“The €40 payment for weighing calves, announced in today’s budget, is a welcome development.”

That’s what the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association’s (ICSA’s) president Patrick Kent told AgriLand today, in a response to Budget 2019.

Commenting on the new payment, Kent said: “The ICSA asked Minister Creed for this in 2016 as a means of making the Beef Data Genomics Programme (BDGP) more accurate by rewarding farmers for putting real information into the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation’s (ICBF’s) database.

“An accurate calf weight is a real measure of how a cow is performing because it captures genetic potential for growth as well as milk.”

Kent agreed with the full restoration of the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) payment, which was cut during the economic downturn.

This has been a real loss of income to our most disadvantaged farmers and it is high time it was restored.

He also welcomed the extension of stock reliefs for another three years and the three-year extension of stamp duty exemptions for young farmers.

The ICSA president has embraced the decision not to increase carbon taxes on fuel which he said “did nothing” to change behaviour for rural motorists who have “no option” except to use diesel for transport.

“Diesel fuels the rural economy and there is no realistic alternative for agricultural machinery or for haulage of inputs and outputs in rural areas,” he concluded.