The first major theme at Teagasc’s annual flagship tillage conference held last week was competitiveness. Many yawn at the word, but in reality it is probably the most critical measure of whether a sector will survive and develop, or wither.
It’s clear the European, and especially the Irish, tillage sector has a competitive crisis.
The organisers brought over a special speaker from one of the world’s leading agricultural institutions, Wageningen University in the Netherlands, but in truth, Dr Roel Jongeneel added little to the knowledge base on where Irish tillage farming stood.
He made the observation that globalisation as we understood had ended, that European farmers needed a level playing field and that the old status quo of the US and the EU setting the world cereal markets no longer applied, and that new players in South America, China and Russia had emerged.
It was disappointing that his only real facts put forward placed Ireland in a strong position within Europe, which we already knew, but that no figures were available as of yet on the cost of production for these newer major players.
It’s on these figures that the strength of European and Irish producers’ arguments will depend in terms of policies that will be necessary to ensure that crop production in Europe and Ireland will be viable in the future.
While it’s good to know that Europe’s food and drink trade surplus continues to grow, that is of limited consolation if it is based on imported feedstuffs.
Under the new CAP proposals, it’s clear that greater discretion is being given to member states to fund individual sectors under so-called “national partnerships”. We already have significant commitments to a national tillage sustainability programme from Minister Martin Heydon, but a reassessment of the CAP arable sector is going to have to be undertaken.
Teagasc director Frank O’Mara spelled out its contribution to the country’s economic and environmental balance in his opening address to the conference and there was an excellent session on the role the new genetic regulations should have in enhancing productivity.
Ultimately, we are in a new era of ample world grain supplies. This week’s statement by Commissioner Hansen to the Oireachtas Agriculture committee at least showed an awareness of the problems with his sensible comments on the need for stable fertiliser prices and the vulnerability of Europe’s tillage sector. Whether the biofuel option he referred to will help to solve the problems remains to be seen.
In the EU/India trade deal, India has taken steps to ensure its food security is not threatened by uncontrolled imports. The Mercosur deal is not as balanced, as Jongeneel pointed out.
The first major theme at Teagasc’s annual flagship tillage conference held last week was competitiveness. Many yawn at the word, but in reality it is probably the most critical measure of whether a sector will survive and develop, or wither.
It’s clear the European, and especially the Irish, tillage sector has a competitive crisis.
The organisers brought over a special speaker from one of the world’s leading agricultural institutions, Wageningen University in the Netherlands, but in truth, Dr Roel Jongeneel added little to the knowledge base on where Irish tillage farming stood.
He made the observation that globalisation as we understood had ended, that European farmers needed a level playing field and that the old status quo of the US and the EU setting the world cereal markets no longer applied, and that new players in South America, China and Russia had emerged.
It was disappointing that his only real facts put forward placed Ireland in a strong position within Europe, which we already knew, but that no figures were available as of yet on the cost of production for these newer major players.
It’s on these figures that the strength of European and Irish producers’ arguments will depend in terms of policies that will be necessary to ensure that crop production in Europe and Ireland will be viable in the future.
While it’s good to know that Europe’s food and drink trade surplus continues to grow, that is of limited consolation if it is based on imported feedstuffs.
Under the new CAP proposals, it’s clear that greater discretion is being given to member states to fund individual sectors under so-called “national partnerships”. We already have significant commitments to a national tillage sustainability programme from Minister Martin Heydon, but a reassessment of the CAP arable sector is going to have to be undertaken.
Teagasc director Frank O’Mara spelled out its contribution to the country’s economic and environmental balance in his opening address to the conference and there was an excellent session on the role the new genetic regulations should have in enhancing productivity.
Ultimately, we are in a new era of ample world grain supplies. This week’s statement by Commissioner Hansen to the Oireachtas Agriculture committee at least showed an awareness of the problems with his sensible comments on the need for stable fertiliser prices and the vulnerability of Europe’s tillage sector. Whether the biofuel option he referred to will help to solve the problems remains to be seen.
In the EU/India trade deal, India has taken steps to ensure its food security is not threatened by uncontrolled imports. The Mercosur deal is not as balanced, as Jongeneel pointed out.
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