NEWS & EVENTS

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…

The President of ICMSA, Mr. Denis Drennan has called on the Minister for Finance to suspend the proposed changes to Agricultural Relief as set out in the Finance Bill in light of the serious implications for many ordinary family farms and in light of the establishment of the Commission on…

ICMSA Livestock Committee Chairperson, Mr. Michael O’Connell has welcomed the beginning of beef prices moving upwards with factories notably working on securing adequate supplies in the run up to the Christmas trade.   We saw 5c/kg extra added to base prices as last week progressed with 510c/kg base price for steers…

 Speaking after a meeting of the Agriculture Water Quality Group at which the Department put forward a proposal to implement a Nutrient Use Surplus concept for farmers under the Nitrates regulations, the Deputy President of ICMSA, Mr. Eamon Carroll said that has ICMSA asked the Department to spell out clearly…

The President of ICMSA has said that the reports that the EU is preparing to ‘compensate’ French farmers in return for the French Government dropping its opposition to the Mercosur Agreement is profoundly worrying and actually represents an admission on the part of the Commission and its negotiators that the…

The Chairperson of ICMSA’s Farm Business Committee, Pat O’Brien, has said that concern is rapidly growing around the proposed changes to Agriculture & Retirement Relief under Budget 2025. Mr O’Brien said that there was a distinct possibility that the measures as announced by the Minister of Finance could end up…

Commenting on Budget 2025, the President of ICMSA, Denis Drennan, said that while he welcomed the extension of a number of reliefs to 2027, farmers would be disappointed that the long-standing and crippling issue of ruinous income volatility has not been dealt in Budget 2025 and while Mr. Drennan welcomed…

Speaking following a meeting with EU Commission officials in Carlow today (Monday 16 Sept) on the issues around retention of the Nitrates Derogation, the President of ICMSA, Denis Drennan welcomed the visit of the Commission officials to Ireland to see ‘first hand’ the work being done by Irish farmers to…