LOCAL FARMERS’ GROUPS MEET MINISTER

Delegations from both the IFA and ICMSA were at Corrin Event Centre (Corrin Livestock Mart) last Friday to meet Minister for Agriculture, Food & Marine, Deputy Charlie McConalogue.

Minister McConalogue addressed the gathering for over an hour, discussing a variety of issues, most notably, proposed changes to the Common Agricultural Policy (C.A.P.).

While dairying is on the crest of a wave at the moment with exceptionally strong demand for milk, other sectors are not performing as well - a point touched on by Anne Baker, who heads up the IFA in North Cork.

“Beef and suckler farmers in particular are under pressure and we wanted to get across to the Minister, the importance of these sectors to places like North Cork,” the North Cork IFA chairperson said.

CHANGING LANDSCAPE

Maurice Walsh from Kilbehenny, who is chairman of North & East I.C.M.S.A., said it was a great opportunity to make the minister aware of pressure points and concerns.

“It’s a constantly changing picture and we need the minister and his officials getting the best possible deal for Irish farmers. There are numerous challenges out there and effective representation is vital for every I.C.M.S.A. member,” Maurice said.

For his part, Minister McConalogue said he was ‘well aware’ of farmers’ concerns and that his Department were working tirelessly to address such issues. Conceding that these were testing times for several sectors, Minister McConalogue said that Irish farmers were committed to best environmental practices. He said he was proud to stand over a sector that was responsible for producing billions of euro worth of agricultural produce every year.