The Irish Beef and Lamb Association (IBLA) has written to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, seeking assurances about calf welfare.
It follows the broadcast of an RTÉ Investigates programme this week which revealed breaches of animal welfare standards in the handling of bull calves.
In the correspondence to the minister, IBLA stated: “IBLA does not condone the actions of what we understand to be a minority of people in the dairy industry for the breaches in animal welfare that was recently televised.
“The farming and non-farming public are justifiably appalled.
“Existing laws in place to prevent such animal welfare issues appear not to have been enforced by those responsible for doing so.”
The association has asked the minister to confirm if staff at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) had any knowledge of potential breaches of animal welfare legislation prior to the broadcast of the programme.
Action on calf welfare
The IBLA has called on Minister McConalogue to confirm if action is now being taken by DAFM to prosecute the individuals revealed to be breaching legislation in the footage.
The association also wants to know what action the minister plans to take to ensure such incidents do not occur in the future.
Additionally, the letter to the minister stated: “Will you please confirm, if by way of an immediate action, that all current licensed exporters provide planned transportation duration and planned route declarations from animal origin farm to ultimate destination and have them assessed by an authorised office for compliance to all applicable laws before further exports are permitted.”
The IBLA said the RTÉ programme raises questions about what other welfare issues may exist that have not been considered by dairy industry business leaders.
Minister
Earlier this week, Minister McConalogue condemned what he has described as the “shocking practices” on an RTÉ Investigates programme.
The minister said that scenes, which showed the poor treatment of bull calves and a serious disregard of animal welfare requirements, were “not reflective of the work that farmers put into managing their farm enterprises responsibly”.
“Farmers care for their animals and would never want to see them mistreated.
“As minister, I have worked with stakeholders on a range of measures to improve calf welfare, and farmers and the industry are embracing these measures,” the minister added.