NEWS & EVENTS

Commenting on the EPA’s early insight nitrogen concentration data published recently, the President of ICMSA, Mr. Denis Drennan, said that the January-June data for 2024 is certainly cause for optimism as we move into 2025, a year that is critical in terms of securing the nitrates derogation post 2025.   As…

The President of ICMSA has said that the Irish Government will have to move quickly and signal immediately its intention to not ratify any Mercosur Agreement – either in whole or part.   Mr. Denis Drennan said that it appeared that Commission officials were seizing the opportunity provided by the current…

  The Chairperson of ICMSA’s Farm Business Committee, Pat O’Brien, has called on the Government to address what he said was a serious anomaly that had farmers who had changed their enterprise status from ‘Sole Trader’ to ‘Partnership’ being asked to pay often sizable amounts of ‘back’ PRSI on the…

While acknowledging the recent welcome increases in beef price, the Chairperson of ICMSA’s Livestock Committee, Michael O Connell, has derided as “rubbish” and “scaremongering” warnings from the beef processors that prices will be dropped immediately after the Christmas trade ‘Kill’ and we will head into the New Year in a…

Speaking in advance of Co-op’s October milk price announcements, ICMSA Dairy Chairperson, Noel Murphy has said that the association “absolutely expects” all Co-ops and milk purchasers to reflect the on-going buoyancy in the milk market. Mr. Murphy said there were some very questionable differences in the prices being paid by…

Speaking following the announcement by the Minister of Agriculture Food and the Marine that there will be a review into the ‘flagship’ ACRES environmental scheme for farmers, the Deputy President of ICMSA welcomed the move. Eamon Carroll, who also chairs the association’s Farm & Rural Affairs Committee, said there is…

 The President of ICMSA, Denis Drennan, has welcomed the Government announcement that the changes to farm inheritance tax reliefs announced is the Budget will be ‘put on hold’.  Mr. Drennan said that ICMSA had noted and highlighted several instances in which the proposed changes would have impacted bone fide farm…

The Chairperson of the ICMSA Livestock Committee Chairperson, Michael O Connell, has criticised the ‘eligible cow’ criteria of the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme and he especially noted the exclusion of the Fleckvieh and Montbeliarde breed calves, describing their exclusion as ridiculous.   Mr. O’Connell said that the development of this…

The President of ICMSA, Denis Drennan, has said that reports that cheese supplied to children under the School Meals Programme operated by the Department of Social Protection is in some cases Dutch cheddar is “surreal” and was nothing less than an “insult” to Ireland’s hard-pressed 18,000 dairy farmers. Mr. Drennan…

ICMSA Livestock Chairperson, Mr. Michael O Connell, has welcomed the additional SCEP in person training courses announced and has stated that it recognises areas which are predominantly farmed by suckler farmers are now being facilitated where they were not in the previous allocation of training courses. ‘Our members in certain…