Re-Stocking of First Farm in Cooley
Issued 11thJuly 2001
The re-stocking of the first farm on the Cooley Peninsula, Co Louth with sheep following the foot and mouth outbreak on March 22nd signifies the re-birth of the entire peninsula, said Oliver Dillon, CAO with Teagasc in Louth.
Mr Dillon was speaking on the farm of Eddie O'Hanlon, Lislea, Omeath who is the first farmer in Cooley to restock with sheep.
''The re-stocking of the O'Hanlon farm marks the beginning of the end of the trauma of foot and mouth and will act as a morale booster to the farm families in Cooley'', he said.
He said advice on re-stocking has formed a major part of the Teagasc regeneration programme for Cooley which was launched immediately following the removal of all sheep from farms on the peninsula. It involves four specialist advisers working full time with farmers in Cooley.
''While it is heartening to see normality returning to the first farm in Cooley, our advice to farmers is not to rush into putting sheep back on their farms. The emphasis should be on finding the right sources and to go for quality rather than quantity'', he said.
Oliver Dillon, said that while the majority of farmers in Cooley are opting to go back into sheep, the development of new skills which expand opportunities for off-farm employment is a very important issue particularly for people in the younger age group.
''A number of farmers are also seriously looking at the farm retirement scheme and there is also significant interest in forestry which up to now has generated little interest in Cooley'', he said.
