Fiona O'Loughlin

To secure funding in the budget for a bespoke scheme similar to the Horticulture Exceptional Payments Scheme (HEPS) to support the horticulture sector.

Tirlán CEO, Jim Bergin, attended the Fianna Fáil Ard Fheis Agricultural Panel for a discussion on agriculture. The intended result was for Mr Bergin to contribute to the discussion on behalf of farmer members.

To highlight that the proposed 4-day window for notification of nutrient movement poses a very significant challenge for the pig sector given its unique characteristics when compared with other livestock sectors.::Reduced timeframe for reporting livestock manure movements::The…

To propose that if any percentage of the farm is dedicated to farm forestry, it should be defined as agricultural land and the Capital Acquisitions Tax (CAT) Agricultural Relief applied to the whole farm.::That farm forestry is treated in a similar manner in relation to the…

To propose that planning impediments are removed for microgeneration projects.::That capital grants of approximately 50% are established for farmers to invest in microgeneration. This programme should apply to all usage on farms including the farm residence.::That farmers who…

To highlight that the Nitrates Derogation is extremely important to the dairy and other sectors of farming.::To demonstrate extreme disappointment that the Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine has not be able to convince the EU Commission to maintain the 250K org N for…

To insist on an immediate review of the table of late payment dates for 2023 sent to farmers by the Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine.::To highlight that this was done before the negotiations on the Farmers' Charter of Rights had properly commenced.::To highlight…

To highlight that the budget of the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine is reduced from €2.14bn to €1.94bn, a 10% reduction. This is a long way short of what is required to bolster a sector which is struggling with high input costs, lower commodity prices and…

To challenge the Department who promised that ACRES payments would commence end-November. It's included in the Farmers Charter of Rights document which was issued last week. It is not acceptable to announce now that payments will be delayed until February 2024, at a time when…

To highlight the growing concern among farmers regarding the potential health and safety risk posed by infected ash trees to road users, but also for themselves as the felling of infected trees is very challenging and poses significant safety risks.::To emphasise that a support…

To highlight how the New Ash Dieback Scheme must compensate for loss of timber asset.::To require a 100% reconstitution grant for all infected plantations, enabling forest owners to clearfell and replant with tree species that satisfy their management objectives.::To propose…

To highlight how successive Government policies have restricted eligible land, eroded productive area, increased the regulatory burden and have made farmers wary of committing their land. The risks associated with planting have become too great.::To emphasise that the Government…

To demonstrate that the Teagasc assessment of incomes on sheep farms show margins dropping 81% to €7/ewe, which includes the €10/ewe Sheep Welfare Scheme payment in 2022. This is unsustainable, sheep farming is a low income vulnerable sector that does not have the capacity to…

To brief Members of the Oireachtas on the Nitrates Derogation::Member States must apply to the European Commission every four years to be granted a nitrates derogation. Strict criteria must be met in order to get a derogation. Member states must demonstrate that the higher…

To brief Oireachtas Members of the details of the current Nitrates Action Programme::The EU Nitrates Directive requires Member States to review water quality at least every four years and to create a Nitrates Action Programme (NAP). This programme outlines a suite of…