The information meeting, organised by Fine Gael TD for Longford-Westmeath Peter Burke, covered an array of subjects including Brexit, CAP, labour shortages, rural crime, farm security, farm safety and mental health.

Intense question and answer session

It was, however, the question and answer session after the speeches that proved the most intense as farmers expressed concerns to Minister Creed over issues in the agricultural sector.

Paddy Donnelly, former vice chair of the IFA livestock committee and host of the event, put it to the Minister that a payment from “a new source” would be needed to support suckler farmers, similar to that of the calls made for the €200/suckler cow scheme made by the IFA.

“[The number of] those getting out of suckler farming here in Westmeath is increasing because of the cost. I think there will have to be money got from a new source to support the suckler cow,” he said.

Creed responded by saying there is no such plan to include a coupled suckler payment in the Budget 2018 as to do so would not be feasible.

The issue of farm debts was also put to Minister Creed by a farmer in attendance.

The Minister was also challenged over farm safety, with Creed acknowledging that it is one of the greatest problems in agriculture at the moment.

Speakers

Speakers on the day included IFA president Joe Healy, John Connolly, Westmeath Crime Prevention Office, Peter Gohery on farm safety and George Graham from IFA.

Local Teagasc adviser David Webster and Barry Hyland from AIB also addressed the gathering on the issue of farm finance.

Reaction

Reaction from the event was largely positive, with the vast array of subjects touched on complimented by the crowd of around 100.

Creed also complimented the meeting, commenting that it was good to get reaction from the ground as frequently as possible.

“It is important to hear view from the ground and what is going on inside farm gates,” he said.

“We have covered a range of issues from farm safety to farm security, to markets, agri politics. It was very positive engagement in a very pleasant setting,” Creed told the Irish Farmers Journal.

Fine Gael TD for Longford-Westmeath Peter Burke, who organised the event, told the Irish Farmers Journal the local farming community is looking for more Government supports as they face uncertainty over Brexit.

“It is a time of uncertainty for farming, and while the weather has been good this year, there is still a lot of uncertainty around Brexit, around the stabilisation of farm incomes and in relation to European schemes and regulations,” he said.

The meeting followed a day-long tour of farms by Minister Creed around the Westmeath area.

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