Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. The work of the ICBF is massively important and is something I very strongly support through the suckler calf scheme and the suckler carbon efficiency programme, SCEP, and through, for example, the recent investment we made last year which will see our national herd become the first herd in the world to be fully genotyped. All of that data will be held by the ICBF on behalf of farmers. The board of the ICBF is made up of stakeholders, including farm representatives. The star rating is based on emerging data that continues to be collected with the objective of making sure that farming is as profitable as it can be and that the animals that are being bred create the maximum income for farm families. Alongside that, I support them through the SCEP and the suckler calf schemes, which combined deliver €200 per cow. That was a commitment I made before the last election. I am also adjusting that SCEP to ensure animals that might see a reduction in their star rating keep it for the duration of the programme so that there is no penalty on farmers in terms of being able to meet the star thresholds throughout the duration of the programme. I am aware of the issue that is there and we are working collectively to make sure farmers are supported in the process.

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