New appointment to LMC board

Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill has announced that Patrick McElroy has been appointed to the board of the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC). He is currently company secretary for Bourlion Limited and, from 1997 to 2007, was company accountant at Foyle Omagh.

The post attracts a remuneration of £6,485 per annum plus £313 per day for work associated with chairing the Audit Committee of the LMC.

Additional year of LFACA support

Farmers will be able to claim the 2015 Less Favoured Areas Compensatory Allowance (LFACA) when they complete their Single Application Form this year after Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill announced plans to fund a further year of the scheme.

The LFACA is part of the Rural Development Programme for 2007 to 2013, which ends in 2014.

However, DARD is using Transitional Regulations to provide a further year of the scheme.

“Using the Transitional Regulation will provide some stability for farmers as we make the transition to the new support arrangements under CAP reform,” said the Minister.

There is a lot of uncertainty around the replacement for LFACA – Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC), both in terms of how much money will be available and the pot of money used to fund the scheme. There is also growing anger among those farmers on marginal land who look like they might be excluded from ANC designation.