ICMSA president to attend meeting in Limerick

ICMSA president Pat McCormack will travel to Limerick this week to address a meeting in Ballylanders on Thursday evening, February 2.

Mr McCormack gave Farm Leader a preview of what he will say to local farmers in Gallahue’s from 8pm.

Much of what he intends talking about concerns the immediate dairy outlook and his call for the suspension of the ‘Banding’ proposals due to be implemented this year with some farmers getting the letters right now in the middle of the busy calving period.

But Mr McCormack also signalled his intention to touch on what he described as Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue’s habit of “raising hares” about possible policies and options.

In local Limerick terms, he said “the most egregious example of this irritating habit was Minister McConalogue’s continued speculation on a possible dairy reduction / retirement scheme”.

Calling on the minister to lay out his intentions in full detail, Mr McCormack said the current speculation and uncertainty is “playing with dairy families’ futures”.

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He said: “ICMSA participated in both the dairy vision group and the beef and sheep vision groups in the same good faith as we’d like to think that was the approach of all the other parties. Both groups contributed – and were set up on the basis of contributing – to informing the minister of the actions and policy needed to move forward on climate change.

“One of those policies considered was the need to introduce a dairy retirement / reduction scheme and the Government representatives enthusiastically endorsed that idea.”

The president added: “The problem is that they haven’t announced a thing since then and the lead-in time for making decisions on dairy farms is at least two years. Individuals and families that might have considered this scheme are still left completely in the dark as regards when or how or what might be involved and we’re already into the 2023 calving season with the 2024 breeding programmes being looked at and planned.”

Farmers can’t think in terms of political cycles and PR calendars, he said.

“We have to work seasons in advance and it’s really frustrating that we have to point this out to the political masters. The absence of detail around any retirement / reduction scheme really amounts to playing with dairy families’ futures and we can’t play a game of will they / won’t they’ – we can’t afford it and it’s grossly irresponsible and unfair to ask us to play along,” said Mr McCormack.

Stating bluntly that if the minister is serious at all about such a scheme, “a decision on the details will have to be announced within the next month”.

John Kenny, of Agritech, will also make a presentation on the very current issue of calf rearing. The meeting will be chaired by Limerick ICMSA chairman John Bateman and Michael O’Callaghan will act as secretary. All members urged to attend, contact 061 314677.