Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue met with the sheep chairperson for the Irish Farmer’s Association (IFA) this week to discuss financial challenges in the sector.
According to the IFA, Kevin Comiskey presented the minister with a range of facts and figures from Bord Bia and Teagasc which “clearly, concisely, and consistently show the extent of the crisis in the sector”.
Comisky also outlined to the minister the costs associated with shearing on farms due to “the collapsed wool market which will not be addressed by the recently-formed wool council in any meaningful way for farmers”.
He also outlined the impact on the Irish sheep sector by trade deals done by the UK with New Zealand and Australia.
“[Australia and New Zealand] are both large sheep-producing countries with the capacity to severely undermine our key markets. These trade deals are in addition to deals already done and in the pipeline with the EU, providing additional sheep meat access to our key markets,” Comiskey commented.
According to the IFA, sheep farmers have lost €9 million in income in the first three months of the year due to price inflation, which equates to losses of €14/lamb or €21/ewe.
After his meeting with the minister, the IFA sheep chair said: “Sheep farmers do not have the capacity to endure this relentless loss of income.
“Teagasc figures showed a cut of income on farms last year of over 80%, to just €7/ewe, which includes the Sheep Welfare Scheme payment.
“The losses to-date this year have compounded the income situation on sheep farms and have created a critical loss making situation that can only be addressed with immediate direct supports,” Comiskey commented.
Farming organisations and a number of politicians have repeatedly called on Minister McConalogue to put funding in place for sheep farmers through the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR).
Such calls have not yet seen any results, with Comiskey saying that very few sectors have experienced as much Brexit-related impact on incomes as the sheep sector.
He called on the minister and the government to come forward “as a matter of urgency with immediate targeted supports” for sheep farmers to provide €30/ewe, as well as supports for farmers finishing store lambs.
Comiskey added that TDs in various constituencies with significant numbers of sheep farmers have a role to play in “ensuring that necessary funding is provided for direct supports to sheep farmers to alleviate this crisis”.