Loss Of 'Fallen Animal' Subsidy Hits Farmers

Farmers are set to defy the Dublin government after the latest round of financial belt-tightening looks like leaving them with a large bill for dealing with animal carcasses.

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) has said that the cost of disposing of 'fallen animals' is to escalate.

Their representatives said this week that the cost will jump by a huge 270% and as yet they have "no solution to the current problem".

Already, members of the Donegal IFA have said that farmers will not pay the increase and will instead defy procedures and bury dead animals on their own land.

Previously, the official Fallen Animal Collection Scheme paid a subsidy to companies to collect the animal carcases from farmers and bring them to renderers.

However, that subsidy was abolished in last week's supplementary Budget and from Wednesday farmers will have to pay up to €190 per dead animal.

Chairman of the Donegal branch of the IFA William McMonagle said that farmers should therefore be permitted to bury animals.

He said that farmers shouldn't be forced to pay for every dead animal they need to dispose of.

The Chairman of the Sligo branch of the IFA Billy Sommerville has also been highlighting the issue as yet another crisis for local farmers.

Dairy farmers in the area are also up in arms with Gerard Queenan, the Chairman of the Sligo Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), describing the state of the North West regions' milk industry.

"Dairy farmers in the West of Ireland are suffering more now than in the past number of decades," said the representative.

His comments come as hundreds of farmers converged on Kilkenny on Wednesday morning to protest about milk prices.

They said that a litre of milk will stand at 20 cent if the processor Glanbia implements a proposed cut of nearly four cents.

Mr Queenan said dairy farming in the west of Ireland is experiencing unprecedented times.

Last month, a group of dairy farmers from all over Ireland were led in a protest/occupation of the EU Commission's offices in Dawson Street, by the President of ICMSA, Jackie Cahill.

He said that the dairy policy being operated by the EU has actually reduced Europe's prices for producing milk below the cost of production and left farmers with no income at precisely the same time as they are having to re-pay loans taken out to comply with the massive demands made by EU Nitrates Regulations.

Mr Cahill said that the EU dairy policy was now inflicting long-term, structural damage on Ireland's dairy industry and the wider agri-food sector so vital in any co-ordinated attempt to re-build the exporting sector.

(BMcC/KMcA)