Those who have strong opinions on the proposed cap on expanding suckler cow numbers under the draft suckler efficiency scheme under Ireland’s proposed Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) strategic plan (CSP) are urged to formally submit their views, the Department of Agriculture has said.
In Wednesday night’s (August 11) “town hall” CAP consultation meeting organised by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the number cap came in for considerable debate.
Commenting on the scheme to clarify points, Maria Dunne, of DAFM’s Meat and Milk Policy Division, said:
“There’s an awful lot of questions about a proposed cap on the suckler herd; just to say there is not a cap on the [national] suckler herd proposed in this consultation document.
“What there is in this consultation document is a proposed eligibility condition to prevent expansion under the voluntary suckler environmental scheme.
“The logic behind that was to put in there to see that the environmental efficiency gains through the scheme should not be offset by increased numbers.
“But to be very clear – and you’ll see this in the consultation document – this is the proposed eligibility condition.
“It has not been agreed by anyone; it is proposed for discussion – and clearly it has been successful in that regard.
“It’s good that it’s being discussed – but what I would say to you and encourage you all most sincerely is you should submit your opinions in formal written submissions – because that’s the point of this whole consultation.”
Following a question from Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) farm business chairwoman Rose Mary McDonagh, asking the department to confirm if there will be no suckler cap, Dunne said:
“To be very clear, it doesn’t impose a cap on the national suckler herd. Now I accept what is proposed is a cap on those individual herds that join the suckler scheme and I accept from the comments tonight and other nights that that is very controversial – and as I said, put in a formal submission in through the process.
“Within the CAP process we are not proposing a cap on the national herd or the national suckler herd – but there is a cap within that specific scheme for participants.
“If you object to it – which from what I’m seeing, and I’m seeing the comments in the chat, a lot of people do – you should put in a formal submission.
“In any event we will take the comments made tonight on board,” Dunne said.
The proposed suckler measure has prompted farmer anger from a number of organisations, with the INHFA of the view that the programme “discriminates against suckler farmers“, while the IFA has called on the minister to “clarify” the intentions of the draft scheme.
Beef Plan Movement has said it will “not accept any form of a cull or cap” on Ireland’s suckler herd while IBLA also said the move “will not be accepted by Irish suckler farmers”.