This article is from page 61 of the 2008-02-12 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 61 JPG
CLARE farmer and Beef and Cat- tle Chairman of the ICMSA, Martin McMahon, was last week appointed to the national beef forum by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Mary Coughlan.
Silom Coyacecem sel mbeCe Lee CoM ncyeKen tole te tives of the IFA, ICMSA, ICSA, Macra, ICOS, ICBF, Teagasc, Bord Bia, Enterprise Ireland, Meat Indus- try Ireland as well as representatives of the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and an independ- ent expert.
“The purpose of the forum is to point the way to the future develop-
ment of this very important sector. The beef industry is vital to Ireland in a number of respects not least its contribution to our trade balance and its significance for rural areas,” said Minister Coughlan.
‘The industry has proven itself re- silient in the past and I am confident that it will do so in the future. It will face many opportunities and chal- lenges as the pace of change in the marketplace continues to increase.
“The industry must gear itself to evolving consumer tastes and be responsive to them. The forum pro- vides those involved in the industry with the opportunity to track the best way forward.”
The forum, which will be chaired by Jim Beecher, Assistant Secretary General at the Department of Agri- culture, Fisheries and Food, will have its first meeting later this month.
Meanwhile, McMahon has _ also oF OTSTe MS Keyes Bue) Dele M KOM e-lKe slob OMmeliDE defences against Bluetongue.
“The severity of the disease in the second and subsequent year has sur- prised veterinary experts,” he said.
“We should now seriously con- sider preventative vaccination for bluetongue as soon as the vaccine becomes available. In particular, the potential losses in terms of perform- ance and fertility due to bluetongue disease pose a serious threat to the
livestock sector.
“We appreciate that the department are considering a number of options, but action should be taken at the first available opportunity. The commis- sion have decided to carry the cost in full of the vaccine and 50 per cent of the administration costs. We should avail of this funding. While preven- tive vaccination would — under the present EU rules — give rise to a pos- sible change in our status, that rule itself could be changed. Given the increasing severity of bluetongue it makes solid sense to adopt a pre- ventative stance rather than a control programme if — and when – the dis- ease comes to Ireland.”