Minister McConalogue Must Clarify Draft Suckler Scheme Intent
IFA Livestock Chairman Brendan Golden said that Minister McConalogue must clarify his intentions on the draft suckler scheme for 2023-2027, which is now out for public consultation as part of the new CAP Strategic Plan.
“While farmers will understand the concept of a reference year, any suggestion that farmers would suffer a penalty on their payments for existing cows if they increase numbers would be unprecedented and unacceptable,” he said.
“IFA has consistently sought a payment of €300 per suckler cow. This scheme must be the vehicle to do that, but we can’t have restrictive conditions. The Minister and the Department need to learn the lessons from the BEAM scheme, which turned what should have been a good news story into a negative,” he said.
“The overall problem with the consultation document is that there is no indication of the budget for the schemes. The budget for the suckler scheme must be sufficient to deliver €300 per suckler cow. The Government should set out their plans for the budget as part of the consultation process,” he said.
“IFA will make a comprehensive submission before the deadline of August 27th,” he said.
