ICSA calls on minister to hold meeting on sheep sector crisis in Ireland

The Food Vision Beef and Sheep Group must meet urgently to discuss the crisis in the sheep sector, the Irish Cattle and Sheep farmers’ Association (ICSA) has said. Speaking today (January 27), the association’s sheep chair Sean McNamara said he is “appalled by the lack of urgency at government level” to address the challenges that the sector is facing. McNamara slammed what he called a lack of engagement between the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue and the sector, labelling it as “disgraceful”. He called on Minister McConalogue to take responsibility and arrange meetings of the group without delay. “Processors, retailers an department officials all need to get around the table with sheep farmer representatives and plot a way forward. “The minister has a responsibility to make this happen, he needs to get the sheep vision group going and find a way of keeping sheep farming valuable,” McNamara said. Advertisement Weak lamb prices and low margins ...