Farming
Hill farmers seek ‘fair deal’
CLOSE on 1,000 hill farmers across the Western Seaboard protested outside the offices of Ministers Simon Coveney and Jimmy Deenihan last Thursday in Dublin over losses they are facing in the gap year of 2014 before the new CAP comes into play in 2015.
The farmers are seeking a roll-over of the Duchas compensation scheme through 2014 and also want the dropping of the ‘collective agreement’ clause for commonage farmers to qualify for the new GLAS environmental scheme.
Farm leaders met with both Agriculture Minister, Simon Coveney and Arts, Heritage and Gaeltacht Minister, Jimmy Deenihan, in Dublin last week after refusing to leave the offices until they got a commitment for the meeting.
Connacht IFA Region Chairman, Brendan Joyce told the Farming Tribune, that they were seeking the roll-over of the Dúchas scheme to compensate farmers for the environmental measures that they were carrying through in 2014.
“One of the basic principles of getting farmers to put in place various environmental measures was that they would be compensated. Farmers just cannot be left in the lurch through this year without any payments,” said Brendan Joyce.
He said that the collective agreement clause for commonage farmers to get into the new GLAS scheme was completely unworkable and needed to be withdrawn immediately.
“This was never in the REPS or AEOS scheme and it is not a requirement of the EU. This is something clearly within the remit of the Ministe to change and we want him to do so immediately,” said Brendan Joyce.
He said that they were also seeking a restoration of the €150 per hectare payment rate for the GLAS scheme from its current level of €75 per hectare.
“We have a further meeting with the Minister on July 1 but it is critical that these changes are now made before we submit our final plan to the EU Commission on July 26.
“These changes require a relatively small amount of money to implement but they will have major implications for hill farmers, and other farmers in restricted areas, over the coming five to six years,” said Brendan Joyce.
Connacht IFA Chairman, Tom Turley said that farmers in areas like the Shannon Callows, the Slieve Aughties and other sensitive regions were also seriously affected by environmental restrictions.
“The whole principle agreed a number of years back was that where farmers were caught up by environmental restrictions they would receive adequate annual compensation.
“This is a very basic principle of the whole EU strategy in environmentally sensitive areas and must be followed through on by the Irish Government,” said Tom Turley.
PROPOSALS put forward by the Dept. of Agriculture to push back payment dates for a range of agricultural support schemes have been greeted ‘with dismay’ by the IFA and a Galway TD.
East Galway Independent TD, Sean Canney, said it was ‘unbelievable’ at a time of such increased costs for farmers that the Dept. were proposing to ‘push back’ payment dates.
The proposals came to light at last week’s meeting of the Farmers’ Charter when farm representatives were told by the Dept. that the new CAP would require a revision of the charter.
“From my understanding of what was outlined at the Farmers’ Charter, the payment dates for some of the schemes could be put back by up to a month,” said Deputy Canney.
He added that one of the proposals related to delaying the ANC (Areas of Natural Constraint) by four weeks to mid-October was ‘an insult to farmers’ who depended heavily on this money being paid in September.
“Another proposal is to delay the BISS (Basic Income Support for Sustainability) payment by one week which will also lead to unnecessary hardship for farmers.
“Every week’s delay is adding pressure on the farming sector and the Department need to get their act together and stop playing games with farmers’ money. I ask the Minister to intercede and stop this nonsense,” said Deputy Canney.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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FARMERS have been strongly advised this week to diligently check out all safety, insurance and liability issues before embarking on construction projects on their yards and farms.
The issue has been brought into focus over recent weeks with two men appearing in court in Co. Clare following a fatal farm accident in January, 2021.
The two men – of them the contractor and the other a farmer – have been charged with breaches of the Health and Safety Act, following the death of a young man at Kilkee.
He died while a new slatted tank was being excavated. During this work, ‘a pre-existing wall’, fell on top of him – the victim had only been married 12-months previously.
Both the farmer and contractor face charges in relation to the unsafe excavation of the site with allegedly no adequate measures in place to prevent the collapse of the sides of the site being excavated.
Galway IFA Rural Development Chair, Peter Gohery, said that it was a terribly sad case where a young person had lost his life – he advised farmers to prioritise issues such as safety and insurance cover when embarking on any construction project.
“With any construction project on farms, the farmer is regarded as the client in terms of the HSA (Health and Safety Authority) and the farmer is legally obliged to employ competent designers and contractors to carry out the work,” said Peter Gohery.
He also pointed that it was specifically stated in the HSA guidelines that ‘clients’ needed to appoint – in writing – a Project Supervisor for the Design Process (PSDP) as required.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
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The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
THE role of marts as a social hub for many farmers – and especially for those in the older age categories – is currently being examined in a project organised by the University of Galway (UG).
The Rural Studies Centre of UG has teamed up with Mountbellew Mart to launch a pilot initiative which will run through this month and April.
Entitled Farmers’ Yards, the sales’ days at Mountbellew Mart for the next six weeks or so will provide farmers with the opportunity to meet and talk in a ‘familiar and friendly’ mart setting.
The project is funded by UG’s Illuminate Programme with the support of St. Jarlath’s Credit Union and aims to highlight the ‘social facility’ that a local mart provides for the farming community.
According to the study organisers the mart setting and canteen ‘provides a vital social outlet for the local farming community and particularly for those who have few other social outlets and who may live alone.
Project Leader, Dr. Shane Conway of University of Galway, said that many farmers relied on their weekly visit to the mart to meet up with friends, exchange ideas and to catch up on local news.
He added that Mountbellew Mart’s existing position and reputation as a focal point of activity within the heart of the rural community made it an ideal location for the project.
“The well-established Men’s Sheds movement showcases the benefits of such a peer group at local level.
For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.
Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App
Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.
Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite HERE.
Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.
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