THE RDS Kerrygold Horse Show yesterday became the battleground for a row between farmers and the Minister for Agriculture over the worsening beef crisis,
On Wednesday, the Minister, Mr Yates, used the event to warn Irish farmers they were producing too much beef and that the production of "elephant sized" cattle would have to cease.
But yesterday the Irish Farmers Association attacked the Minister over what it termed a "grave injustice" being done to thousands of cattle farmers who were being denied compensation for losses due to the BSE crisis.
It said up to 4,000 farmers, who suffered losses of up to £150 per head because they had sold cattle since prices collapsed in March, were being excluded from compensation.
It said the scheme put in place to pay farmers £13.3 million in compensation was "flawed".
It pointed out that farmers who had sold finished cattle through marts which were destined for live export, meat factories and domestic abattoirs could not claim the £50 per head compensation because the Department refused to compensate farmers who did not sell directly for slaughter or live export.
"Because of the flaw in the scheme, which was set up by the Department, payment on finished cattle sold through marts for immediate export or slaughter are being channelled to dealers rather than farmers who suffered the real losses," said the statement, issued at the show.
It said this is a major injustice and called on the Minister for Agriculture to regain control of the scheme's administration and insist that every penny of the compensation package is paid directly to farmers.
It said the situation was now so farcical that, last week, farmers had even been refused application forms from the Department's Castlebar offices.