A group of members of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) have launched their own campaign for coupled farm payments for the suckler and sheep sectors under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The launch took place today (Wednesday, June 16) at the Farm Centre in Bluebell, Dublin, the head offices of the IFA. However, the campaign is not backed by the association.
15 people from various counties were present for today’s launch. Numbers were kept to 15 due to Covid-19, the members explained.
The campaign is being led largely by former deputy president of the IFA Derek Deane; as well as the association’s current Hill Farming Committee chairperson Flor McCarthy.
Speaking to Agriland, Deane said that a coupled payment for those two sectors “is the only way we can try and defend our incomes”.
“We have seen a dramatic fall in suckler cow numbers. The numbers are dropping fairly quickly all the time. They’re dropping like a stone, particularly in low land areas, because they aren’t getting enough support,” Deane highlighted, adding that people are “being squeezed out”.
Sectors’ need for coupled payment
Deane argued: “A lot of money is being siphoned-off for the dairy sector. So not alone is it yielding seven or eight times of a better income than the other sectors, but it’s also getting the most support.”
The former IFA deputy president said that a coupled payment would help channel funds towards low-income sectors.
He explained that coupled payments are being used in other EU countries. He noted that it can be used for “sectors that are under pressure”.
According to Deane, 10% of the annual direct payments envelope (Pillar I) could be ringfenced for a coupled payment. This would amount to around €120 million. Deane said that this figure should be divided into payments for suckler cows (€100 million) and ewes (€20 million).
“It would be going to low-incomes sectors, but also to people who have the stock,” he argued.
“Say we have 900,000 suckler cows in the country, and you have €100 million in that pot. They’ll get roughly €110 [each]. If we have 800,000 cows, they’ll get about€120,” he continued.
“So the pot stays the same and it’s paid annually to the number of cows that are there.”
Criticism of IFA
Deane was critical of the IFA leadership in how it has handled the issue of farmer incomes.
He said: “We are going to the Farm Centre because we are real IFA people. We are going there to defend our incomes and we believe that IFA is not doing that properly.”
“There is a lot of disillusionment. I spoke to people at the IFA protest in Skibbereen [Co.Cork] on Friday [during the association’s national ‘day of action’]. People feel they can do nothing anymore,” Deane said.
He argued that basing direct payments on hectares is “an absolute nonsense”, claiming it was a “landowners payment”.
Deane also criticised a convergence rate of 85% (which looks set to be the outcome of CAP talks at EU-level) and the ringfencing of Pillar I funds for eco-schemes, which he said would “flatten things out even more”.
He said that a coupled payment would “be the basis of support” along with support from Pillar II.
Deane and other supporters intend to lobby TDs for the cause of coupled payments following today’s launch.
“Do Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael want to support the small family farm, or do they want to drive-on with the agenda of the big factory farm,” he asked.