COMPASSION in World Farming activists are to meet officials from the Department of Agriculture today to plead for calves due to be slaughtered under an EU beef reduction scheme.
Yesterday, 30 members of the organisation and some TDs picketed the Department over the Calf Processing Aid Scheme to remove bull calves from the food chain because of the BSE crisis.
The scheme, called The Herod Scheme by animal welfare groups, has brought strong reaction.
The scheme is mandatory here, but the Department has not yet fully implemented it. However, it has designated nine slaughtering plants to deal with the calves.
Farmers who wish to avail of the scheme will receive £100 per male calf. It is not known what kind of uptake there will be once the scheme begins, probably late next week.
Ms Mary Ann Bartlett, the Irish director of CIWF, said it was horrible that calves were regarded as unwanted trash. She believed it was ethically unacceptable.
She said the group had handed, in a letter of protest to the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Yates.
She hoped farmers would raise the calves rather than slaughter them as there could be a need for cattle in Britain next year.
She urged the Minister to concentrate research on finding a diagnostic test for BSE to prevent needless slaughtering.
Ms Patricia McKenna, the Green MEP who took part in the protest, said the scheme proved the EU had little, if any, regard for animal welfare.