Sheep farmers are calling on the government to provide a support package and staged a protest at the Dáil to urge a response from Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue. Data presented by the Rural Independent TD grouping shows that farmers had a profit margin of €7 per ewe in 2022 and there is limited expectation of improvement in 2023.
The Rural Independent TD group is asking for a government support package of €30 per ewe. At present the government provides €12 per animal under the Sheep Improvement Scheme – Deputy Mattie McGrath says this is inadequate to cover input costs and the cost of living crisis faced by producers. The sector is at risk of collapse according to Deputy McGrath who highlighted that some 30,000 farmers across the country produce sheep – many in areas where other crops are not possible due to the prevailing land types.
