ICMSA warmly welcome farm ambitions set out in draft Programme for Govt and identify Mercosur, Nitrates, Income Volatility & Farm Succession as most pressing issues

Reacting to the draft Programme for Government published earlier today, the President of ICMSA, Denis Drennan, said that sections dealing with agriculture contained much that was both interesting and encouraging and he said that aside from the ambitions set out, there was an admirable change in tone evident that saw farming and food production as the positive force in Irish life that it undoubtedly was, and not some ‘necessary evil’ that had to be curbed and handled.

“Certainly ICMSA read this with encouragement and will look particularly on those commitments given on steadfast opposition to Mercosur, the maintenance of our Nitrates Derogation, meaningful and stepped-up support of the our potentially game-changing ‘Dairy Calf to Beef’ sector, the taking-on of the last Government’s commitment to a budgetary measure for curbing excess farm income volatility, and the absolutely critical question around farm succession and getting the next generation of farmers onto their farms and in position to take over what is still the key indigenous economic activity in the state”, said Mr. Drennan.

The ICMSA President said that these objectives were as attainable as they were necessary and he cautioned against any positioning of these, and the other aims set out in the draft, as ‘vaguely desirable’.

“That’s just not going to be enough this time; these have to be set out and time lined. In other words, measurable progress towards each must be achieved by publicly announced dates. We must know when we are going to get to these objectives and – more importantly – the civil servants and other policymakers have to made to realise that these are real targets to be hit and not just ‘wouldn’t it be nice’-style aspirations”, continued Mr. Drennan.

Mr. Drennan said that ICMSA would work with anyone charged with delivering those targets and he repeated his call for a whole of industry agreement that would plot the way forward across the whole range of sectors, identifying agreed problems and blockages and then deciding on solutions.

“We called for this kind of intensive focussed agreement last year and we’re repeating that for the benefit of whoever is going to be appointed Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine. We need to all come together and establish where we are now and where we need to be in five and then 10 years.  We simply have to move away from ‘Stop-Start’ policymaking for a sector that needs long ‘lead-in’ times and where decisions taken today will not see results for many months, if not years. That’s why we need certainty and these ambitions in the ‘Programme’ to be time lined for achievement and those schedules adhered to.  At least the incoming Government seems to be signalling the end of the period where Irish farming was seen by our own Government as a ‘necessary evil’ to be regulated and undermined. There’s a chance now to show how our world-famous dairy and beef sectors are completely sustainable and to be positive about the changes already underway. ICMSA thinks that an agreement that takes that realisation as a starting point would be a very good idea and a clear signal that the mood – and policy – has changed for the better”, said Mr. Drennan.

Ends      15 January 2025

Denis Drennan, 086-8389401

President, ICMSA,

Or

Cathal MacCarthy, 087-6168758

ICMSA Press Office