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A COVID-19 compensation package for sheep farmers must be given serious consideration, Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) sheep chair Sean McNamara has said.
His call comes following the closure of Kildare Chilling’s sheep line due to an outbrak of coronavirus cases.
McNamara said: “Sheep farmers have received nothing by way of support during this crisis. They have suffered from the same market fluctuations as beef farmers, yet their plight has been ignored.
“The closure of Kildare Chilling will just pile on the pressure and Minister Calleary must act now on their behalf.”
The plants closure would likely mean farmers will have difficulty booking lambs in elsewhere for processing an could result in price cuts, he warned.
Price cuts
“We are a factory down at present, and still factories are bringing in imported lambs, for what? Prices this week were already well back on last week with quotes down by as much as 50c/kg. Now we face the prospect of the closure of Kildare Chilling being used as an excuse by other factories to cut prices further.
The sector is being hammered on all sides and it must be given urgent attention
“It is simply too much for sheep farmers to bear.”
McNamara reiterated the call for a dedicated sheep taskforce similar to the Beef Market Taskforce formed late last year.
“The sector is being hammered on all sides and it must be given urgent attention. Sheep farmers need support and they must be given a lifeline if we want them to stay going,” he concluded.
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