The Irish Beef and Lamb Association (IBLA) is seeking meetings with ministers at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) over the Euro-Star indices.

Kieran Delaney, IBLA chair, reaffirmed the association's support for its members who have been affected by the revision of the indices announced in November 2023.

"IBLA has lobbied and campaigned relentlessly to have ICBF and the technical advisory group (TAG) go back to the drawing board for consultation regarding the November 2023 Euro-Star index revisions," he said.

Delaney said that IBLA agreed to attend and actively participate in the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF) stakeholder forum.

However, he claimed that "ICBF or Teagasc have not dealt with the fallout regarding the financial losses incurred by suckler farmers in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP)".

He also pointed to the "thousands of pedigree breeders who have had the economic value of their better cattle reduced significantly and moreover wiped out in one foul sweep".

IBLA has written to both Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon and Minister for State at DAFM Michael Healy-Rae for meetings to "discuss the fallout from the ICBF and Teagasc actions".

"To date, neither Ministers Heydon or Healy-Rae have offered to meet farmers on this important issue.

"IBLA will request from both Ministers Heydon and Healy-Rae that alternative options to ICBF and Teagasc be discussed, as pedigree cattle breeders across the Republic of Ireland have now declared a vote of no confidence in the technical advisory group and ICBF," Delaney said.

Over the past two months, several Irish cattle breed societies have issued statements outlining that they are to cease publishing ICBF evaluations in their society sales catalogues.

Sean Coughlan, chief executive of ICBF, has confirmed that the economic values of the Euro-Star indices will be updated in the summer.

Speaking to Agriland on the AgriFocus podcast this week, Coughlan said that the agreement was reached at the ICBF stakeholder forum.

Coughlan said: “The change to the economic model that happened back in November of 2023 is still having some repercussions, there’s no doubt.

“At that point and time, it was clear in the post-Covid era that costs had risen significantly. Beef prices had increased but maybe not at the same pace so that has definitely created a lot of frustration out there.

He also confirmed that work is already underway on updating the economic values and is being led by Teagasc’s beef enterprise leader Dr. Paul Crosson.