COMPASSION in World Farming, the animal welfare lobby group, expressed "total opposition" last night to the calf slaughter proposals in the EU's BSE compensation package.
The £400 million deal for Europe's beef farmers contains a provision for taking two million calves out of the beef system some as young as 10 days old.
Last night Ms Mary Ann Bartlett, the organiser of CIWF in Ireland, said that if Irish farmers began slaughtering calves it would mount a "conspicuous campaign" against such a cull.
"I believe that there will be a lot of opposition to any such killings from within the farming community as well because a lot of them will not like the idea of treating calves as a waste product," she said.
Should the scheme become official here, she said, it would create "horrendous" welfare problems because some farmers would feel it unnecessary to provide veterinary attention for animals which would soon be slaughtered.
A Department of Agriculture spokesman said in Luxembourg last night it was too early to say if Ireland would take up the calf slaughter option.
He said that under the new deal farmers would have the option of an "early marketing" subsidy for calves of 90kg and this might prove more attractive to them.
The Department is pleased with the outcome of the Luxembourg deal, which it says will put nearly £50 million into the pockets of the 100,000 Irish beef farmers who have been badly hit by the BSE crisis.
Of special interest will be the £16 million which will be paid to farmers at a rate of £30 per animal where the number of animals on their farms is less than one per hectare.
Some concern was being expressed at the limits being placed on the number of suckler cows, i.e. cows whose calves are reared for beef purposes rather than for milk production.
The beef farmers have already received special payments of £70 million from the EU within the past few months, and this additional £50 million will take some of the sting out of the drop in prices experienced since March this year.