ANCs meeting

IFA is holding a meeting in the Bush Hotel, Carrick-on-Shannon, this week (Friday 2 December) to highlight the importance of ANCs, of improving payments and protecting areas in the upcoming review. The IFA campaign will be to protect the existing areas, restore payment levels to pre-2008 budget cuts and ensure the long-term financing of the scheme. All MEPs for the region have been invited to the meeting. More details at www.ifa.ie.

Cattle prices

IFA livestock chair Angus Woods has urged farmers selling cattle to dig in and insist on a substantial price increase from the factories, which are well fit to pay based on stronger Christmas demand and the improvement in sterling. He said that the numbers of in-spec stock have tightened dramatically and agents are having to pay above quotes, adding that prices need to go a lot further in the lead into Christmas.

Fertiliser prices

Inputs project team chair John Coughlan has said that with European nitrogen manufacturers attempting to push through unjustified price increases at a time when gas prices remain on the floor, the European Commission must move immediately to remove anti-dumping duties and customs tariffs on non-EU fertiliser imports to introduce much-needed competition in the European fertiliser market. Keep up with the IFA’s fertiliser campaign at www.ifa.ie.

Bioenergy support

With support, the bioeconomy offers enormous potential to revitalise the rural economy, IFA alternative land use chair James Murphy has said. He called for clear policy and support structures to drive development of the sector and to incentivise farmers to supply the growing renewable energy sector and ensure that there is sufficient supply to meet the demands of the emerging heat market. For more information, see www.ifa.ie/ renewables.