It’s been two months since the country went into lock-down. These certainly are unprecedented times – for farmers and the country at large.
The Government took swift action to protect the nation. But nobody took swift action to protect the beef farmer. The price of beef dropped – at a time when there is demand for red meat globally.
Last Wednesday morning – at 1:30am – I had to assist a cow calving. A leg went down as the new arrival was coming; the cow was distressed. Eventually the leg was gotten back up…and the calf was delivered.
I milked the cow and fed beastings to the calf – to provide the vital antibodies needed for the calf’s survival. I then fed the cow and bedded both animals – on fresh, luxurious straw. Resting on the gate, I was proud of myself – watching the new ‘delivery’.
Both the mother and the bull calf, which I christened ‘Larry’, appeared happy, so I too was happy. When I looked at my watch it was nearly 4:00am.
‘Am I a busy fool?’
I thought to myself: Am I just a busy fool? The ‘powers that be’ within the beef industry were probably turning over for a second sleep; yet there I was – wondering what I was doing all of this for.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Agriculture seems to be cocooning at a time when the Beef Taskforce should be up and running. This should have taken place six weeks ago. What’s the point of the Beef Taskforce if it doesn’t work in a time of crisis? It’s now we need it.
Also Read: Opinion: Do farmers need to ‘climb’ the supply chain, to avoid being trodden on at the bottom?It can be done. We live in an era with technology to the fore – tele-conferencing and online meetings are part of everyday life now.
Time to ‘Zoom’ in for farmers…
I am asking Minister Creed to ‘Zoom’ in…to get the Beef Taskforce reconvened immediately.
Meanwhile, especially during the calving season, we’ve been working around the clock to try to make a living but current prices don’t even allow for that. Who else would put up with that?
I hope that when this new calf – ‘baby Larry’ – comes of age that I and many other farmers like me will get paid for the work we do. We’re not looking for ‘double time’ for the ‘night shift’. All we need is a fair price for our cattle.
From Helen O’Sullivan, farmer, Co. Cork