The Regulation of Lobbying Act 2015, which came into effect in Ireland on 1 September 2015, requires those who lobby public officials to register and report on their political lobbying activities online at Lobbying.ie.

The Irish Farmers Association (IFA), the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA), the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society Ltd (ICOS) and the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) have all submitted their returns in time for this Friday’s deadline for lobbying conducted between September and December 2015, and they are now available online for the public to view.

IFA most prolific

IFA was the country’s most prolific lobbyist, according to the official records, with 117 entries submitted. IFA submitted returns on a wide range of lobbying activities, from their general election 2016 manifesto, to matters concerning the recent flooding, and the various challenges to the beef, dairy and sheep sectors.

ICSA submitted 14 returns on their most recent lobbying activities, which included a change in penalties relating to land eligibility and cross compliance, permanent monitoring of meat factories in relation to grading and pricing, and the need for a regulator at EU level to audit the food chain.

ICMSA had 16 returns, focusing on their concerns around milk and beef prices. The also lobbied on issues relating to TAMS, GLAS and Knowledge Transfer schemes, and improved compensation for farmers impacted by TB to reflect actual income losses suffered.

Six returns were submitted by ICOS for various lobbying activities including the introduction of an income deferral scheme for dairy farmers, enhanced EU support measures, and greater uptake of fixed milk price schemes. Lobbying activities were also carried out to address unfair trading practices in the food supply chain, and legislation to facilitate the introduction of producer organisations in the beef sector.

Macra na Feirme also filed six returns under the new lobbying legislation which included benefits for older young farmers, and the eligibility for GLAS and the scheme’s design to become relevant to young farmers.

Processors, retailers and environmentalists in agri lobbying

Aurivo Co-operative Society Limited had four returns on the regulation of the sale of animal feed products, closure of Russian markets to EU dairy and beef products, managing volatility in milk price and levelling the playing field across beef and dairy markets.

The business and employer association for organisations, Ibec, submitted four returns relating to international market access for Irish meat, while Ornua submitted one for the development of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) to address volatility of dairy commodity markets.

ABP Foods also lobbied the Department of Agriculture for access to the US market for manufacturing beef, while Tesco talked to the Department of Jobs about retail regulations.

BirdWatch was one of the most active nature conservation organisations, contacting politicians and senior civil servants on four occasions in relation to agri-environmental issues.

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