This article is from page 51 of the 2007-10-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 51 JPG
CLARE farmer and chairperson of ICMSA’s Beef and Cattle Com- mittee Martin McMahon has called for streamlining of the Suckler Cow SYo tesa elon
Speaking following a meeting with senior officials of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food on the new Suckler Cow Welfare Scheme, he said he welcomes the introduc- tion of the scheme but pointed out that a number of small amendments to the detailed rules would make the scheme more attractive to farmers.
“ICMSA believes that some of the recording deadlines set down by the department are excessive and unnec- essary and should be amended. For example, each calf born will neces- sitate a farmer having to notify the
department on five separate occa- sions regarding certain events based on strict deadlines. It is possible and sensible to greatly streamline that level of recording and still meet the department’s objectives,” he said.
‘For example, instead of writing to the department on the date the ani- mal was disbudded, that information should be included in the calf regis- tration form, thus eliminating at least one set of unnecessary paperwork. Excessive form-filling has become the bane of many a farmer’s exist- ence and we need a conscious effort to avoid pointless replication.”
In addition, the ICMSA is propos- ing that calves born after September 1, 2007 should be eligible for this scheme while the department has confirmed that the scheme is open to all farmers irrespective of whether
they were in suckler farming in the past or not.
“The scheme is a welcome develop- ment for the suckler herd but we will require more initiatives if we are to maintain a sustainable suckler cow herd in Ireland,” said McMahon.
Meanwhile, the ICMSA has also said compensation for animals killed by diseases is out of line with current market realities.
Given the recent rise in livestock value, the levels of compensation available under the Live Valuation Scheme and associated TB/Brucel- losis Schemes are now out of line with actual losses.
“As every farmer will know, the val- ue of dairy stock has increased con- siderably this year and ICMSA be- lieves that the guideline figures used by the Department of Agriculture,
Fisheries & Food for TB/Brucellosis valuations have not kept pace,” said Dominic Cronin, chairperson of [C- MSA’s Dairy Committee.
‘For example, the guideline figures for first and second lactation cows have not increased at all for certain categories since last April, while the most a category has increased is by €200.
“That does not at all reflect the re- ality on the ground, where the prices paid by farmers have increased by substantially more and ICMSA is now calling on the department to im- mediately revise their guideline pric- es upwards to reflect the true value of dairy stock at this time.”