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Amy McShane on 17 Feb 2016

General election on 26 February: key points for agriculture

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has finally announced the general election date as Friday 26 February, so we take a look at what the political parties are promising for agriculture and rural Ireland.

Amy McShane

17 February 2016

General election on 26 February: key points for agriculture

The general election will take place on Friday 26 February

Renua IrelandIt’s first time round for new party Renua Ireland in this general election, having only launched in March 2015. Lucinda Creighton’s party is keen to get a head start, launching their manifestoin the first week of the new year. Renua proposes a flat tax of 23%, claiming they are “the only party fully committed to prioritising farmers, entrepreneurs and the self-employed” .

Renua Ireland

It’s first time round for new party Renua Ireland in this general election, having only launched in March 2015. Lucinda Creighton’s party is keen to get a head start, launching their manifestoin the first week of the new year. Renua proposes a flat tax of 23%, claiming they are “the only party fully committed to prioritising farmers, entrepreneurs and the self-employed” .

Renua’s priorities for agriculture include

The creation of a fund to protect farmers from the consequences of price volatility.

A new bond scheme that will enable farmers to invest in land.

Better opportunities and support for long-term land leasing.

Real support for sheep hill farmers.

The return of a beet industry.

Fianna Fáil

Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesman Éamon Ó Cuív promised a €200/cow suckler payment at his party’s Ard Fheis earlier this month.

Micheál Martin’s party launched its Rural Ireland manifesto this week, promising to combat rural crime by upping Garda force numbers to 15,000. The party, which has been in government 19 times, says they are “fully committed to a balanced recovery” and that “public services in rural areas should be equivalent in quality to those in urban areas”.

Fianna Fáil’s priorities for agriculture include:

Equalising the PAYE tax for farmers and the self-employed who face higher taxation.

Increasing the number of places on the Rural Social Scheme (RSS) to over 5,000.

Reviewing PSRI anomalies and extending social protection supports to the self-employed.

Establishing a national neighbourhood watch directorate.

Fine Gael and Labour

Although both Government parties have yet to launch their full separate manifestos, they have jointly launched a Charter for Rural Ireland, which they claim is a “commitment to supporting rural Ireland’s regeneration”.

The charter’s priorities include:

To fully implement the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020, which will be a key support in enhancing the competitiveness of the agri-food sector.

Address environmental, climate change and biodiversity needs at both national and local level.

Provide support for the continued viability and competitiveness of the agricultural sector.

Address structural issues such as the age and gender profile of the farming sector.

Improving quality of life in rural communities.

Submissions from farming organisations

Apart from political parties, farm organisations have also released their own election submissions.

The Irish Farmers Association

In its manifesto, the IFA describes farming as the “backbone of economic activity” in rural Ireland, adding that the “farming and agri-food sector is Ireland’s largest indigenous productive sector”. Despite this, the manifesto says recent unemployment figures, which are higher in rural areas, “highlight the need for Government to ensure the economic recovery is better balanced across the regions”.

The IFA has called on the next government to:

Resource a well-timed and targeted communications campaign to make dog owners fully aware that they must take responsibility for their dog and prevent unnecessary and avoidable losses to farmers.

Give new business start-ups incentives such as exemptions from rates for an initial time period and relief from capital gains tax to encourage innovation and enterprise in rural communities.

Double tax relief should be provided on rental expenditure for businesses establishing in rural villages and town centres.

Macra na Feirme

The organisation which represents young farmers has outlined some of the key challenges facing young farmers and rural youth. Macra na Feirme says it is vital for young farmers to be involved in decision-making on farms and that the market for agriculture produce for various enterprises often fails to deliver a margin to cover the costs of production. They also described the number of farm deaths and accidents as “unacceptable”.

Macra na Feirme has called on the incoming government to:

Encourage and support collaborative farming and initiatives.

Put greater focus on supporting productive assets such as developing grazing infrastructure.

Ensure access to loans for young farmers on favourable conditions through the European Investment Bank fund.

Encourage and support land mobility initiatives and ensure young farmers in new forms of collaborative arrangements are eligible for EU and national schemes.

Tackle income volatility through taxation measures to provide a more stable income for farmers.

The campaign for the 32nd Dáil will be the shortest in history at just three weeks. Sinn Féin, Fine Gael and Labour have yet to release their full manifestos, but are expected to do so soon.

Full coverage: general election 2016