The manager of Kerry Lamb and Wool Co-op (Comharchumann Uain Chiarraí) has appealed to politicians to support the drystock sector which he said is “dying in its boots”.
Seán Moriarty made the comments as the co-op marked its 50th anniversary with a special celebration on the Dingle Peninsula this week.
Kerry Lamb and Wool Co-op was established by a group of local farmers in 1974 against the backdrop of poor prices being paid for mountain lamb at that time.
Originally, the focus was on fattening lambs which continued for eight to nine years before it became uneconomical.
The co-op then diversified into supplying veterinary products, meal, fertiliser, fencing and wire from its premises in Lispole, along with its cornerstone operation of exporting wool.
The co-op continues to travel around Munster today collecting wool from sheep farmers for export to Bradford in the UK.
Sean Moriarty has been working at the co-op since it began trading and was appointed manager in January, 1977, a position he has held ever since.
He paid tribute to the original committee, several of whom were present on the night, for their “courage and vision to do something about marketing small lambs which there wasn’t any outlet for at the time”.
Although there was a celebratory mood among the large crowd gathered, Moriarty used part of his address on the night to outline the challenges currently facing farmers to the politicians who were present.
“I’d like to voice my concern over the state of drystock farming, both sheep and cattle. To me, it’s dying in its boots in front of our eyes.
“Just look up at the mountain behind us, since the quotas came in 2000, there’s over 6,000 sheep gone off of that mountain. A huge loss for the co-op both 6,000 fleeces of wool firstly, then feed, fertiliser and all the corresponding things.
“The age profile in drystock farming is a huge concern. The agricultural payments are all towards the environment, nothing towards production,” he said.
The co-op manager said he was also worried about the future of food production.
“When it doesn’t pay to produce a lamb or a calf, to me there is something wrong,” he said.
Moriarty added that the co-op is involved in various initiatives in a bid to maintain viability, but he said that these will require funding and support.
Kerry Lamb and Wool Co-op
James Brosnan, chair of the co-op and one of the founding members, explained that lambs were making a price IR£2-7/head at the time when the co-op was established.
Brosnan told Agriland that he is “not as confident” as he previously was about the future for farming.
“I think we’re at a crossroads again, everything is changing. Organic farming is coming in a lot. There’s a different approach to everything.
“When we started there was very little lowland sheep in west Kerry, it was all mountain sheep, now it’s nearly gone into the opposite because the people aren’t there to follow them on the mountains,” he said.
Vice-president of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA) and local sheep farmer, John Joe Fitzgerald said that said the co-op has played an important role in supporting farmers and creating local employment.
“It’s great for the locality, it’s an outlet for us that we can sell our wool into. If we didn’t have this here, we’d have nowhere else to go.
“On top of that they take part in all of the research that’s happening at the moment, with the Munster Technological University (MTU) in Tralee and University College Cork (UCC). They are part of the Irish Grown Wool Council, which is very important for us going forward,” he said.