Waterford farmer Edmond Phelan has stepped into the presidency of the ICSA at a hectic time: upheaval and uncertainty in the cattle trade, price cuts in sheep.
The first item on his agenda last weekend was a sheep price protest outside the gates of Kepak Athleague, where he went on Sunday.
Then it was immediately back to cattle and Mercosur, beef prices, the €100m, the beef grid and climate change. Dealing with these will be his priorities over the coming few years.
“Scottish lambs are coming in here in huge numbers for one reason only – to cut the price for Irish lambs. I believe those Scottish lambs are being bought on liveweight and have no weight limit. Scottish lambs can come in here without problem but our cattle can’t go over to the UK or they are treated as nomads. We have to protest hard.”
Mercosur is a ticking timebomb. “Commissioner Hogan and Minister Creed are saying it will be eight years before it impacts on Ireland. It’s impacting already, by hitting cattle farmers’ confidence. The big finishers are saying they may not fill sheds this autumn.
“I will be lobbying Irish politicians to vote against the Mercosur deal and we’ll see who will put on the green jersey. At least Donald Trump is being more honest when he says he won’t accept climate change. The EU preaches climate change but is now preparing to allow in 99,000t of high-carbon footprint beef,” he said.
On the €100m aid for low beef prices, Phelan will ask Minister Creed to set basic parameters and make a 70% payment quickly to farmers. That would help to pay merchant bills. This is a very tricky issue because a lot of farmers lost out.”
The ICSA has previously suggested a reduction in suckler cow numbers. “But not in the manner now suggested. There’s no point cutting suckler cow numbers if dairy cow numbers are just going to increase or if the EU imports more beef from somewhere else.
“Anyway, any such scheme would need proper funding starting at €1,000 per cow on a voluntary basis to get out for a number of years.”
Complicated
Phelan intends to push for a revamp of the grid. “There are too many boxes and it’s too complicated. I may look for the differential to be increased.”
All animals from a quality assured herd should get the QA bonus, he said. “The Glanbia Kepak Twenty 20 [club] has committed to paying the bonus on all grades for the first two years. Other processors should follow suit.”
Every sector has to play their part in combatting climate change, he accepts. “But agriculture is not the cause of climate change – it’s all the fossil fuels that have been burned and are still being burned. Agriculture can be part of the solution.
“Every new farm building should have solar panels on the roof. We need more turbines. We need digesters. If the factories won’t pay me to feed grass to cattle, then I’ve no problem feeding it into a digester. I will lobby on this for farmers.”
Edmond Phelan (62), Fenor, Co Waterford
Family: married to Frances. Three children: Carol working in New York; John, back working on the farm; Christine working in Scotland.Farming: finishes weanlings and storWes to beef. “I used do a couple of hundred each year – it’ll be a lot less this year.” Sells to: Slaney, Dawn or ABP among others – “whichever pays the best prices on the day”.
Waterford farmer Edmond Phelan has stepped into the presidency of the ICSA at a hectic time: upheaval and uncertainty in the cattle trade, price cuts in sheep.
The first item on his agenda last weekend was a sheep price protest outside the gates of Kepak Athleague, where he went on Sunday.
Then it was immediately back to cattle and Mercosur, beef prices, the €100m, the beef grid and climate change. Dealing with these will be his priorities over the coming few years.
“Scottish lambs are coming in here in huge numbers for one reason only – to cut the price for Irish lambs. I believe those Scottish lambs are being bought on liveweight and have no weight limit. Scottish lambs can come in here without problem but our cattle can’t go over to the UK or they are treated as nomads. We have to protest hard.”
Mercosur is a ticking timebomb. “Commissioner Hogan and Minister Creed are saying it will be eight years before it impacts on Ireland. It’s impacting already, by hitting cattle farmers’ confidence. The big finishers are saying they may not fill sheds this autumn.
“I will be lobbying Irish politicians to vote against the Mercosur deal and we’ll see who will put on the green jersey. At least Donald Trump is being more honest when he says he won’t accept climate change. The EU preaches climate change but is now preparing to allow in 99,000t of high-carbon footprint beef,” he said.
On the €100m aid for low beef prices, Phelan will ask Minister Creed to set basic parameters and make a 70% payment quickly to farmers. That would help to pay merchant bills. This is a very tricky issue because a lot of farmers lost out.”
The ICSA has previously suggested a reduction in suckler cow numbers. “But not in the manner now suggested. There’s no point cutting suckler cow numbers if dairy cow numbers are just going to increase or if the EU imports more beef from somewhere else.
“Anyway, any such scheme would need proper funding starting at €1,000 per cow on a voluntary basis to get out for a number of years.”
Complicated
Phelan intends to push for a revamp of the grid. “There are too many boxes and it’s too complicated. I may look for the differential to be increased.”
All animals from a quality assured herd should get the QA bonus, he said. “The Glanbia Kepak Twenty 20 [club] has committed to paying the bonus on all grades for the first two years. Other processors should follow suit.”
Every sector has to play their part in combatting climate change, he accepts. “But agriculture is not the cause of climate change – it’s all the fossil fuels that have been burned and are still being burned. Agriculture can be part of the solution.
“Every new farm building should have solar panels on the roof. We need more turbines. We need digesters. If the factories won’t pay me to feed grass to cattle, then I’ve no problem feeding it into a digester. I will lobby on this for farmers.”
Edmond Phelan (62), Fenor, Co Waterford
Family: married to Frances. Three children: Carol working in New York; John, back working on the farm; Christine working in Scotland.Farming: finishes weanlings and storWes to beef. “I used do a couple of hundred each year – it’ll be a lot less this year.” Sells to: Slaney, Dawn or ABP among others – “whichever pays the best prices on the day”. 
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