TAMS costings

IFA rural development chair Joe Brady has called on Minister Creed to increase reference costings for work under TAMS.

He said account must be taken of all the data available that clearly show building costs have increased over the past 12 months; it is not acceptable farmers would receive a grant based on outdated costings.

Security of payment

Security of payment when selling livestock is absolutely critical and farmers should avoid exposure to payment risk, livestock chair Angus Woods has said. He advised that by selling at the local mart, farmers can ensure security of payment as well as open market competition and in all sales, farmers should insist on payment on the day.

Leadership training

IFA Farm Business Skillnet is running a programme to ensure that commodity committees are equipped to provide the best possible representation for their fellow farmers on important agriculture issues. James Murphy, Farm Business Skillnet chair, said the focus is on improving lobbying and communication skills to ensure committees can represent their sector effectively.