Farming organisations differ on how €11m from EU can be spent

Ireland is set to receive €11.1m under the €350m EU aid package and how that money will be spent featured heavily during the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee meeting with farm organisations on Tuesday.

The IFA, ICMSA, ICSA and Macra Na Feirme all met with the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee to outlines their pre-budget submissions.

While all the organisations were united in their call for the Irish government to follow Germany and match the EU funding, they put forward different understandings of how the money can be spent.

IFA dairy committee chair Sean O'Leary said, "Unfortunately there are a number of obstacles preventing the €11.1m aid package being paid only to dairy farmers. The Department is not allowed to do that as this aid is open to all livestock farmers.

"The other issue is that it's a conditional scheme and must fit criteria. In assessing this and using it to the best effect, rather than a piecemeal amount of money, the Department indicated a willingness to make cash flow loans available and we have endorsed that."

He added that the decision must be made by mid-November in how the aid will be used.

No legal regulation

However, ICMSA general secretary John Enright said it was possible for the aid to go only to dairy farmers: "It is our view that the EU aid package can go directly to dairy farmers.

“The Department said it was possible under the regulation that it can go purely to dairy farmers and the EU Agriculture Commission has said it is entirely up to the member state so there is no barrier or legal regulation to stop that from happening.”

ICSMA president John Comer added that the organisation was fully in support of the milk supply reduction scheme, insisting that it must be voluntary.

Macra president Sean Finan said the money should be used to strategically to develop the industry.

"We would call for a grassland improvement scheme or that the cost of reseeding would be covered or part covered as part of that. The aid should be used strategically as ultimately it’s about equipping farmers to drive profitability inside the farm gate."

Meanwhile, ICSA general secretary Eddie Punch said, "It is incomprehensible that there would be a package put in place for cash for dairy farmers and dairy farmers only.

"Beef, sheep and cereal are not the most profitable and yet there have been two rescue packages for dairy incomes while other farmers are still at the bottom of the heap. Next year the dairy market will recover and dairy farmers will go back to making three times per hectare over other farmers."

Green diesel

ICSA rural development chair Seamus Sherlock said the potential impact the increases in green diesel could have is huge.

"It's shocking how many people are living hand to mouth and the talk around green diesel is making people think about walking away. Family farms are the institution that built this country and the talk around upping the price of green diesel sent shockwaves around the country.

"I have farmers, who I've never even met, ringing me at midnight they are under that much pressure. The blame game is over, let's work together to solve it."

Grain crisis

On the topic of the grain crisis, IFA grain chair Liam Dunne said this year "farmers would have been better off staying in bed as almost every tonne will be paid below the cost of production."

“The biggest problem in the EU is that there are no tariffs or restrictions on quality.

“We recently went to visit boats in ports and we found evidence of seeds coming in which are not native to the country and that could have a devastating effect on our own farming.

“We shouldn't as a country be prepared to accept importing grain whenever we want it."

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