FURY OVER ‘GLIB’ VEGAN REMARKS
LOCAL farmers are angry at Mary Robinson’s ‘glib and pointless’ call for people to become vegetarian or vegan
Responding to comments made by former President Robinson at the One Young World Summit in Ottowa in which she urged the 1,300 delegates to eat less meat and ‘ become vegetarian or vegan’, the chairman of Wicklow ICMSA, Shane O’Loughlin, pictured right, said that the many thousands of Irish people who worked in the State’s beef and dairy sectors would be taken aback by the sheer disconnect demonstrated in her remarks.
Speaking to 1,300 young leaders from 190 countries a the summit, Mrs Robinson said: ‘We need each of us to think about our carbon footprint. Eat less meat, or no meat at all. Become vegetarian or vegan.’
Mr O’Loughlin has stated that: ‘Mrs Robinson must surely realise that the issue was much more complex than simply urging individuals to reduce their carbon footprint by becoming vegetarian or vegans.’
He added: ‘ There are several layers of environmental, agri-economic, socio-cultural and political considerations that had to be incorporated into any meaningful policy and addressing the challenge of climate change was not helped by rather glib exhortations that involved throwing out millennia of dietary practice while undermining our biggest indigenous economic activity – food production.’
The Aughrim farmer maintains that whatever solution is adapted would cost money and the ICMSA does not see the point in wiping out or undermining the very sectors through which the money needed to address this will be raised.
According to Mr McLoughlin: ‘ There is, as well, the whole area of healthy diets and there was an onus on everyone contributing to these debates to consider the words and remarks carefully, given the longstanding issues around body imaging and protein and calcium deficiency in certain specific groups like, for instance teenage girls.’
Mr O’Loughlin accepts that Mrs Robinson is of course entitled to her views but feels it is reasonable to expect her to ‘ take reality’ as her starting point. He also queries her carbon footprint. ‘Climate Change is the greatest challenge facing mankind and there’s no room for this kind of facile sensationalism we saw from Mrs Robinson in Ottawa. One of the easiest and most straightforward ways of reducing our individual carbon footprint is to radically examine whether it’s either necessary or desirable to fly around the world from seminar to seminar urging others to give up meat and dairy for the planet’s sake. In the list of things we can do to address global warming, superfluous air travel would be a lot higher up most people’s agenda than environmentally sustainable production of milk or meat.’
Other farmers have also pointed out that Mrs Robinson is not herself a vegan or a vegetarian, while the IFA has stated that credible proposals for transport and energy, which make up 90 per cent of emissions in the EU, would be a better focus. Sheep sale Tuesday, October 4 There were 3464 sheep on offer. Lambs that little easier by €2 to €3 per head on last week, good lively trade for all types of ewes.
Butcher Lambs €100 to €107 or €52 to €58 over €/ kg, Factory Lambs €90 to €100 or €47 to €56 over €/kg, Store Lambs €64 to €88 or €30 to €46 over €/kg, Suffolk cross Ewe Lambs €90 to €125 or €50 to €81 over €/kg, Cheviot Ewe Lambs €90 to €128 or €50 to €90 over €/kg, Fat Ewes €86 to €116 per head, Feeding Ewes €52 to €84 per head, Suffolk cross Hogget Ewes €120 to €186 per head, Suffolk cross 3 & 4 year olds €105 to €147 per head, Cheviot Hogget Ewes €145 to €200 per head, Cheviot 3 & 4 year old Ewes €130 to €196 per head, Suffolk Brood Rams €200 to €550 per head, Suffolk Rams €300 to €1300 per head, Texel Rams €200 to €600 per head, Cont Rams €250 to €700 per head. Weanling sale Friday, October 7 There were 266 weanlings on offer. Very lively trade for all types of bulls.
Prices as follows: Weanling Bulls over 500 kgs €500 to €640 over €/kg, Weanling Bulls over 400 kgs €420 to €580 over €/kg, Weanling Bulls over 300 kgs €400 to €560 over €/kg, Weanling Bulls over 200 kgs €360 to €500 over €/kg, Weanling Heifers over 400 kgs €360 to €460 over €/kg, Weanling Heifers over 300 Kgs €320 to €400 over €/kg, Weanling Heifers over 200 kgs €320 to €380 over €/kg. Weanling sale Wednesday, October 5 450 Weanlings on offer with an excellent trade. Strong export demand with over 70 bought for Live Export.
Prices: Export Weanling Bulls - 800 - 1150, 2.65 - 3.20 per kilo, Feeding Weanlings Bulls - 850 - 1250 or 2.10 - 2.55 per kilo, Weanling Hfrs over 400kg 860 -1150, 2.20 - 2.40 per kilo,
Weanling Hfrs Under 400kg 650 - 1020, 2.20 - 2.70 per kilo. Sheep sale Thursday, October 6 Large Sale with 4200 on offer, Good demand with prices similar to last week.
15 Wether Lambs 51kg @ €109, 20 Ewe Lambs 50kg @ €122, 30 Ewe Lambs 43kg @ €116, 15 Wether Lambs 45kg @ €96.50, Butcher & Factory Lambs €93 - €109, Store Lambs: Over 35kg €77 - €90, Under 35kg €65 - €83, Ewe Lambs €85 - €120, Cast Ewes €50 -€107, Hog Ewes €120 - €175, Older Breeding Ewes €85 -€130, Breeding Rams €170 - €580. Cattle sale Saturday, October 8 There were 700 cattle and 50 calves on offer.
Strong demand for beef and quality Cattle,with more farmers customers for lighter stores.
Prices as follows: 3 LM Blks 710kg @ €1520, 6 CH Blks 650kg @ €1410, 4 AA Blks 700kg @ €1360, 4 LM Hfrs 580kg @ €1250, Beef & Forward Blks 620 - 910 over, Cont Blks 450 - 820 over,
FR Store Blks 250 - 550 over, Beef Hfrs 550 - 830 over, Store Hfrs 250 - 710 over, Dry Cows, Fr Store Cows 150 under to 150 over, Cont Store Cows 150 - 450 over, Beef Cows 220 - 400 over, Cont Beef Cows 400 - 650 over.