Fertiliser campaign support

COPA/COGECA, the official European farmer and co-op representative body, has formally adopted a position paper supporting the IFA campaign to remove EU duties and tariffs on fertiliser prices. The representative body will now be pursuing issues the IFA has raised in relation to fertiliser pricing with the European Commission. The abolition of duties and tariffs on non-EU fertiliser imports would save Irish farmers €32m per annum and European farmers €1bn.

Live valuations

IFA animal health chair Bert Stewart has said the issuing of Department guideline prices that are not representative of actual market prices is compounding existing problems farmers have with the live valuation scheme. The IFA has raised this issue directly with Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed and is demanding the re-establishment of the key principles of the scheme and the provision of a fair market value assessment for all TB reactor animals.

GLAS payments

Minister Creed must put maximum pressure on his Department to make payments to all the remaining farmers due a GLAS payment, IFA rural development chair Joe Brady has insisted. He said the payments made in the last few weeks represent progress but the numbers paid in each run need to increase. He called on the minister to immediately pursue with the European Commission the IFA proposal that all farmers awaiting payments are paid immediately.

Live exports

IFA livestock chair Angus Woods has called on Minister Creed to take immediate action and rescind excessive Government charges of €8 per head in order to provide a vital boost to calf exports at this critical time. He said that more resources must be dedicated to live exports and the IFA has requested that Minister Creed undertakes a diplomatic visit to Egypt to get the live export trade to this important market moving.