Making CAP 2020 Work for You is the theme of a major IFA-EU Commission citizens’ dialogue event to be held on Friday 20 April in Kilkenny.

Inviting all farmers, agri-business and the general public to attend, IFA president Joe Healy said the IFA has organised this major event with the EU Commission and the keynote speaker will be the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan.

Joe Healy said this is a unique opportunity for farmers to hear at first hand the views of Commissioner Hogan on his recent proposals on the future of the CAP. He said the CAP is critical for Irish farmers and farm incomes, and provides €1.75bn directly into the Irish economy on an annual basis.

Major challenge

The IFA president said the major challenge to the CAP is the budget. The IFA is demanding an increase from 1% to 1.2% of gross national income (GNI) to provide for a strong increase in the CAP budget.

He said this is essential to close the income gap between farmers and other sectors in society and take account of inflation.

In addition, he said any shortfall from Brexit must be made up by member states and the budget must also reflect the recovery and growth in the European economy.

In the recent proposals from Commissioner Hogan on the CAP, major changes are outlined on subsidiarity and a new delivery model around direct payments, simplification, young farmers and generational renewal, and tackling the imbalance in the food chain.

The IFA is organising this event in conjunction with the EU Commission and it will take place in the O’Loughlin Gaels GAA clubhouse in Kilkenny, commencing at 7pm on Friday 20 April.

Debate

The main event will involve a debate between Commissioner Hogan and Joe Healy on CAP 2020, moderated by Justin McCarthy, editor of the Irish Farmers Journal. There will be a full question and answers session with audience participation.

There will also be a session involving key IFA chairs from livestock, dairy and tillage, as well as local industry representatives on the importance of the CAP to Irish farming and agri-business.

This is a free public event and advance registration is required. Please book your place by email to CAP2020@ifa.ie.

Investing in Farmer Business Developments

Did you know that farmers can invest in Farmer Business Developments plc? Also known as Developments, this is the company whose shareholders, organised by NFA/IFA, founded the FBD group in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Today, Developments has a balance sheet worth over €200m. The company’s main assets are its 24.6% stake in FBD Holdings plc (which is the quoted insurance company), as well as 100% of FBD Hotels & Resorts and other investments, including a stake in development land close to the new airport in Berlin.

The company has a solid record of paying dividends right through the property and financial crash of the past decade and has consistently paid 5c per ordinary share each year since 2013. Shares have recently traded at 90c to 95c per share.

While Developments is owned and controlled by 4,400 original farmer and co-op shareholders, it is open to new investment by farmers. To be accepted, you must be both a member of IFA and an FBD policy-holder for three years at the time of application.

You can read more about the company and download a shareholder application form on www.FarmerBusinessDevelopments.ie.

Once approved, you can buy shares on the company’s private grey market, operated by Davy Select. They may be contacted on 01-614 9000 or you can email davyselect@davy.ie.

BDGP tags

IFA national livestock chair Angus Woods has said the ongoing delays in issuing genotyping tags for the BDGP scheme are unacceptable.

This is the third year of the BDGP scheme and it is high time that the Department of Agriculture and the ICBF resolved the issue of late tags to farmers; there is no good reason on why tags cannot be issued early to facilitate farmers.