The Agriculture Minister must act on cruelty inflicted on calves in the dairy sector, according to Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns.
Deputy Cairns, the party’s spokesperson on agriculture, was commenting on an RTÉ investigation into cruelty and mistreatment inflicted on calves in the dairy sector.
“This Minister has been asleep at the wheel while gross abuses of calves in the dairy sector has continued.
“Last year, the Department of Agriculture launched an investigation into cruelty in the sector after another investigation into this issue. Incredibly, that investigation is still ongoing with no action having been taken and it is now, 15 months later, too late for prosecutions.
“The harrowing scenes we witnessed on RTE last night, outlining horrific abuse of calves, must now serve as another wake-up call for the Government.
“What has the Minister been doing for more than a year? The deplorable conditions that calves – many too young to be transported – are subject to on long journeys are utterly unacceptable.
“At a bare minimum, we have a responsibility not to transport animals into countries where we know conditions are not up to standard.
“More concerning is that we have absolutely no clarity on how many Irish cattle are being transported to Israel, as RTE has revealed they are effectively being trafficked and disguised as Romanian or Croatian imports.
“Ultimately, we need to phase out the inhumane practice of live exports. Repeated investigations have shown the shocking level of animal abuse inherent in the transportation of very young calves overseas and by land for unacceptably long distances.
“Those responsible for the cruelty and abuse being inflicted on calves in this sector must also be held accountable.
“Critically, we need to address agricultural policies which are at the root of this issue. Farmers do not want to be put in the position of having to export large quantities of bull calves, but this is an inevitable by-product of Government policy to continue to encourage intensification within the dairy sector.
“There has been a surge in the number of bull calves – largely viewed as valueless waste products – born in Ireland each year since milk quotas were abolished in 2015.
“However, there are practical measures that can be taken to address the problem of unwanted calves. The use of sexed semen, for instance, can increase dairy female replacements and reduce the numbers of dairy bull calves born.
“The Social Democrats have previously called for the removal of VAT from sexed semen. We also need to see more breeding practices to ensure that cattle are not being bred for a single purpose.
“It is beyond unacceptable that the Minister has dragged his heels on acting on the abuse of animals revealed in last year’s RTÉ exposé.
“The Minister for Agriculture and Bord Bia must immediately address the issues exposed in last night’s programme and outline the steps they will take to sanction those responsible.”
October 9, 2024