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00:00Hello and welcome to Ear to the Ground. Well for over two decades Irish farmers have been opposing
00:06a Mercosur trade deal but now that it has passed the vote at European Council level
00:11I'm here today to try and find out if it really will be as damaging as they fear.
00:17Later on in the programme Stephen will be meeting a group of farmers
00:21who are looking after their health and well-being. Primarily it's involved in the programme to get
00:26a wee lifestyle change and get in and get moving, get in and get talking, get in amongst each other.
00:31And Ella will be seeing how a notoriously pampered breed of cattle is dealing with life on the Byron.
00:37We've calves been born out on the snow and they're perfect. They've adapted to it great.
00:56Last Friday the European Commission approved the EU Mercosur deal, a free trade agreement
01:10with a block of four South American countries. Ireland voted against one of five states to do so.
01:17Over a period of time the deal will remove tariffs and duties on a wide range of products between the
01:23two regions. Specifically the deal allows for 99,000 tons of beef imports annually into the EU.
01:32Beef farmers here are fearful. In County Roscommon Michael Glennon is a full-time beef farmer.
01:39He farms along with his son Martin who also has a job with a building contractor.
01:43We have seen a lot of changes. We have fought through them all. We fought hard for them.
01:49Like Brexit came, decimated the agriculture in England, left us with tariffs. Mercosur seems to
01:56be coming now and it's going to destroy agriculture in Ireland altogether.
02:02We're going to lose a percentage of our market and our prices are going to be affected.
02:07The bottom line is we need to get a price for our beef. Just what way do you go?
02:11Do you stay in farming or do you move on to something else?
02:14What is the biggest concern you have about it?
02:18Will I have a future in farming as a young farmer? It's frightening now to be honest.
02:23And if Mercosur was blocked, would you then be confident?
02:27I'd have a lot more confidence anyway.
02:29Michael and Martin aren't alone in their opposition to Mercosur.
02:34I met them the day after the EU council vote, as they prepared to join in a protest taking place in Athlone.
02:42A number of neighbouring farmers have also gathered, some of whom recall the protests of the 1960s,
02:48when farmers demanded better prices.
02:50Talking to my father last night, he said that they blocked bridges in 1967.
02:55And I think it's kind of a throwback to that. And just the one thing to remember,
02:58they were successful then, so never threw in the towel.
03:00So this is obviously a big deal? It's a very big deal, especially for young farmers as well,
03:04trying to, you know, make a living.
03:07This means a lot to Ireland. We're a small country. We produce absolutely brilliant beef in this country.
03:12We export 90% of our beef, our export market. That's what's going to support the young farmers in this country.
03:18We headed off for the local meet-up point before carrying on to the protest.
03:23Every tractor within 50 kilometres of Athlone, I'd say, will be out today, will it?
03:28Oh, they will, yeah. The tractor's supposed to be coming from Donegal, Cork.
03:32These farmers have mobilised because the Mercosur deal will remove tariffs on 99,000 tonnes of imported beef.
03:40But it will also remove tariffs on most EU exports, including pharmaceuticals and cars.
03:46We're going to start importing beef here. They're cutting down the rainforest in Brazil.
03:50We're planting trees. They're cutting it down. It's BMWs for beef. That's the way we see it.
03:56The thing is, that young lad there and that young lad there, it'll affect him more than it's going to affect me.
04:01You don't believe anybody that says, look, it mightn't be as bad as you think it's going to be?
04:07No, it will be bad.
04:08A lot of young people here today who are looking for a future in farming, their future depends on this deal.
04:14Oh, it'll be massive. Really?
04:15I'm telling you, massive. At low on one, no, I hit it.
04:22The protest was organised by Independent Ireland with support from the main farming organisations.
04:29As we set off to join the main tractor convoy, it was clear it was a large turnout.
04:34There were plenty of supporters lying on the route too.
04:40We've got into the thick of it here now.
04:42We're in the thick of it here now, all right.
04:43Yeah.
04:44I don't know where we're going now there.
04:45After over an hour, we reached a protest where crowds had gathered.
04:51Irish farming has been underpinned by European support since 1973,
04:56with decades of cap funding transforming incomes, productivity and rural survival.
05:02After Brexit, the EU made significant efforts to shield Irish trade from disruption, especially agri-food exports.
05:10Supporters of this deal believe that farmers have little to fear.
05:14Economist Alan Mathews is Professor of European Agricultural Policy at Trinity College Dublin.
05:21If we actually look at the volume of that 99,000 tonnes in relation to the overall consumption of beef in the European Union,
05:30which is actually 6 million tonnes, so we're talking about 1.5% additional supply.
05:35The beef that will be imported will be sold at the high market price that the Mercosur exporters can get at the moment.
05:43Why would they accept a lower price and reduce their export earnings?
05:48So they will continue to look for the best price possible.
05:53Independent economic advice, though, is cold comfort for farm organisations here.
05:58Francie Gorman is President of the Irish Farmers Association.
06:02It's inconceivable that you can bring more beef into the market and not affect the price.
06:09The price is driven by supply and demand, and if you increase supply, it's either going to have an impact in one or two ways,
06:15it'll reduce price or stop the price going up.
06:18But there's economists with a lot of experience who've looked at this in depth, and they say it's a drop in the ocean.
06:25And you talk to any of the processors, and any of them will tell you that if you were trying to
06:28compete against cheaper beef coming in from somewhere else, it makes it more difficult to sell what you have.
06:35Those opposing Mercosur claim that not only will it deflate beef prices,
06:39but that the imported beef may not reach the EU's food safety standards.
06:44Tony Connery is manager of Roscommon Mart.
06:47Every animal that comes through the market, every animal that comes off the farm has a passport, an ear tag.
06:52Anybody can see what medicines they've got from farm to fork, all the way through.
06:56The risk is with this deal, some of this untraceable meat that's coming into the country might be substandard.
07:03It is entirely in European hands to control the import of meat and to ensure that it meets European standards.
07:12If imports don't do that, we can at any time limit access either to a particular factory or indeed to the country as a whole.
07:20Whether we ratify Mercosur or not doesn't change our ability in Europe to control the import.
07:28Let us remember that we are already importing 200,000 tonnes.
07:32Of the 99,000 tonnes of beef to be imported, 55% will be fresh or chilled and 45% will be frozen.
07:41Some protesters I spoke to were worried about traceability.
07:44I don't think that I would be able to go into a supermarket and automatically look at the shelves and say,
07:50that's Brazilian beef and that's Irish beef.
07:52I think I'd have to really look at the fine print to be sure that I was getting what I expected I was getting.
07:57And that's not good enough.
07:59Consumers mightn't see it arriving on the shelves, they might see it arriving in their local restaurant,
08:06and they mightn't know as a result of where it's coming from.
08:11Before it can be enacted, the Mercosur trade deal must still be ratified by the European Parliament.
08:16Today we've sent a very clear voice to the government. We'll take no more!
08:22There are no official figures available, but organisers claim 30,000 people attended the rally over the day.
08:31Farmers like Michael are hoping that continued public pressure will galvanise a majority of MEPs
08:37to go against the deal when the vote takes place in April or May this year.
08:43From my point of view, it could be the start of it. If we have to go to Dublin, we will have double or
08:50triple. I'd be hoping maybe quadruple what has been here in that lawn today. I would be expecting
08:55somewhere in 100,000.
08:56To descend on the streets of Dublin?
08:58Correct, if needs be.
09:00That's it for part one. Coming up after the break, Stephen is being put through his paces in Donegal.
09:11I'm bloody sweating. I am, but I was a bummer of me.
09:15And life on the burn for Wagyu cattle.
09:18Farming is a physical and active profession, but that doesn't mean it's a healthy lifestyle.
09:32I've come here to the Fana Peninsula in County Donegal to meet a group of farmers who've banded
09:37together to keep fit and connected with one another.
09:41Sam Dill is a very busy full-time farmer.
09:45At the moment, he has about 240 beef cattle here, and also keeps over a thousand sheep.
09:52Sam is married with four children, but farms alone, meaning some very long and isolated days.
09:59Most evenings, it could be seven, eight, and nine o'clock before we finished.
10:03And some evenings would be running until 10 o'clock, and you'd see nobody until you go back to the house.
10:10So throughout your farming day, you really wouldn't interact with that many people?
10:15Nobody really, like, unless you go to local co-op.
10:18It can be fairly stressful. Like, when things go wrong, they go fairly wrong.
10:25Towards the end of 2023, Sam became aware of a small tremor in his right hand.
10:30Last year, at the age of 49, he was diagnosed with the progressive neurological disorder, Parkinson's disease.
10:39I probably put it in the back of my mind more, and tried not thinking about it.
10:45And I suppose life has went on as normal, apart from a small tremor.
10:49But the medication is keeping that under control.
10:52Like, it's not affecting my day-to-day work.
10:53Is there any impact?
10:55I've slowed down a bit.
10:56Other than that, it's not too bad yet.
10:59I suppose it might progress during the year.
11:01Given time, it probably will.
11:02Having been told that exercise would be helpful,
11:06Sam decided to join a local physical fitness programme called Men on the Move,
11:12based in the community hub in nearby Rasnaquil.
11:15Did you decide to join off your own accord, or was there a bit of gentle persuasion?
11:21There was a good bit of gentle persuasion, because it's not someone really that I would usually do.
11:27Like, exercise has been a no-no, really.
11:30Being a farmer, you'd be more or less thinking the exercise that you're doing every day would be enough.
11:36But it's not really exercise.
11:39That gentle persuasion to join up came from Sam's wife, Kathy.
11:45And does he like it?
11:45He loves it. He does.
11:47Surprisingly, I didn't think he would stick at it,
11:49because it's so out of his comfort zone.
11:51Like, you know, he'd buy runners, you know, put on the shorts, you know, get all that sort of stuff.
11:56It's definitely up to the spirits, and just the sense of achievement.
12:00Having something other than the farm.
12:03Looking forward to meeting people.
12:05Having a gossip.
12:06Farmers love a gossip.
12:07And it's different to go into the mart, because the mart you're still working.
12:10But this was something that he was doing in his leisure, doing for him,
12:14not for the farm or not for anybody else.
12:16There was more of a hop and a skip to his step, you know, than before.
12:21Parkinson's disease is caused by a loss of dopamine producing cells in the brain.
12:26Studies suggest that including high intensity exercise, which can increase dopamine levels,
12:32may help to slow down the progression of the disease as part of an early treatment plan.
12:37Is it helping with your Parkinson's?
12:40It would help with my Parkinson's.
12:42Like, I suppose the exercise produces dopamine with my brain, apparently it's not producing enough of.
12:47And like, exercise alone helps everything.
12:50I feel fitter, and it probably gives me that extra buzz, and I look forward to it twice a week.
12:58Sam is one of around 50 farmers in this area of Donegal who have joined the Men on the Move group.
13:05Around three kilometres away in Ladin, Sean Meaton is another.
13:09He farms part-time alongside his father, while also working remotely for an IT company.
13:16He joined the group on his doctor's advice, but the social aspect has helped keep him involved.
13:22I suppose a lot of people are just sitting in, and it's a long night sitting in on your own.
13:27There could be a lot of farmers on their own, and so I suppose it's what you're socialising with.
13:31You get out two nights a week.
13:33It's hard to get motivated to head out on your own during the night.
13:36To go there and come together, a group of men, it just seemed easier to work from that starting point.
13:41That very first class, what were you feeling?
13:44Reprehensive, but you see people your own age there, yeah.
13:47You're feeling this isn't that too bad, this is, I'll cope here.
13:51And I did join in and got on as good as the rest.
13:58Men on the Move is a national initiative overseen by Sport Ireland, with support from the HSE.
14:05The classes, which are initially free to join, are based around 12-week programmes.
14:11The group in Rasna Kill is funded by Donegal Sports Partnership,
14:15and run by farmer and occupational therapist Seamus Carr.
14:18Primarily it's involved in the programme to get a wee lifestyle change, get the exercise,
14:23you know, and get in and get moving, get in and get talking, get in amongst each other.
14:27The aim of the programme is to improve functional fitness through light strength, aerobic,
14:33flexibility and mobility exercises. The men also receive advice on diet and nutrition,
14:40and tips for managing stress.
14:43This sounds like an awful lot more than just a fitness class.
14:46Absolutely, aye, absolutely. And in terms of that, like, we start every session with, um,
14:52pre-check. One of the local nurses comes over, she does, uh, blood pressure checks,
14:56she does weight checks, she does a lot of that education piece around that in terms of that.
15:00And then at the end of the 12 weeks, then we do that, repeat them tests, see where it is.
15:04Off he's go, he doesn't know what to do at this stage. Off he's go, off he's go, off he's go.
15:07Around 40 men, including Sam and Sean, have come out tonight to be put through their paces.
15:13Just bring it past your knee.
15:15Things got off to a gentle start, but I wasn't ready for the circuit training.
15:20Three, two, one. Off he's go.
15:29Well done, men. Keep her left, men. Keep her left. Keep her left. Keep her left.
15:36Most of the men here might be a bit older than me, but they were putting me to shame.
15:40Come on, Steve. Well done. Come on, Pat. Keep her left, mate.
15:43And having fun in the process.
15:46Three, two, one. Well done.
15:49Bloody hell. That's take on. That is take on.
15:56And after all that exercise, there's also a short road run, or in my case, a walk.
16:04This is week nine of a 12-week programme.
16:08It's easy enough to be motivated in January, but I somehow get the feeling that both Sam and Sean
16:14are determined enough to sign up for another term.
16:16Sam, how are you feeling after that?
16:18Pretty good.
16:20I'm pretty tired this evening, but then when I come down here,
16:22kind of gives you a buzz again. Good stress reliever as well. Definitely.
16:27So what happens after the 12-week programme?
16:30I think at the end of it, they're planning the 5k on a Saturday, and probably a celebration of some kind
16:35afterwards, and that's the plan anyway. A bit of momentum there, so hopefully it'll keep coming.
16:39Very good. Very good.
16:46Seven years ago, during a trip to Australia, a farmer from here in the Burren saw something
16:52and thought, I'm going to give that a go in Ireland. And so that is exactly what he did.
16:59Frank McCormack is that farmer. And one morning last December, he brought me to see his latest arrival.
17:06Oh, my lord. Look at that. Tiny. When was it calved?
17:12Monday evening.
17:14The calf was born overnight in this field.
17:18They look quite like Aberdeen Angus, but these are what you call wagyu, are they?
17:22They're wagyu.
17:23So do you get involved in calving at all in the season?
17:27No, we leave them alone. Leave them off?
17:30They do it out.
17:31Frank isn't the first farmer to raise Japanese wagyu cattle in Ireland,
17:36but he is the first to rear them outside almost all year round.
17:41And Frank, this little thing here, when will it become beef?
17:46In three years' time, if it's a bull calf, it'll be on someone's plate.
17:52And you haven't checked the sex yet?
17:53No.
17:53But if it's female, then what happens?
17:55It'll become one of our breeding stock because we're trying to build up and build up and build up.
18:02This calf turned out to be a male, and he's now part of Frank's 200-strong wagyu herd.
18:10Frank grew up in Kildare and actually began his working life as a bricklayer before training as a stonemason.
18:16In 1991, he set up a company, which he still runs, dealing in heritage conservation and stone sculpture.
18:26It was back when Frank was just 21 years old and on holidays with friends that he first saw the Burren and fell in love.
18:34When we were coming across from Gart, I just said to the lads,
18:39my God, look at that. It's amazing.
18:43So the same weekend, I met my wife, a Limerick woman, and three years later, we had bought farm hair.
18:52I wanted to be a farmer. All my friends in Kildare were farmer's sons,
18:57and I'd like to have been a farmer, and that was it.
18:59For many years, Frank reared hardy breeds common in this part of Ireland, like Aberdeen Angus and Hereford.
19:08But in 2018, on his trip to Australia, he saw his first wagyu cow and was inspired.
19:15I really wanted to try something different and to see how it would work here in Clare to see could we do it.
19:24Wagyu animals are known for being quite high-end,
19:28and yet here we are in the Burren. You throw them up on the side of the mountain and you leave them there.
19:33Yes.
19:33How do they fare?
19:34Very well. We've been doing it now for about four years.
19:39We have calves being born out on the snow, and they're perfect.
19:44They've adapted to it great. They're very hardy.
19:49Wagyu beef is one of the most expensive meats in the world, prized for its exceptional marbling and tenderness.
19:55But it's only now that Frank is getting close to finding out if there is money to be made
20:01from rearing wagyu cattle here. His son Francis runs the operation.
20:07Have you put all your eggs in one basket here? I mean, you're looking at scale here.
20:11This isn't some sort of small artisan project on the side, is it?
20:14Well, between myself and my father, we've put all of our eggs into the basket, you could say.
20:20But you can either go along and keep paddling away in the shallow end of the pool,
20:25or else you can go deep in and start swimming with the sharks.
20:28And that's where, as you would say, the big money is. That's where the business is.
20:32I genuinely believe that the wagyu cattle are a big part of my future. I believe there's a whole business
20:41here to be passed down even. While the pregnant wagyu cows are out roaming the uplands,
20:48Frank's five bulls are taking a well-earned rest, safely penned in for the winter months.
20:54The first of these bulls' offerings are now almost ready to go to a local abattoir.
20:59Because of a lack of animal housing, 80 cattle have been brought here to the farm of Tom Howard
21:06in nearby Corrifin, where they will be finished on locally produced feed of oats and beans.
21:13What was it that Frank said that convinced you to get involved?
21:17Well, I suppose my background was that we have a beef commercial business finishing maybe 120
21:22bullocks a year, and the margin's very poor and it keeps varying. So I was looking for something
21:28different. I spoke to Frank, he actually gave me some burgers and some steaks. That's what you did.
21:34Yeah, because when I saw the cattle, I didn't like them. They don't look very presentable compared
21:39to a limousine or a charlay. Exactly. So I tasted the meat, it was very nice. I said, you know,
21:43there's something in this. I was very excited about it. Wagyu breeding stock is expensive to buy,
21:49and Frank gives his animals longer to mature than his conventional, up to three and a half years.
21:56He and Tom are hoping that this selling point and the reputation of Wagyu beef will result in him
22:02getting over 20 euro per kilo. That's more than double what conventional farmers get.
22:07So you have your limousines and the profit you can get off the Wagyu, is it just bigger for you?
22:12We haven't worked out the finer details of that yet because this is a learn as we go along phase at
22:18the moment. We all have to make some money out of it. It'll be very easy for me to make more than
22:23what I'm making at the moment. So if it goes to plan that he can find the customers, which I'm sure
22:30and comfortable that they will, we'll all be very happy. Ultimately, Frank believes that bringing Wagyu
22:37cattle to the boron could allow future generations of his family to continue to live and farm here.
22:45If our grandchildren are going to be here in the boron, I think they can have less cattle than I ever
22:52had here, but get more for them. And that's what it's about. Better for the environment,
22:58better for our carbon footprint. It's working along with nature, is what it is. And I believe it will be
23:06sustainable. That's it for this week. Coming up on Ear to the Ground next week, Ella will be seeing how
23:16technology is changing the practice of sending yo's to the ram. So this is like having another farmer on
23:22the farm. Yeah, a smarter farmer. Stephen will be getting a little teary-eyed in Cork. I have to say,
23:29it's after, it's hitting me. So it is. It'll only get worse, don't worry. And I'll be meeting one
23:34Kerry farmer devastated by the theft of a large number of his sheep. So when I started Yadrim,
23:40I knew those big problems until then I found the reality of what was after happening. Don't forget,
23:44this programme will be repeated on Sunday at lunchtime after the farming weather. You can contact us on
23:50Facebook and follow us on X. And you can hear more farming stories on Countrywide this Saturday morning
23:57on RTE Radio 1.
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