A plan to cull cattle by a third is a ‘vicious strike against the heart of rural Ireland’ according to a Tipperary TD.
The Rural Independent Group of TDs – led by Mattie McGrath – is calling for an EPA report suggesting it to be incinerated.
He believes the proposals to reduce the national herd will destroy the livelihoods of Irish beef, dairy and sheep farmers.
Deputy McGrath is demanding Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and the Agriculture Minister scrap it.
“I’ll be raising it in the Dáil on Tuesday and calling on them to immediately disassociate themselves and as I said to shred this report and not to be wasting money on these non-governmental organisations doing these reports.
“They’ve been hijacked by people with environmental titles who don’t understand the good work and the husbandry that farmers take care of the land.”
The Rural group believes if the EPA proposals are brought in, rural Ireland will face ‘mass destruction.’
Mattie McGrath says the cull is unacceptable.
“It’s under sustained attack by a craven Green tail wagging the dog of the government and its just too much of a sweeping suggested cull – proposed cull – and we just can’t have that.”
