The Irish Beef and Lamb Association (IBLA) has confirmed it intends to establish a new suckler committee to “help with the many challenges being experienced by its members”.
According to the association the decision to establish the new committee was backed by its members at IBLA’s recent Annual General Meeting (AGM).
John O’Reilly, the east region chair of the IBLA, has been chosen to head up the new committee, while Ger OBrien, the association’s Kilkenny vice chair, will also play a key role.
O’Reilly has stated that he believes “suckler farmers in Ireland have been left behind on many fronts, most of all profitability”.
Suckler farmers
According to the IBLA it is of the opinion that “suckler farmers are not being rewarded for their premium product”.
“Suckler farming is an efficient and environmentally friendly way of producing high meat yield beef animals.
“Suckler farming is suffering like other enterprises such as vegetable farming, merely from a lack of targeted government supports,” the organisation has outlined.
The IBLA has also warned that “if the right level support is not put in place”, then suckler farming could be under threat in Ireland.
With campaigning now well underway for the General Election it is now calling on the politicians who will form the next government to come out and address the issues to “make suckler enterprises viable again”.
It has outlined that it intends to establish a suckler committee that will “engage with all stakeholders” to protect the industry for the future.
SCEP
Separately suckler farmers participating in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) have expressed their concerns about the level of difficulty of the SCEP training.
completed by attending one of the in-person training events or by completing the training online.
The courses can be completed in one day or over different days but must be fully completed by November 15, 2024.
Some of the suckler farmers who completed the SCEP training at home have told Agriland that the layout of the course is challenging for farmers who may not be overly ‘tech savvy’ and that the structure of the exam at the end of each module makes the modules very difficult to successfully complete.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), failure to attend the training courses by November 15, 2024 will result in removal from the programme and monies paid under the programme will be recouped.