This is a subscriber-only article
The inclusion of preconditions in the €100m Brexit beef fund that would drive “questionable policy changes” has been branded as unfair by the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) president Pat McCormack.
McCormack was responding to reports that the European Commission wants Irish farmers to reduce the suckler herd as a condition of it paying €50m into the €100m fund.
He said the only precondition that should apply was whether an applicant could demonstrate that they had suffered Brexit-related losses at any stage along the beef supply chain.
The EU Commission should not attempt to “sneak in” changes making access to the aid conditional on adherence to policy, he said.
Compensation
McCormack stressed that whether a farmer lost money on a calf, weanling, store or finished steer, bull, heifer or cow, they should be entitled to compensation.
He warned the fund was now in danger of becoming a point of disagreement instead of a rallying point.
Attachment of more conditions and attempts by certain classes to seek more for themselves at the expense of others were the main drivers of this disagreement.
Contention
McCormack said: “What is a welcome recognition of the losses suffered by all farmers involved in Irish beef production is now in danger of becoming itself a contentious matter.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that the EU Commission would allocate this money in recognition of the losses Irish farmers have been taking since mid-2018 as a direct result of Brexit – but then go on to attach conditions to accessing it that will, in many cases, compound those losses.”
The ICMSA repeated calls for the Department of Agriculture to publish its submission to the Commission seeking the aid.
SHARING OPTIONS: