ICSA raises 'family farm survival' in meeting with Harris and Heydon
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) president Sean McNamara has raised "family farm survival" in a meeting with Tánaiste Simon Harris and Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon.
McNamara said that he told the two ministers that low-income drystock and tillage farmers "cannot be sacrificed in the rush" to secure the nitrates derogation or in any other policy decision.
Speaking after the meeting in government buildings yesterday (Monday, August 25), McNamara said: "The survival of family farms must be the test of every government policy, from CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) and nitrates to trade and TB controls.
"The new twist linking the derogation to the Habitats Directive is deeply concerning. We now face a situation where over 100,000 non-derogation farmers could be dragged into restrictions that were designed to solve problems elsewhere.
"Nobody is against getting another derogation, but the real question is at what cost, and what impact on drystock farmers," he added.
The ICSA president called for CAP funding to remain ringfenced and directed "squarely" at frontline food producers.
"Despite some recent improvement in prices, the beef, sheep, suckler and tillage sectors continue to struggle with very low incomes. It is essential that CAP supports are not diluted or siphoned away, but used to sustain farm businesses in these vulnerable sectors," McNamara said.
He also raised the issue of generational renewal.
McNamara said: "We need need policies that support those who wish to enter farming, but we also must look after those who are exiting or retiring.
"If older farmers are left behind or excluded, renewal will stall. A balanced approach that respects both generations is the only way to secure a sustainable future for Irish agriculture."
Also commenting on trade and the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, the farm leader said: "The Mercosur deal represents nothing but downsides for Irish farmers. It is reckless to even contemplate flooding the EU with beef produced to standards far below our own.
"The government must deploy every diplomatic lever to stop this deal in its tracks.
On TB, McNamara said that, while the ICSA awaits a final plan from the minister, changes to the TB eradication programme are expected.
"Fairness must be at the heart of any new plan. It cannot just be about expecting farmers to do more, while they struggle to survive," he said.
McNamara commented: "Government must recognise the survival of low-income sectors as a national priority and that policy cannot continue to erode viability.
"Every decision on nitrates, CAP, trade, and TB must pass one simple test. Does it keep family farms on the land, or drive them out of business? That is the standard by which farmers will judge policy," he added.
