Reclassification of Euro-Star beef breeding index must be halted

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  • Changes will negatively impact suckler farmers
  • Consultation needs to happen

 

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe is calling on the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation to urgently suspend their recently announced reclassification of the Euro-Star beef breeding index to give beef farmers a fighting chance.

Speaking to ICBF representatives at the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee today, Deputy Crowe requested the suspension of the measure until they hold their stakeholder consultation forum in early spring period.

“It is abundantly obvious to me that the many stakeholders involved in this process feel that they have not been properly consulted so far and that the communication from the ICBF has left a lot to be desired,” said Deputy Crowe.

“Some of the breeding associations cite examples of indexes plummeting and it very much looks like the large-bodied animals have been the fall guy in this re-evaluation, with lighter animals climbing, in some instances, up the index scale.

“All of these changes mean only one thing for beef suckler farmers – a drop in prices.

“This will have a devastating impact on so many farming families who depend hugely on the income derived from cattle sales.

“In recent years, suckler farming has very much become the poor relation of dairy farming and we need to do everything we can to protect this vital sector of our economy.

“I am being inundated with calls from beef farmers throughout the county and indeed elsewhere in the country – and being a suckler farmer myself, with a herd of Hereford and Shorthorn cattle, I can absolutely empathise with their situation.

“I also find it illogical that members of the ICBF board signed off on these new evaluations given that they themselves represent farming organisations and the breeding sector.

“A row back has to happen, and I think the obvious thing to do now is to suspend all changes until proper stakeholder consultation begins – as promised – in the spring period.”

-ENDS-

Housing Update – December 13th

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Every Wednesday, I will update you here on the social houses that are available via Clare County Council.

As always, it is vital that you register with Clare County Council’s housing section for their Choice Based Letting site, where you are able to register your interest for a property. You can contact the housing section on (065) 6821616.

Please note: Some weeks, no properties come online and therefore there will be no housing update.

Ennis

Address: 28 Bridge View, Roslevan, Ennis, Co. Clare

Details: Three-bed, semi-detached

THIS PROPERTY IS BEING MADE AVAILABLE BY RESPOND

  • Downstairs toilet
  • Shower over bathtub in main bathroom upstairs
  • Rear garden
  • Gas central heating & open fireplace in living room

 

Kilrush

Address: 4 Sycamore Drive, Kilrush, Co. Clare

Details: Two-bed, terraced bungalow

  • Kitchen/Dining/Living area
  • Level access bathroom with shower
  • Source of heating – back boiler stove
  • Front and rear Gardens

Long-awaited sewerage schemes finally delivered for Broadford and Cooraclare

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  • Minister O’Brien has confirmed funding for vital schemes
  • Both villages waiting decades for news

 

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe has welcomed news that the long-awaited sewerage schemes for the villages of Broadford and Cooraclare have been confirmed.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien has confirmed this morning a €50 million rural wastewater collection and treatment scheme and has confirmed the inclusion of both Broadford and Cooraclare in the same.

“I am so pleased today to finally have received confirmation on the long-awaited sewerage schemes for these two villages,” said Deputy Crowe.

“When Fianna Fáil entered government in 2020, I was asked by party leadership what issues I wanted to see included in the Programme for Government.

“I said that the provision of rural sewerage schemes would be a redline issue for me and I am delighted that I have been able to pursue this issue in government and now secure the necessary funding from Minister Darragh O’Brien.

“Both villages have waited many decades for such infrastructure and local action groups in both areas have been frustrated at the length of time it took to achieve this.

“Rural villages have long been a priority of mine, as without a sewerage scheme, these villages can’t grow, housing cannot be provided and there’s also the ongoing environmental hazard of raw sewerage being discharged into drains and watercourses that has the potential of contaminating drinking waters.

“It’s regrettable that politicians and governments that served Co. Clare over the years didn’t deliver on this scheme heretofore.

“However, Minister O’Brien has been very proactively engaging with me on this issue and visited Broadford back in summer 2021 to see for himself how needed a scheme like this is.

“In recent weeks, he gave notice to Oireachtas representatives that he would be imminently signing off on the scheme – so I’ve been over and back in trying to pin down a date since then.

“I will be pushing to have this pilot scheme now made a multi-annual scheme – there are more villages in Clare that will need this level of investment.

“I want to also pay tribute to the Broadford Action Group led by PJ Mason and Cllr Bill Chambers and the late Brendan Daly in Cooraclare who have fought doggedly for this day – as well as the other elected representatives.”

-ENDS-