Two suckler destocking schemes have been recommended to Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue in the Food Vision beef and sheep report, delivered by its group chair Professor Thia Hennessy this week.

Here we take a detailed look at the proposal for one of those schemes - the voluntary extensification scheme - which would see farmers reduce cow numbers, but not exit sucklers entirely.

Will all suckler farmers be forced to cut their cow numbers?

No, the proposed extensification scheme is recommended to be a voluntary scheme to cut cow numbers for a certain period of time.

If I was interested, what would I have to do?

The extensification scheme suggested would require you to cull an agreed number of cows and not replace them with any breeding cattle for the duration of the scheme.

What would I be paid?

There are no farmer payment details outlined for the proposed scheme in the Food Vision report. It only says the scheme should have “an appropriate incentive”.

The only figure that is mentioned is what the group calls the “indicative income foregone per suckler cow removed”, which it put at €1,350 for farms exiting.

However, the report stresses that the figure is “an estimate only, not a recommendation” and it says that the level of public funding for any scheme would be a matter for further consideration.

The farm organisations (the IFA, the ICMSA, the ICSA, the INHFA and Macra) were all adamant that they could not support the final report until they see a concrete commitment for State funding to support the measures.

Could I sell a portion of my suckler cows through the mart to take part in the scheme?

No, the proposal is that the farmer would commit to a “specific reduction number via culling at commencement of the contract”, which suggests that the cows would have to be sent for slaughter.

I’m a mixed farmer with dairy and beef cows, could I enter this scheme to cut back on my suckler cows and increase my dairy cows?

No, the proposed scheme insists that the suckler cows taken off the farm cannot be replaced by any other ruminant breeding animals, which rules out both suckler and dairy cows.

If you take part in this scheme, your land will be effectively “sterilised” for any breeding cattle for the duration of your contract.

Could I get rid of some of my suckler cows and then transfer the farm to my son or daughter to let them get back up in cow numbers?

No, the proposal is that the scheme would be linked to both the herd and the farm holding. It specifically states: “A farmer could not opt for the scheme and remove all their breeding ruminants and then transfer the holding during the contract and for the transferee to start a breeding ruminant enterprise on that holding.”

However, the scheme would keep the door open for you to reduce cow numbers and allow your successor to take up any farming enterprise that does not involve breeding ruminants. So the draft report suggests that your or your successor could go into drystock finishing or tillage for example.

Why would the Department of Agriculture and the Government want to cull sucklers?

It’s all linked to the Government’s legal obligation to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The sectoral target for agriculture is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25%. That equates to 5.75Mt CO2 equivalent (eq) by 2030.

This proposed scheme would, according to the Food Vision report, cut emissions by an estimated 0.6Mt CO2 eq per 100,000 suckler cows (and followers) removed through the scheme.

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