We, the Dairy Beef Sub Committee of the Beef Plan Movement, want the powers that be to make more information available to cattle buyers.
For the most part, the only information available is the animal’s sire breed. This does not say specifically if the sire is a pedigree or a cross-bred animal.
For example, a farmer could buy an AAX calf, and the said calf could be by a cross-bred Angus bull.
Also, under the current system, we have no way of knowing the breeding of the said calf’s dam.
This is a big issue for people buying calves. At a time when farm inputs are at an all-time high, we feel it is unfair to continue to expect farmers to buy cattle without all necessary information regarding its genetic make-up.
We feel that a very small section printed on the animal’s ‘blue card’ stating the percentage of each breed present in the animal’s genetic make-up would be of great benefit to both buyers and sellers.
Breeders who will great effort and expense to breed animals of a high genetic merit would have their efforts recognised.
The buyer would have more information available to make a more informative decision when purchasing stock.
We hope that marts would also come on board and have the same information visible on their sale boards.
We are calling on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the ICBF, and the marts of Ireland to come together and make this happen.
Farmer’s margins are far too tight to be buying cattle blind of all the relevant information which is available through ICBF, but unfortunately they can only see days after they have made the purchase.
‘Ireland’s suckler herd is unfairly blamed’
The Beef Plan Movement has handed a petition, with over 1,200 signatures, to the Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, advising him to “keep his hands off the suckler herd”.
A delegation made “detailed” presentations on all areas of the group’s CAP submission.
In a statement to That’s Farming, the group listed their two “single biggest areas of concern” with the proposed suckler scheme.
- The unfair singling out of the suckler cows for a cap;
- Also, introducing Bord Bia audits as a compulsory element.
