IFA: ‘Financial calamity’ must be countered
WHILE some positive signs are emerging in terms of cattle prices, these do not cancel out the “financial calamity” that has hit Irish farms during the COVID-19 crisis, and the state must take this into account.
That’s according to IFA National Livestock Chairperson Brendan Golden.
Mr Golden welcomed some welcome relief for farmers in terms of prices paid by factories, with a base price of €3.45 per kilogramme for steers and €3.50 per kilogramme for heifers emerging in recent weeks. It comes as the number of inspec finished cattle continues to tighten, and some factories have paid beyond the base price to get stock. Cow prices are also on the rise in recent weeks. Now it’s time for supermarkets to pay back down the chain to under-pressure farmers, Mr Golden said.
“Agriculture Minister Michael Creed can no longer ignore the financial calamity that has played out on beef finishing farms before and since the COVID-19 crisis,” he said.
“Prior to COVID-19, beef prices were extremely poor, due mainly to Brexit uncertainty and exchange rate problems and farmers selling cattle were facing losses in the order of €100 per head. “Since then, beef prices have fallen from a base of €3.65/kg to €3.40/kg and inflicted another €100 per head in price losses.”
The chairperson has called on Minister Creed to add onto unspent BEAM funding and initiate a direct-payment scheme to counter losses on finishing farms recently.
He also repeated calls on Brussels to extend the APS scheme to O-grade animals and boneless cuts, and has lobbied for the EU to introduce an emergency financial aid package.
“Family farmers selling 50 cattle are facing losses of €10,000,” he said.
“They simply cannot afford this level of loss, especially having come through two very difficult years in 2018 and 2019”.
TEAGASC has commenced a weekly series of webinars relating to dairy farming,
‘Let’s Talk Dairy’ will broadcast every Thursday morning at 10.30am. The first of these was streamed earlier this month.
Head of Dairy Knowledge Transfer Teagasc Tom O’Dwyer said the series is keeping dairy farmers up to speed on all matters concerning them at this time of great uncertainty.
“These webinars will provide timely, relevant, technical messages for dairy farmers and dairy industry stakeholders,” he said.
“A key feature of the webinars will be the opportunity for the audience to get involved in the discussion with audience questions being answered live,” he added.
“The ‘Let’s Talk Dairy’ webinars will extend and complement the existing Teagasc digital communications offerings to dairy farmers, which includes the weekly Dairy Edge Podcast on Mondays, Grass10 Weekly electronic newsletter, and Teagasc Daily updates on www.teagasc.ie,” added Head of Teagasc Animal and Grassland Research Pat Dillon.
Tomorrow morning’s session – Thursday, April 21 – will address the do’s and donts of milking. Full details of the webinars are available online at www.teagasc.ie/letstalkdairy.
You can join the series by registering on the event page itself, after which you will receive a weblink.
The series is being broadcast via Zoom.