by Liam Porter, Inishowen Independent
INISHOWEN farmers already struggling to cope with
the fall-out of last October’s budget will find it
extremely difficult to cover the costs of increased
charges for the disposal of fallen animals, it has
been suggested this week.
Speaking to the Inishowen Independent, Linsfort-based
farmer George O’Hagan described the decision to
bring most subsidies paid by the Department of
Agriculture under the Fallen Animal Collection
Scheme to an end as, “a disaster” for farmers in the
peninsula.
“Make no mistake about it the recent budgets have
been very sore on farmers and this latest move has
been a very sore blow,” he said.
The Government introduced the Fallen Animal
Collection Scheme following the food scares during
the 1990s, which led to calls for greater
traceability in the cattle industry.
In 2000 a computerised database that tracks the
movements of bovine animals across Ireland was set
up and the following year a scheme for the
subsidised collection of dead animals from farms
through a network of approved collectors was
introduced.
This was done to facilitate BSE testing requirements
and minimise on-farm burials, which became an
offence in the absence of a licence from the
Department of Agriculture. However, following the
supplementary Budget, licensed collectors will no
longer be paid a subsidy to collect the carcasses.
The licensed collectors have said they have no
choice but to pass on the cost to farmers and
according to George O’Hagan farmers are facing a
cost increase of around €140 per animal.
“You really are talking somewhere in the region of
costs rising from €60 to €200 per animal and farmers
will really struggle to pay that,” he said.
However he suggested that at the moment it was
almost impossible for farmers to get a licence to
bury animals.
“Unless you are on an offshore island or an animal
falls in a bog you won’t get a licence to bury, but
the reality is that farmers will not be able to
afford the costs now.”
Describing the scheme as it existed before last week
as ‘a very good scheme,’ Mr. O’Hagan said something
needed to be done to look at the costs.
“The nearest rendering plant for farmers here is in
Cavan so we will feel the full brunt of the costs in
isolated places like Inishowen. The government needs
to look at this seriously because at the minute
we’re being told it costs around €200 per tonne to
render a carcase in the south but in the north the
figure is around €90.”
Mr O’Hagan suggested that farmers worries could be
eased if licenses to bury were issued and animals
buried in a sensible way.
“We’ve buried animals for thousands of years and
done sensibly and correctly there is no fear of
pollution,” he said.
At present however the Minister seems unlikely to
grant permission for extra licences although he will
come under pressure from farm organisations over the
coming weeks.
“At the minute we’re being told this won’t change
and we’ll have to cover the costs. God help any poor
farmer who has an animal or maybe two falling now,”
the local farmer concluded. |
