting what she termed as the prejudice against sheep farming in the new CAP, she said 15 cows equals 100 sheep as a livestock unit.
Ms McGreehan said sheep farming was hugely intensive, was mainly done by older people and traditional methods were used.
“Between dipping, dagging, dosing and clipping, being a sheep farmer involves a lot of manual work and this work can only be done by using manual labour,” she said.
Ms McGreehan said the sheep sector needed to be protected so an action plan was necessary to attract young farmers into it.
She added that everyone in the sheep sector awaits the introduction of a wool council, “which is badly needed”. The Irish Farmers Association has meanwhile called on Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture Pippa Hackett to do more to resolve the collapse in wool prices.
Sheep Committee chairman Kevin Comiskey, speaking after a meeting with British Wool in Bradford, England, earlier this month, said lessons needed to be learned from the industry in the UK.
He said there were huge opportunities to develop a unique brand for Irish wool and this work must commence immediately.
“Discussions with British Wool show what can be achieved where a co-ordinated approach with government support is provided in the promotion, marketing and processing of wool,” he said.
