Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, Eddie Davitt, former county chair of Sligo, said there was a heated discussion about a broad range of issues at Monday’s meeting. The meeting was chaired by Connacht regional chair Pádraic Joyce and attended by IFA president Joe Healy and the recently appointed director general Damian McDonald. For many in Connacht IFA, it was their first time meeting the new director general.
“About 50 people were at the meeting,” Davitt said. “All the county chairs and their representatives. We discussed a range of issues from the potential closure of the regional veterinary lab in Doonally to the review of the Areas of Natural Constraints scheme (ANC).”
A review of land eligibility for the ANC (formerly the Disadvantaged Area Scheme) is currently under way and the Department of Agriculture needs to send the revised maps to Brussels before the end of June.
Ultimately, science will decide what land is included but we would like to see some flexibility on this
Davitt said many people at the meeting expressed a view that they would like to see the maps before they are sent to Brussels. “We would like to see them before they are finalised so we can have some input into what should and shouldn’t be included,” he said. “Ultimately, science will decide what land is included,” he said, “but we would like to see some flexibility on this.”
However, last week IFA rural development chair Joe Brady said he was not in any hurry to see the maps of the new disadvantaged areas, as the longer they are not published the better the chance of getting more areas in. “So get everyone in first and then let’s see the maps,” he said.
RVLs
Davitt also said the potential closure of the regional veterinary lab in Doonally is causing great consternation in the west as it is the only regional lab for miles. The future of the lab is currently under review because of a cost-benefit analysis being carried out by the Department of Agriculture.
The IFA has met with the Department on two occasions but nothing conclusive has come out of the meetings so far. “This lab needs to remain open,” said Davitt.
Pádraic Joyce told the Irish Farmers Journal that the IFA acknowledges that money needs to be spent on the lab. “We acknowledge that the Sligo lab needs funding but there is a need for this lab and we need to protect our disease-free status.”
BDGP
The meeting, which lasted about two and a half hours, also discussed the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP). The six-year scheme, which first opened for applications in 2015, is due to be reopened some time this year.
Sligo IFA county chair JP Cowley told the Irish Farmers Journal that the scheme needs to see some changes before it is reopened or it is unlikely that farmers who aren’t already in the scheme will join.
For many farmers, it felt like they were going backwards
“There were a few problems with the original scheme,” he said. “Firstly, the six-year length of the scheme put many farmers off. Secondly, the star rating system meant farmers had to sell off good cattle suitable for live exports to get in four- or five-star replacement heifers. For many farmers, it felt like they were going backwards,” he said. “It would be good to see some changes but it is unlikely this will happen before the scheme reopens.”
Overall, Cowley said it was a good open meeting and it was great to have the new director general and president attend. Pádraic Joyce added that the president dealt well with all the questions that were put to him, but Davitt said that there are still some questions that remain unanswered and he hopes to get answers to these questions at the upcoming Connacht county AGMs.