Put Out to Grass by Urban Politics ; Deserted by Fianna Fail, Forced to Produce Milk at a Loss, and Fearful of Inheritance Tax Rises. So Why Are We Bailing Out the Bankers Ahead of Farmers? [Eire Region]

Summary

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LAST November, Cork dairy farmer Joe Burke slaughtered 16 cows from his 56-strong herd. They were healthy cows that had no infection. He simply could not afford the feed.

'I'm producing milk below cost,' he says. 'In a scenario like that, I have to decide to cull the cows that won't earn their keep through the winter because it's simply too expensive to feed them properly. I can't keep producing milk at these prices. It's unsustainable and illogical.

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Put Out to Grass by Urban Politics ; Deserted by Fianna Fail, Forced to Produce Milk at a Loss, and Fearful of Inheritance Tax Rises. So Why Are We Bailing Out the Bankers Ahead of Farmers? [Eire Region]

'I faced the heartbreaking decision of slaughtering 16 cows from a herd of 56, so I'm now down to 40. I just couldn't afford to feed them, it wasn't economical.

'I didn't want to have to slaughter healthy animals, but there was also a massive financial loss.

'Each of those cows cost around E1,600 to buy, plus E600 or E700 a year to feed. I got E500 each for them at slaughter. On top of that, my annual income is down around 40 per cent on last year.' Burke works land that has been passed down through four generations of his family, s...

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