Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has been urged by the sheep chair of the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), Kevin Comiskey to “step up for sheep farmers”.
Since the turn of the year the situation has been compounded by weak market prices, Comiskey, who stressed that factories have “serious to questions to answer”, said.
In comparison to Ireland’s key export market countries, the UK and France, sheep prices here are the only ones that remain below last year’s levels which, he said, does not add up.
The income crisis on sheep farms is there for everybody to see, with farmers’ incomes collapsing by over 80% to just €7/ewe last year, which included the Sheep Welfare Payment.
“Hogget supplies are dropping off and there is no flush of lamb available. Prices are strong in our key markets, driven by demand, and this must be reflected in stronger prices for hoggets and spring lamb from our factories.
“The failure of factories and the market place to date this year to return prices to sheep farmers is compounding the problem. What seems to be lacking here is a will from the minister to support our second-largest farming sector.”
Sheep farmers
The IFA chair claimed that Minister McConalogue “has not been slow” in supporting other sectors with funds from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) as issues have arisen.
Comiskey, who said that for some reason the minister “chooses to completely ignore” the difficulties of farmers in the sheep sector, added:
“This is not acceptable and he must come forward immediately with direct, meaningful targeted supports for sheep farmers bringing the ewe payment to €30 and supporting store-lamb finishers.”
While an Irish Wool Council has been established, he said that in reality it will not offer any meaningful value to the incomes of farmers in the sheep sector in the short to medium term”.
The workings of the council will be “severely hampered” if Minister McConalogue and Minister of State Pippa Hackett fail to incentivise farmers in presenting wool in optimum condition for further added-value uses.
The losses already incurred this year “will not be recouped without direct supports”, he said urging the DAFM and the government to urgently address the crisis and commit to meaningful targeted supports for the sector.