Farming
Further meat plant demos could be on the way
A DECISION on whether further protests outside the meat plants will take place next week is likely to be made by the IFA in the run-up to this weekend after a study of price trends at the factories.
Connacht IFA Regional Chairman, Tom Turley, said that while a small step had been taken in the right direction by the factories this week with increases of around 5c per kg, this in no way came ‘remotely close’ to bridging the price gap with the UK.
“At our emergency Council meeting last weekend, there was unanimous support for further protests to take place. We have been given a clear mandate in that regard – the ball is now firmly in the court of the factories,” Tom Turley told the Farming Tribune.
He said that the break-even point for beef farmers – based on independent Teagasc research – was €4/kg but the meat plants had steadfastly refused to budge on the price issue.
“The 30c to 35c price difference that has emerged over the past month to six weeks between Ireland and the UK has not been addressed and until this happens, the IFA protest campaign will remain a live issue,” said Tom Turley.
He added that this price per kg. difference had translated into an Irish farmer getting over €300 less for his animal than his English counterpart.
“We also must keep the pressure on to get the full live export flow of cattle to Northern Ireland by sorting out ‘once and for all’ the labelling issue.
“There is absolutely no reason what a label cannot say: born in the Republic of Ireland and fed and finished in the UK,” said Tom Turley.
According to Joe Healy’s beef price column in this week’s Farming Independent, the early week trends showed an increase of about 5c/kg for steers and heifers.
Last week’s cattle kill of just under 26,000 was well down on previous weeks but the Bank Holiday and the protests have to be factored into that figure as well.
Meanwhile marts around the county report an ongoing ‘very lively’ trade for weanlings with good quality weanling making in excess of €500 with their weight, although the trade was a little dull for the forward stores and heavier cattle.
The marts are blaming the uncertainty over the factory prices as the reason for the slacker trade in heavier cattle across the region.
FUNDING for the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) needs to be nearly stepped up to bring into line with the rate of payment under the new Suckler Cow Scheme, Galway IFA Chairman said this week.
The told the Farming Tribune that he had asked Agriculture Minister, Charlie McConalogue during his recent visit to Galway to seriously review the rates of payment in SIS, which currently works out at €12 per ewe.
“A suckler cow is classed as one livestock unit while seven ewes are also one unit. Yet the SIS payment for a sheep livestock unit is way under half what will be paid out under the new SCEP and BEEP-S schemes,” said Stephen Canavan.
He added that the IFA had been lobbying for a long time for an increase in the ewe payments but the increase of €2 per ewe – €10 to €12 – was no more than a token gesture.
“We know full well how important the new schemes will be for suckler farmers but we need an equivalent payment for sheep.
“As things stand, the payment for a sheep livestock unit (€84 made up 7 X €12), is completely insufficient. We have consistently called for a €30 per ewe payment,” said Stephen Canavan.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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FARM families have been advised of key dates and positive changes to the SUSI third level education grants.
Today – Thursday, June 8 – is the deadline for grant renewal applications while the last date for new grant applications is Thursday, July 6.
The IFA has advised that many students from farm families qualify for the SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) grants.
Teresa Roche, Galway IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs Rep, told the Farming Tribune said that farm and rural families needed to keep in mind the deadline dates for applications.
She said that the grants provided many farm families with the chance to send their children to third level colleges – reducing considerably the costs involved.
“We are all well aware of the major costs involved in third-level education in terms of accommodations, fees and other expenses.
“The SUSI grants can help to ease the burden of those financial costs on farm families so it is important to be aware of upcoming deadline dates,” said Teresa Roche.
She pointed out that there were important changes to the Student Grant Scheme announced in Budget 2023 which farm families should familiarise themselves with.
These included an increase in the income limit from €55,240 to €62,000 for the 50% student contribution grant and a new student contribution grant of €500 for incomes between €62,000 and €100,000. The postgraduate fee contribution grant has also increased by €500 from €3,500 to €4,000.
According to IFA Farm Family and Social Affairs National Chair, Alice Doyle, the changes to the scheme were important ones for farm families which would allow a greater number of them to access the grants.
“The increase in the income threshold means more families can access support and more students will qualify this year,” she added.
■ The SUSI Support Desk is open Monday to Friday (9.00am – 5.30pm), excluding public holidays. They can be contacted by phone on 0818-888-777 or by email on support@susi.ie.
THE fact that over 20,000 farmers have applied for inclusion in the new suckler cow scheme is a positive indication for a farming sector that’s considered to be one of the main bedrocks of agriculture in the West of Ireland, according to Galway’s IFA Livestock representative, Micheál Haverty.
He said that since 2018, there had been a 12% to 14% decrease in Irish suckler cow numbers across the county mainly due to the tight margins and the labour intensive nature of in the enterprise.
“The fact that over 20,000 farmers have applied for inclusion in the new SCEP scheme is a step in the right direction. Without a viable suckler cow sector across the country, and especially in the West of Ireland, the viability of the country’s multi-billion euro beef sector would be in doubt,” Micheál Haverty told the Farming Tribune.
He also called for no time lag to follow with the introduction of the new BEEP-S scheme which would be an additional financial supplement to the SCEP payments. “The Minister [Charlie McConalogue] has committed to introducing the new BEEP-S scheme as quickly as possible – we are expecting confirmation of this over the next week or two,” said Micheál Haverty.
Galway tops the county ‘league table’ in terms of SCEP (Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme) applications (which closed on May 22 last) with 2,428 farmers from the county applying, followed by Mayo on 1,886, Clare on 1,791, Cork (1,537), Roscommon (1,196), Donegal (1,067) and Kerry (1,050).
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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