ICMSA optimistic that TB meeting will result in 'focus on farmers'
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) has said that it is optimistic that yesterday's (Thursday, May 8) emergency meeting on TB will result in a "focus on farmers".
The farm organisation described the meeting as a day of "intense engagement".
ICMSA president Denis Drennan said that the focus on farmers is likely to become "more refined and effective" through "significant amendments" made to the proposals put forward by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Drennan said that the ICMSA has insisted that "considerable changes" will have to be made to the new proposals if they were going to be effective and treat farmers fairly.
The farm leader said that Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon "seemed to appreciate" this point.
"ICMSA has very serious concerns in relation to specific proposals and we had bilateral engagement with the minister and his officials on the detailed specifics. But we also highlighted several areas not included in the document that demonstrably will need to be addressed," Drennan said.
One of those areas, according to the ICSMA president, is "the role of other ‘players’ in animal movements".
"We also pointed to the impact of infrastructure projects and forestry and the obvious need for a single point of contact for farmers impacted by TB. Quite clearly, wildlife and animal movements play a role on TB and ICMSA is calling for specific time-based commitments on the wildlife issues.
"We insisted that the commitments and obligations on all players must be clearly spelt out and time-lined in the revised document and the science basis for the proposals clearly spelt out. The current document has very specific commitments and requirements for farmers to meet but for no one else," Drennan said.
He added: "This point needs to be repeated; all players involved, from the department to vets, need to have their obligations and commitments specified and set down with agreed timelines for implementation. For too long, the burden of TB has been placed on farmers alone and this cannot continue."
According to Drennan, the minister undertook to revise the department's current set of proposals and to revert to farm organisations.
"ICMSA expects a speedy turnaround and the tabling of significantly amended, and improved, proposals that will allow the whole sector move forward on the basis of an agreed and proactive approach that will halt and then reverse the current surge of TB," Drennan said.
