The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Minister of State Pippa Hackett have been called on to support sheep farmers in combatting the “enormous cost” of shearing, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said.
The IFA’s national sheep committee chair Kevin Comiskey said that it has been three weeks since the Wool Feasibility Study was published, yet farmers are entering another clipping season without any government support.
Farmers are currently receiving 20c/kg for wool, a price which provides “no incentive for farmers to present the wool for further added value use,” according to Comiskey.
Since the publication of the study, which recommended the formation of an industry-led council, the government has not made any commitment to directly support sheep farmers or help them to offset shearing costs.
The committee chair has now called out the ministers on this and said that “there is now no hiding place” for them. He urged both to come forward with their proposals on how they plan to offset these costs immediately.
“€100,000 has been spent and a lot of time lost for a report that merely confirms what industry and farmers already know,” Comiskey said.
“The recommendations of the report are another tactic to delay supporting farmers for what is a huge cost burden on sheep farms,” he added.
Comiskey said he believes that both Minister McConalogue and Minster Hackett have used the report to hide behind for the past two years, but that can no longer go on and it is time for action.
“The minister’s must now come forward with their proposals to support sheep farmers directly for the shearing costs with incentives to ensure the wool is presented in optimal condition for further added value uses for this clipping season.”
“Sheep farmers do not have the capacity to absorb these costs. Shearing is a significant annual cost for sheep farmers which the minister can address if there is a will to do so,” he concluded.