The Big Dealer: Ming robbing Peter to pay Paul

The Dealer noted that MEP Luke Ming Flanagan had no qualms about pitting farmer against farmer as he boasted about the full BPS flattening amendment he successfully supported in the European Parliament’s agriculture committee.

The equalising of direct payments would mean that “€150m-plus extra will come into our constituency for the farming community and will actually leave the Ireland south constituency and the Dublin constituency. In that sense, I delivered far more than I thought I would,” Ming told RTÉ’s This Week programme.

“Delivered” is a big word here: full flattening would only come into force after a successful vote taken by the entire new parliament to be elected this month.

Although the Beef Plan Movement might be considered the new kid on the block, it had the support of heavyweights such as the Charolais Society, the Limousin Society and Elphin Mart, as well as the Irish Grain Growers, during its protest outside the Beef Summit.

Some 400 farmers marched up to the Shearwater Hotel in Ballinasloe last Thursday, with a number carrying a coffin into the conference room to symbolise the death of rural Ireland.

Minister Creed and other speakers took a deal of vocal criticism from the crowd when they took the stage. But The Dealer couldn’t help but notice a few other familiar faces in the crowd, including factory reps, who wore branding-free clothing and were keeping a low profile.

I see Brazil’s new agriculture minister Tereza Cristina and her environment counterpart toured soya bean farms in an indigenous people’s reservation a few weeks ago. They were celebrating their appointment by controversial right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro – and the rolling of modern combines on to tribal land in the Amazonian heartland.

The message was clear: legislation must change to allow more agricultural development in such areas.

There was just a little problem, as confirmed by an amendment to the press release initially published on Minister Cristina’s website: the farm was illegal, and remained embroiled in negotiations with the authorities at the time of her visit to try to escape fines over excessive land clearance.

Surely not an argument in favour of a trade agreement with Mercosur, of which Brazil is the leading agricultural producer?

With polling date little over a week away, here’s a quick round-up of first-time candidates with farmer links.

There are too many sitting farmer councillors to mention, athough here’s a nod to Michael Anglim (FF Cahir, Tipperary) who raised funds for a playground on a former Dairygold site through a calf-raising scheme.

IHNFA stalwart Gerry Loftus is running as an independent in Castlebar, Mayo, with part-time suckler farmer Geraldine Donoghue (Gort-Kinvara, Galway) Olivia Buckley, who formerly worked for the IFA, is running for Fianna Fail in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, as are former IFA officers Pat Gilhooley (Ballinamore, Leitrim) and Edel Gahan (Kilmuckridge, Wexford). Dairy farmer John Dolan stands for Fine Gael in Athlone, Westmeath. Former Cork marts chair PJ English is running for FF in Cahir, Tipperary). Good luck to all.

Anna May McHugh has decided there will be no interruption by Mother Nature at this year’s Ploughing.

Exhibitors will have to certify that tents and marquees can withstand strong winds, to the satisfaction of insurer FBD.

Certification would already be available for bigger stands put up for clients such as the Department of Agriculture and Teagasc. Smaller stands will have to be inspected after construction, probably by FBD or one of its technical experts.

Last year’s abandonment of the Wednesday show thankfully ensured there were no injuries but was disruptive and costly to exhibitors and the NPA alike.

Protesters from Compassion in World Farming made an appearance at last week’s Beef Summit. The unexpected interlude happened during Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy’s speech. A small number of them got up and started shouting, with one of them saying “let’s talk about the real victims here”. They carried signs saying “We are all animals” as well as other slogans. They were swiftly removed by security.

Hordes of tourists will be reassured to hear a ram accused of attacking a woman on Sunday at Downpatrick Head, Co Mayo, has been removed from the popular coastal walk. The woman told gardaí the ram knocked her over several times and stamped on her over five to 10 minutes, landing her at the doctor’s. “The alleged offending ram has been taken off the area,” said local gardaí.

Officers suspect a visitor may have left a gate open despite the ample signage in the area.

While most NI dairy farmers are in the Red Tractor scheme (the UK equivalent of Bord Bia QA), many suppliers to Lakeland have kept their heads down and managed to avoid those additional inspections. However, I hear a letter will soon be arriving, on headed Lakeland paper, informing suppliers they must join the scheme. The end of the year is a possible deadline, and those not in Red Tractor (or well through the process) could face price penalties in 2020.