Helen McEntee

ensure continued government support for the Irish horseracing industry

Attendance at the Veterinary Ireland Annual General Meeting and Conference, 22nd November 2024, Knightsbrook Hotel, Trim, Co. Meath.

To highlight the ongoing challenges facing farmers.::To engage with Government Ministers and TD's to discuss how some of these issues could be addressed in next month's Budget.::To highlight urgent issues::- Delays in Farm Payments::- Retention of the Nitrates Derogation::-…

To propose that if any percentage of the farm is dedicated to forestry, it should be defined as agricultural land and the CAT Agricultural Relief applied to the whole farm.::To propose that farm forestry is treated similarly to the Consanguinity and Young Trained Farmers Stamp…

To highlight how the sector, particularly the mushroom sector, is under enormous pressure due to staffing shortages.::To highlight how the proposed new roadmap for the General Employment Permit Scheme is causing huge issues for the sector and to seek a resolution to this.::To…

To propose the establishment of a 5-year Tillage Survival Scheme with an annual payment of €250/ha for commercial tillage farmers must be introduced by autumn 2024 at the latest.::To propose that any payment per hectare under any tillage support scheme must not be capped for…

To propose that funding for the Organic Farm Scheme should be increased to incentivise and further develop the land area under organic production.::To propose that the participation payment should be maintained.::To propose that an additional payment should be made on the first…

To propose that full consideration to be given to IFA's proposal that 15% of all prize money from equestrian events and racing to be allocated to breeders.::To propose that the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) takes control of administering a complete Horse…

To propose the implementation of a higher payment rate for farmers beyond the standard own-work rate of the Walks Scheme. This increased compensation reflects the additional challenges and ensures that farmers are adequately rewarded for their essential role in maintaining these…

To propose that an appropriate compensation scheme, funded independently of CAP, is required to ensure farmers currently affected by designation are adequately compensated for the farming restrictions placed on them and to account for loss of earnings and land…

To propose that a sustainable budget of €389m must be provided for the LEADER Programme 2023-2027 to drive ‘bottom up, community-led' investment to create and sustain employment in rural Ireland, provide funding in the rural environment and support climate change mitigation…

To ensure that the availability of reduced-cost finance, such as SBCI lending, is continued. It must be ensured that such funding is available to all farmers to enable them to make their businesses more sustainable from both an environmental and/or a financial perspective.::To…

To propose a support package/funding available to farmers to carry out quad safety training courses on their farms.::To propose that, under the current flat rate review, IFA is seeking inclusion, under a separate category, of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to minimise risk…

To highlight that it is important all 150 walks are established without delay. The 80 walks previously promised are still not fully up and running.::To propose that maintenance grants for new and existing walks must be provided.::To highlight that there needs to be greater…

To propose that all farmers whose lands along the Shannon Callows SAC were flooded and fodder lost should receive compensation within the Shannon Callows Compensation Scheme.