TAMS addition

IFA rural development chair Joe Brady has welcomed the decision by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to make all agricultural sectors eligible for TAMS grants for meal bins. This will mean that all sectors will be eligible for a 40% grant and young farmers at a grant rate of 60%. Farmers who apply in the current tranche which finishes on 5 April will be eligible and in every tranche thereafter up to December 2020. Brady said other items need to be added to TAMS such as underpasses and solar panels. Also, the Minister needs to make further adjustments to the TAMS as the funding available under the scheme of €395m in the RDP up to 2020 is unlikely to be spent.

Farm-to-farm movements

The IFA has outlined farmer objections and concerns over unnecessary restrictions on the farm-to-farm movements put forward by the Department of Agriculture. IFA animal health chair Pat Farrell said while most calves sold are over 10 days of age, the Department must facilitate the movement of young calves to farms where a replacement calf is needed for a suckler cow. In relation to the shortening of the validity period of farm-to-farm compliance certificate and the requirement to identify the destination herd, this will affect the market, especially for farmers who are reliant on the paper-based system. IFA says applying both changes is unnecessary.

Lancet report

Responding to the recently published report by The Lancet, IFA president Joe Healy said the report fails to take any account of how carbon efficient food is produced in different regions of the world, or the very high standards that Irish farmers adhere to.

He said: “We have very efficient food production systems in Ireland from a climate perspective.

“We are the most carbon efficient dairy producer in Europe and amongst the top five in beef. It’s important that this sustainable production is not restricted, as it would lead to increased international climate emissions.”

Indemnification of landowners

IFA hill committee chair Flor McCarthy has welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Rural Affairs Michael Ring that he will bring in legislation that will indemnify landowners in the event of hillwalkers having an accident and making a claim. Flor McCarthy said this issue has always been of great concern to landowners, particularly the cost involved in defending any case that could arise: “The minister has pledged to have this in place in 2019 and we would be hopeful that his bill gets cross-party support.”