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Pressure is growing for a €200 per cow suckler payment ahead of the Tullamore Show on Sunday on the back of a new report on the sector.
The suckler sector is at a critical juncture, with the income situation on farms unsustainable, according to the economic report prepared by Prof Thia Hennessy, which was commissioned by the IFA. Without positive action, it is likely that the national suckler cow herd will contract.
Fewer suckler cows could result in land abandonment in marginal areas followed by a loss of landscape features and biodiversity, loss of employment and exports, and contraction of the rural communities, the report found.
A 10% contraction in the suckler cow herd would lead to a €145m loss in beef output, a total output loss of €305m in the economy and 2,000 rural jobs would likely disappear, according to Hennessy’s report.
In its pre-budget submission, the IFA has made a €200 suckler cow payment its top priority. This received backing from the Dáil in February.
IFA president Joe Healy said: “It is time for Minister Creed to front up and beat down the door of Minister for Finance Pascal Donohoe to ensure that additional support for the suckler cow is delivered in the October budget.”
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