Monaghan IFA Livestock Committee Chairman Andrew Boylan said the proposals contained in the leaked EU Commission document on CAP 2013 would wreak havoc on the Irish beef and livestock sector, resulting in a collapse in output and inflicting severe economic damage on farm incomes, beef exports, jobs and economic recovery. He said based on a production cut of 30%, IFA has calculated that economic output would collapse by €1.25bn.

Andrew Boylan said the Commission proposal to abolish the Single Farm Payment and impose a flat rate per hectare payment would decimate the beef and livestock sector. He said this would impose Single Farm Payment cuts on many livestock farmers of 20% to 30% in 2014 and cuts of 50% or more by 2019.

The IFA man said thousands of livestock farmers who depend on the Single Farm Payment for their entire income, would be wiped out. They would be left with no choice but to massively de-stock and revert to subsistence farming. He said this would destroy the one million head national suckler cow herd, which is the backbone of the Irish beef and livestock sector and the basis of our high value beef exports to UK and Continental EU retail markets.

In addition, he said the proposals in their current format are so damaging that they would strangle the Food Harvest 2020 plans for the beef and livestock sector.

Andrew Boylan said the EU proposal to suggest year 1 of the new regime, as a new reference year for payment entitlements is ludicrous. He said it is wrong for the EU to suggest a reference period based on a future date.

Andrew Boylan called on the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney to totally reject the Commission proposals.

Andrew Boylan said livestock farmers are in a state of shock and disbelief since these ridiculous proposals were leaked last week. "Farmers who have invested heavily in their businesses cannot believe that the EU Commission would want to slash their Single Farm Payment and completely undermine beef and livestock production."

On greening, the IFA Livestock man said farmers already comply with high standards that deliver a significant benefit to the environment. " Cutting the Single Farm Payment by 30% for greening is wrong." He said Greening measures cannot be allowed to restrict the potential of Irish farmers to expand and grow beef production."

He described the proposal to cut the SFP by 5% to set up a payment for natural constraints as a backdoor method to cut Disadvantage Area payments in Pillar II.