Sheep Farming Integral to Upland Management

IFA Sheep Chair Adrian Gallagher said rebuilding the national sheep flock, particularly in hill and mountain areas, is the obvious and most effective mechanism to manage uplands and offset the threat of devastating fires.

“Abandoned and underutilised land is the single biggest issue when it comes to large scale fires. Historically, farmers managed these lands through grazing livestock and controlled burning. However, flawed and poorly thought-out policies under the narrative of the green agenda have contributed to these devastating fires that have the potential to put lives at risk and force farmers and farming from the hills.”

“Our sheep sector is in serious decline, and meaningful actions are needed urgently to rebuild our output levels. The hill sheep sector is a key part of sheep production, but very low incomes, generational renewal challenges and misguided policies have forced farmers out of production,” he said.

Adrian Gallagher said there is an urgent need to put in place supports for farmers to put sheep back onto the hills to produce lambs and arrest the decline we have witnessed.

The hill sheep sector is also a significant contributor to our national breeding flock on lowland farms and in ensuring a year-round supply of lamb for processors.

Adrian Gallagher said IFA is seeking a €40/ewe payment for farmers in hill areas who are producing lambs.

The financial supports are only part of the issue. Farmers in the hills must be allowed farm and manage their lands in a productive way that brings overgrown and unproductive land back into food production, and by doing so reduce the threat posed by fires.

IFA Hill Farming Chair James Gallagher said we need to learn from the devastation and damage of recent wildfires on our uplands, forests, habitats, wildlife and property, and avoid it at all costs.

That’s why IFA is seeking a meeting with the National Emergency Co-ordination Group (NECG) on planning for wildfires.

“Farmers have a key role to play. Through sustainable grazing we can better control levels of vegetation on the uplands. But we also have the knowledge, access and resources to be able to support swift emergency efforts also, but these all need tangible supports,” he said.

“It’s imperative that farmers impacted by these fires are not disadvantaged even further down the line and find their farm payments withheld or delayed. Common sense and flexibility need to apply. With the drought and increased input prices elevating already high costs of production, at a time when output prices in many sectors are under pressure, these payments will be needed more than ever,” he said.