EU farmers’ congress

The IFA was strongly represented at a congress of European farmers in Brussels this week. Organised by Copa-Cogeca, the congress brought together delegates from the 28 member states of the EU to debate how the new Common Agricultural Policy can benefit family farms, agri co-operatives, rural development, growth and jobs.

Charter Review Group

At a meeting of the Charter Review Group, IFA representatives insisted that there has to be substantial improvement across the key areas affecting direct payments and services to farmers and progress on inspections, payments and tolerances. IFA is working to reduce the level of inspections and to eliminate duplication.

Meeting on flooding

The IFA met Minister Simon Harris last week in relation to remedial work on the Shannon.

At the meeting, the IFA insisted that sufficient funding must be available in the upcoming budget for the ongoing maintenance of the river system, so that flooding can be avoided or mitigated in the future.

Inheritance seminar

Kilkenny IFA is running an inheritance/partnerships seminar in conjunction with Macra na Feirme next week. The seminar, which will cover topics such as succession inheritance, land mobility, inheritance tax planning and succession planning, will take place in the Newpark Hotel, Kilkenny, on Wednesday 15 October at 8pm.

County executives

County executives continue around the country, including meetings in Cavan and Kilkenny next week, where Budget 2015 and RDP funding are likely to be high on the agenda. Take a look at the IFA website to find out about upcoming IFA events in your area – www.ifa.ie