There is an “unbridgeable credibility gap” in the government’s agri-climate policy, the president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA), Pat McCormack has said.
Under the current circumstances, he said it is almost impossible for the ICMSA to sign up to both the Food Vision Dairy Group’s and the Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group’s proposals.
McCormack said no-one was prepared to sign on to a policy, which he said was almost certain to involve year-on-year reductions in volumes and double-digit income losses.
Dedicated funding on a year-on-year basis from the Just Transition Fund or other funds is needed, McCormack said.
He urged the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, and his Cabinet colleagues to reserve the funding and the schemes needed for farmers.
“The idea that we will embark on that policy and leave thousands of farmers twisting in the financial wind as their incomes fall, while costs and interest rates rise, is downright delusional,” he said.
Food Vision Dairy Group
The final report of the Food Vision Dairy Group, which contains a number of proposals on how to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the dairy sector, is currently being reviewed by Minister McConalogue.
Agriland previously disclosed details of the report prior to its publication which included a proposed exit or reduction scheme, and that farmers participating in this could lose up to €2,910/cow.
McCormack said farmers will need to see the detail of the funding before embarking upon this policy of adjustment, adding that government commitment will have to go way beyond “blustery announcements”.
“Farmers will not be fobbed-off with some vague and worthless assurance that ‘sure we might get around to that at some stage later on when we have the time and if we ever have the money’.
“That’s just never going to work and, to be honest, it is both counter-productive and insulting of the government to think it will,” McCormack commented.
Highlighting the role Irish farmers can play in global food security, the ICMSA president said:
“We are understandably very, very wary of policies that aim at driving Irish farming and food production down while completely fossil-fuel dependent industries like aviation are practically encouraged to expand.”