The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has issued its support to the Pedigree Breeders Council of Ireland in its decision to pass a vote of no confidence in the board of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).
The association also voiced its strong criticism against Teagasc in relation to a “persistent failure to acknowledge and address” concerns of suckler farmers over the star rating system.
ICSA suckler chair Jimmy Cosgrave said that the ICBF and Teagasc have failed to engage meaningfully with farmers on the issues arising from the current genetic evaluations.
“Their reluctance to act on the well-documented shortcomings of the star rating system has cost suckler farmers dearly,” he said.
“Many have suffered substantial financial losses as a direct result of misguided policies and flawed evaluations. Worse still, the Irish suckler herd has lost some of its best genetics due to a system that has actively undermined proven, high-performing bloodlines.”
SCEP
Cosgrave said commitments from both organisations to address some of these concerns are too long overdue.
He added that the impact of the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) needs to be closely examined.
“While SCEP was intended to support farmers, only a fraction saw it as a worthwhile scheme to join, and even fewer remain, and of those who do, many are dissatisfied.
“This is because at the core of the scheme are flawed genetic evaluations that force farmers to cull top-performing cows simply because they do not meet arbitrary star rating requirements. This is unacceptable, as it ignores the real-world performance of these animals.
“It is clear that Minister Heydon must now sit down with all farm organisations to conduct a full review of the SCEP scheme and address the fundamental flaws that are driving farmers away.”
Read more
Pedigree Cattle Breeders Council vote 'no confidence' in board of ICBF
Beef Forum: Teagasc to review economic model that builds beef indexes
Farmers buying breeding bulls need ‘all available information’ - IFA
‘Our focus must remain on the commercial beef farmer’ - ICBF
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) has issued its support to the Pedigree Breeders Council of Ireland in its decision to pass a vote of no confidence in the board of the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).
The association also voiced its strong criticism against Teagasc in relation to a “persistent failure to acknowledge and address” concerns of suckler farmers over the star rating system.
ICSA suckler chair Jimmy Cosgrave said that the ICBF and Teagasc have failed to engage meaningfully with farmers on the issues arising from the current genetic evaluations.
“Their reluctance to act on the well-documented shortcomings of the star rating system has cost suckler farmers dearly,” he said.
“Many have suffered substantial financial losses as a direct result of misguided policies and flawed evaluations. Worse still, the Irish suckler herd has lost some of its best genetics due to a system that has actively undermined proven, high-performing bloodlines.”
SCEP
Cosgrave said commitments from both organisations to address some of these concerns are too long overdue.
He added that the impact of the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) needs to be closely examined.
“While SCEP was intended to support farmers, only a fraction saw it as a worthwhile scheme to join, and even fewer remain, and of those who do, many are dissatisfied.
“This is because at the core of the scheme are flawed genetic evaluations that force farmers to cull top-performing cows simply because they do not meet arbitrary star rating requirements. This is unacceptable, as it ignores the real-world performance of these animals.
“It is clear that Minister Heydon must now sit down with all farm organisations to conduct a full review of the SCEP scheme and address the fundamental flaws that are driving farmers away.”
Read more
Pedigree Cattle Breeders Council vote 'no confidence' in board of ICBF
Beef Forum: Teagasc to review economic model that builds beef indexes
Farmers buying breeding bulls need ‘all available information’ - IFA
‘Our focus must remain on the commercial beef farmer’ - ICBF
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