Irish cattle and Sheep Association (ICSA) animal health and welfare chair, Hugh Farrell said that the new bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD) funding confirmed yesterday (Thursday, March 28) needs to be “reviewed”.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue confirmed funds of €3.75 million to support the BVD eradication programme.
The funding includes direct support to farmers with test positive animals, and a 20% increased payment towards surveillance testing.
Farrell said the funding is the “highest insult” farmers have ever received.
He said that he had expected the funding to cover the costs of tests and postage.
The new funding works out at €2.40 per animal, replacing the previous €2, which will support up to 25 animals per herd.
With increases in BVD test prices this year to 35 cent, along with price hikes in posting payments, Farrell said that the funding “means nothing”.
Farrell said that the ICSA has received numerous calls from “frustrated” farmers since the announcement.
He said farmers are now in the second month of calving season and have been awaiting the funding for “far too long”.
Farrell said that the department had confirmed that funding was coming, but that farm organisations “were not listened to”.
“Are we picking the crumbs up all the time or how little does the department respect us?” Farrell said.
Farrell added that the limit of 25 animals was “too low”, and said that for a lot of farmers the payment would “work out at €1 per calf”.
“As a sector we’ve been totally abandoned. Even in an election year, the farming community vote doesn’t seem to have come into it,” he said.