Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed was lobbied 43 times by representative bodies in the agricultural sector in the January to April period.

This included a mix of one-to-one meetings, the Beef Forum round table meeting, as well as phone calls, emails and letters.

The organisations that lobbied the Minister most frequently in the period included IFA, ICOS, ICMSA, ICSA, Macra, the Association of Farm and Forestry Contractors and Veterinary Ireland. These groups must declare their lobbying activities to the Standards in Public Office Commission which then publishes them.

Livestock sector

All of the farm bodies used the Beef Forum round table meeting in February to raise key issues relating to the livestock sector directly with Minister Creed. In other one-to-one discussions, IFA lobbied Creed for enhanced suckler supports and, later, speedier payout of GLAS and other schemes.

ICMSA raised the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Brexit and milk and beef prices at a meeting with the Minister.

Weeks later, as the difficult spring wore on, IFA, ICMSA and ICSA all separately met the Minister and lobbied him for aid in the fodder crisis.

Macra sought “financial support” for the Land Mobility Service in a meeting with Minister Creed. It raised the issue of a National Reserve with him at an informal meeting.

IFA representatives spoke face-to-face with the Minister at four formal events or meetings and once in “informal communication”.

ICMSA had face-to-face discussions with Minister Creed on three occasions.

On behalf of dairy co-ops, ICOS lobbied the Minister on Brexit, climate change and the fodder crisis in five face-to-face discussions. Veterinary Ireland wrote to the Minister five times including on the controversial changes made in December to the Veterinary Code of Practice.

Contractors wrote five times to the Minister including seeking TAMS or other grant aid for machinery.

A number of organisations lobbied Minister Creed once in the period. Ulster Bank met the Minister on the fodder crisis, while Glanbia wrote to him on the same issue. Coillte met the Minister for discussions on Brexit.

Minister Andrew Doyle as well as opposition spokespersons on agriculture were also lobbied intensively by the farm organisations on a wide variety of issues during the period.