Calls for ICBF to be disbanded over star changes

Rural Independent TD Danny Healy Rae. Picture:Gareth Chaney / Collins

The Irish Cattle Breeding Federation board should be disbanded because of the changes it has made to the star ratings for beef breeds, a Kerry TD told the Dail.

Independent Deputy Danny Healy-Rae, who made the call, said the star rating of suckler cow beef breeds had been rearranged.

Four-and-five-star Charolais, Limousin, Simmental, and Belgian Blue breeds, which Irish farmers have bred to perfection over the past 40 years, had been downgraded, while Dexter and other dairy breeds were promoted to four and five stars.

“The same cow and bull that have a four or a five-star rated calf last year will only have a two or a three-star rated calf next year. That is the silly change that has been made.

“The bulls being elevated to the top of the replacement index will have a major negative impact on both the carcass weight and the weaning weight that farmers can produce.

“This, in turn, affects farm viability and the quality aesthetics of Irish beef farmers. These changes are a failure resulting from non-communication and a failure of governance,” he said.

Deputy Healy-Rae asked: “Who recommended the changes? Who was consulted on the changes? Who verified the efficacy of the changes? Who approved the changes? Was the board aware of the severity of the changes before it made them?"

He also urged Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to intervene because of the serious impact it would have on suckler beef farmers going forward.

Agriculture, Food and Marine Minister Charlie McConalogue said the work of the ICBF is massively important and is something he strongly supports through the Suckler Calf Scheme and the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP).

The investment made last year will see the national herd become the first in the world to be fully genotyped. All that data will be held by the ICBF on behalf of farmers, he said, explaining that the board is made up of stakeholders, including farm representatives.

“The star rating is based on emerging data that continues to be collected with the objective of making sure that farming is as profitable as it can be and that the animals that are being bred create the maximum income for farm families.

“Alongside that, I support them through the SCEP and the suckler calf schemes, which combined, deliver €200 per cow. That was a commitment I made before the last election.

“I am also adjusting that SCEP to ensure animals that might see a reduction in their star rating keep it for the duration of the programme so that there is no penalty on farmers in terms of being able to meet the star thresholds throughout the duration of the programme,” he said.

Minister McConalogue said he was aware of the issue raised, “and we are working collectively to make sure farmers are supported in the process.” IFA president Francie Gorman has meanwhile urged the ICBF stakeholder forum to address the genuine concerns that suckler farmers and pedigree breeders have with the recently published indices.

“We need to look at how the weightings and calculations are applied, and their impact on suckler breeding policy and SCEP, and changes will have to be made to ensure farmers have confidence in the indices,” he said.

Mr Gorman stressed that farmers participating in SCEP must not experience any negative impact from the changes.

He said the Minister for Agriculture had stated there will be flexibilities and this is important to allow for a thorough examination of the indices in the stakeholder forum.

Mr Gorman added that Mr McConalogue must keep all issues that arise for SCEP participants under review.

IFA Livestock chair Declan Hanrahan said the star rating system is not working for suckler farmers on the ground and must be discontinued, with the emphasis being put on the ‘Euro Value’ for the animals in the index.

This would remove the cliff edge of dropping between star categories without, in some cases, any change to the animal’s euro value.

In relation to suckler farmers who sell their weanlings, he said the current system is failing to reflect this production system.

He said the indices must be developed to reflect the full value of the output from these farms.

Weanling production is a different production system than integrated beef finishing systems, and there should be an index to reflect this.

Turning to the new indices, Mr Hanrahan said the forum must scrutinise the purpose of the inclusion of all the current measures, their weighting within the index and the data source used for the economic modelling.

He said genuine concerns have been raised around various areas. All of these will have to be assessed for the relevance and purpose for inclusion in an economic index for suckler cows and the accuracy of the data available.

It is also important that Teagasc are fully engaged in this process given much of the changes in the indices are based on changes to economic values arising from Teagasc modelling.

Mr Hanrahan said it is important this addresses the genuine concerns raised in a timely manner.