Suckler farmers should be paid by Europe to get out of the industry and convert their land into trees or biomass, European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan has said.“If I’m asking a farmer in Roscommon who has 10 suckler cows and he’s not making a whole lot, if I want him to change his practice, I have to incentivise him to do so into another land use policy.
Suckler farmers should be paid by Europe to get out of the industry and convert their land into trees or biomass, European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan has said.
“If I’m asking a farmer in Roscommon who has 10 suckler cows and he’s not making a whole lot, if I want him to change his practice, I have to incentivise him to do so into another land use policy.
“It could be biomass, it could be broadleaves, it could be the 1ha [forestry] initiative, but they need an alternative to incentivise them to switch,” he told the Irish Rural Link conference on Monday.
The Commissioner said the beef sector needs to “have a look at itself” in terms of sustainability and that a strategy needs to be implemented for its future.
He said that there is “going to have to be change” if Ireland is to meet its climate targets.
Ireland has to look at what it is doing in the dairy sector, the Commissioner said, and questioned if it is sustainable to keep expanding at the current rate.
Support
To support suckler farmers, the IFA wants an extra €35m in the next budget for a new suckler cow scheme that would top up the BDGP and BEEP schemes.
The INHFA wants a suckler cow scheme front-loaded on the first 10 cows.
Read more
CAP policies reducing agricultural emissions by 3.5% annually
Suckler herds in BDGP making higher genetic gains
Suckler cow breeds decrease across the board
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