This week Phelim O’Neill reports on how the fishing sector has successfully positioned itself to access funding under the EU €1bn Brexit Adjust Reserve (BAR) fund. Central to this was the sector coming forward with a five-year fully costed plan – one that extended far beyond just the direct catching and processing of fish.

We continue to see no plan for what is widely accepted as the most exposed cohort of society – beef and suckler farmers. Some argue that the current strong beef market is an impediment to accessing the time-limited fund and that EU conditions are highly prohibitive.

However, recently we saw the Department of Agriculture – under the BAR – grant €1.7m for the repair work on the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire – a popular place for walkers and runners. Clearly if beef farmers don’t get their act together and quickly come forward with a structured plan, others are going to run away with this fund. Perhaps it is these serious policy matters that should be dominating debates at IFA meetings and not political sideshows.