A protest got underway at the Teagasc National Beef Conference in Ballinasloe, Co. Galway today (Tuesday, November 21).
The protesting farmers carried placards and raised concerns about the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) and changes to the beef indices by the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).
Director of Teagasc, Dr. Frank O’Mara met with the protestors and listened to their concerns for the industry.
Cork farmer, Donie Shine, who was representing the Irish Family Family Rights Group told Agriland: “The bottom line here is that there is a thousand cows a week being slaughtered which should be left on the land to keep the farmer viable on the land.
“The current [SCEP] scheme at the moment – there’s only 13 or 14 thousand farmers in that scheme, whereas there is 55,000 farmers in the entire country.
“So you’re talking near one quarter of the farmers joined the scheme and I would ask the question – why aren’t they joining the scheme?” he added.
“There is too much red tape in it. There isn’t enough money in it. It’s destroying their stock, so there’s a whole raft of things wrong with that scheme, where farmers had no input into the scheme.”
Shine claims that no farm organisation had any input into SCEP, though the ICBF has “a big input into it”.
Another farmer, Sean Whelan who has a 100-cow suckler herd in Roscommon added: “In the old scheme, which was the BDGP [Beef Data and Genomics Programme] and the BEEP [Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme] scheme, I received €148.50 for a cow in the old scheme.
“This new scheme came in… I thought I was going to get €200/cow as Minister McConalogue said he was giving. The facts are, I’m getting €126.60/cow this year in the new scheme.
“Plus I have to jump through a lot more hoops with 85% five-star bull. I have the facts here; that’s the figures,” Whelan added.
“You can’t get €200/cow. The man with 22 cows is the magic number; he’s getting €165. We’re losing money by joining the new scheme.”
National Beef Conference
The 2023 Teagasc National Beef Conference is underway at the Shearwater Hotel, Ballinasloe, Co. Galway.
The theme for the 2023 event is ‘improving our beef sector’s green credentials’.
Teagasc aimed to have the event act as opportunity for beef farmers to hear a number of beef talks and to meet with researchers, advisors, and key industry personnel from Ireland and further afield.
Additional reporting by Breifne O’Brien.