Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I must disclose that I keep a herd of Shorthorn Hereford cattle, so I have skin in the game here. One farmer at home put it well yesterday when he asked if you can imagine going to a 4-star hotelier and saying that you have looked at the hotel's costs and inputs and are now downgrading it to a 2-star hotel because that is what the market says it should be. That is what it feels like for many farmers. No matter how much the ICBF dressed it up yesterday at the Oireachtas agriculture committee, for many farmers this has meant a plummeting in star ratings. Some people expected there could be adjustments. Salers, Simmentals and Belgian Blues have seen a plummeting of stars, as have some show cattle and breeding replacements. With that collapse of stars, there has been a collapse in income. We want to hear if there will be a compensatory scheme. Realistically, I think this should all be suspended until February or March when the stakeholder forum takes place. The communications from the ICBF have left much to be desired.

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