'Urgent investment' needed to halt decline in suckler numbers

“We are in danger of losing something very important here, and it is imperative that preventative action is taken."

The suckler sector needs "urgent investment" if the decline in suckler numbers is to be halted.

Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association suckler chairman Jimmy Cosgrave said that in the last three years, there has roughly been a 15% drop in suckler calf births, with this trend expected to continue, "with more and more suckler cows not being put into calf".