Jul 16th, 2009

Dairy farmers say Report's lack of interest in agriculture or agri-exports is both 'tragedy and disaster'

Responding to the proposals outlined in the McCarthy Report, the President of ICMSA, Jackie Cahill, said that impact of further cuts in the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme combined with the complete withdrawal of REPS 4 will mean that a huge number of the state's small-to-medium sized farmers will now be forced to resort to social welfare as their incomes will effectively have disappeared. The costs involved here might very well outweigh the funds involved in maintaining the schemes. It is absurd rationale. Mr Cahill also said that ICMSA finds the proposed dismantling of An Bord Bia to be inexplicable and obviously counter-productive. He pointed out that every serious commentator has identified export-led growth as the sole means of rebuilding our economy and he asked how the removal of the internationally recognised marketing arm of Irish agriculture and food would help our export prospects. Mr Cahill described the dismantling as an absurd proposal that will hamper our ability to reinvigorate our export sector. He concluded by saying that the axing of the Suckler Cow Scheme merely confirms what farmers have long suspected: nobody in the Govt. has the slightest idea of the role that our agriculture and agri-business sectors could play in the rebuilding of Ireland's economy. That is both a tragedy and a disaster.

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