This article is from page 58 of the 2007-07-31 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 58 JPG
IT looks increasingly likely that the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan, will face many of the same challenges in her second term of office as she did in her first.
One issue that shows no sign of res- olution is the ongoing issue concern- ing BSE testing. Coughlan has come under renewed pressure to move on the issue of compensation for the cost of testing animals between 30 ZNeCe melo mse leyelaetce
Last week Clare farmer and Chair-
man of the ICMSA Beef and Cattle Committee, Martin McMahon, stat- ed that in line with the commitment given under “Towards 2016”, the De- partment should immediately agree to fund the cost of BSE testing cattle between 30 and 36 months until such time as EU legislation is changed to remove the requirement.
According to Martin McMahon, under the terms of Towards 2016, a commitment was secured that the Government would seek a higher age for BSE testing. The ICMSA has stated that it is very disappointed with the slow progress being made
on this matter with a conclusion now unlikely until well into 2008 at EU Aron
The Beef Chairman said that the matter was “perfectly simple – farm- ers cannot continue to carry this cost’.
“At a time when beef farmers are under severe pressure on prices and costs, it 1s essential that regulatory costs be kept to a minimum. BSE testing of cattle between 30 and 36 months cost farmers nearly €6 mil- lion in 2006 and farmers now want to see this cost removed immediate- ly,” he said.
“Given the delay at EU level in ad- dressing the BSE testing age and as recognition of the problems facing beef producers at this time, the IC- MSA 1s proposing that the Minister should immediately fund the full cost of BSE testing cattle between 30 and 36 months.
This would represent a one-off cost only as it would no longer be required once the EU rises the age of BSE test- ing. It would, however, immediately meet the commitment give under ‘Towards 2016’ and would remove a substantial cost on beef farmers at this time of depressed prices.”