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EAST CORK AGRICULTURE
info@eastcorkjournal.ie
The President of the
ICMSA, John Comer, has said that farm families and the hundreds of rural com- munities using their own wells or privately funded group water schemes can only now conclude that they are officially designat- ed as ‘lesser citizens’ com- pared with their urban and suburban counterparts.
Mr. Comer said that Expert
the Commission on
Water’s recommendations that
the provision of wa-
ter be paid by means of general taxation, and the Government’s apparent endorsement of that prin- ciple, now meant that those people already paying for their own water, wheth- er through wells or group
water schemes, would now actually be paying ‘on the double’, while
those who
had never paid for their own water usage – and who may not be contrib- uting through any form of direct taxation – escape any effective charge what- soever. Mr. Comer accepted the
that issue of water
charges was hugely prob- lematic but he said that farmers and rural commu- nities could not help but notice that the issue of pay- ing for water only became a crisis when people living in the cities, towns and sub- urbs were asked to pay for their water usage. He said it was quite astonishing to note how few commenta-
tors seemed to object to the reality that would see rural dwellers and farmers with their own wells - purchased and maintained privately – now having to pay in- creased taxation to fund the provision of water for the general population . The ICMSA President
said that the line of reason- ing implicit in the Expert
IFA Calls On Minister to Immediately Communicate New Tag Supply Arrangements to All Farmers
IFA Animal Health Chairman Bert
Stewart
has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed to write immediately to all farmers outlining the new tag supply arrange- ments being implemented
by his Department, and provide the details as to how farmers must now or- der their tags. Bert Stewart said it is
unacceptable that the Min- ister and his officials have allowed the
situation to
develop to the stage where tag orders are significantly behind previous years as we approach the critical calving period on farms. “Delayed registrations
and missed sales opportu- nities can have very serious
repercussions for farmers and are now a real concern as a result of the failure of the Department of Agri- culture
to communicate
the new supply arrange- ments directly to farmers. These require farmers to
Impact of Groceries Adjudicator in UK Underlines Need for Retail Regulator Here
Following an IFA Con-
ference in Dublin on Retail Regulation, IFA President Joe Healy said the positive impact
of the Groceries
Code Adjudicator (GCA) Christine Tacon in the UK reinforced the need for a similar role in Ireland. Joe Healy said, “The
work of Christine Tacon in the three years since her office was established in the UK as part of retail legis- lation provides irrefutable evidence of the need for independent
enforcement
of retail regulation in Ire- land. The progress made in strengthening the supply chain and addressing sup- plier issues clearly supports IFA’s demand for an inde- pendent
retail Ombuds-
man. This is necessary to assure suppliers that com- plaints will be investigated and abuses prosecuted. The appointment
Ombudsman in Ireland, who can take up complaints and grievances of suppliers over mistreatment by retail- ers, remains a key objective
of IFA”. Today’s Conference was also addressed by the Min- ister for Enterprise Mary Mitchell O’Connor and John Shine from the Com- petition and Consumer Pro- tection Commission. The GCA’s most recent
of a retail
annual survey showed a 17% drop in suppliers say- ing they had experienced potential breaches of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice in 2016 compared to 2014. Suppliers also cit- ed improvements over the
preceding year across a
range of practices: • Incorrect deductions
from invoices with or with- out notice - down from 47% to 30% • De-listing without rea-
sonable notice – down from 34% to 22% • Unjustified payments
for consumer complaints – down from 30% to 22% In
her presentation to
the conference, Christine Tacon said major progress had been made since the establishment of the GCA
initiate contact with ap-
proved suppliers directly to order their tags, which is a fundamental shift from previous arrangements where
order forms were
sent to all farmers.” Bert Stewart said in dis-
in 2013. “All the retailers acted on issues I raised with them last year and suppliers reported that most retailers’ behaviour had improved. However, I am acutely aware
that over 60% of
those who responded to my annual survey had still expe- rienced Code-related issues. “I will continue to work
with suppliers, retailers and customers to achieve change in the sector. My current
focus is on pay-
ments for better position- ing, margin maintenance, delay in payments and pay to stay”. Christine Tacon also told
the conference about her in- vestigation into one retailer
Minister Must Secure an Aid Package for Growers - IFA
IFA President Joe Healy has said it is incumbent on Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed to secure an aid package for tillage growers who suffered un- precedented crop losses this harvest due to unusually wet weather. Joe Healy said, “The 2016 harvest has proved to be one of the most difficult
in living memory for many tillage farmers operating es- sentially west of a line from south of Cork City to Don- egal. Crop losses in these areas ranged from 25-50%, with some individual fields effectively a 100% write-off. Straw is a valuable by-prod- uct and growers
suffered
losses in excess of 50%. “Tillage farmers are re-
silient and are well used to dealing with the vagaries of Irish weather and the toll that
it can take on crops.
However, the 2016 harvest has been outside the norm with incessant rain, high relative humidity and a lin- gering sea mist in coastal ar- eas of Cork and Kerry. Met Éireann data for September shows that
the number of
wet days and rain days for September exceeded 20 days. This left it impossible to harvest crops. Crops that were harvested during this period were cut at extremely high moisture content and this has created further dif- ficulties for co-ops and grain merchants. “Many of these
tillage farmers are facing extreme Tel: 021 463 8000 • Email:
info@eastcorkjournal.ie • Web:
www.eastcorkjournal.ie
financial hardship, such is the scale of crop loss in these regions. In a survey conducted by IFA’s National Grain Committee it is esti- mated that
approximately
380 farming up to 5,000 ha suffered significant crop losses. “The supply
of locally
produced grain and straw in these peripheral regions is
Thursday, 8th
December 2016
Deadline Monday at noon
ICMSA President Says Recommended Change in Water Charging Officially Designates Rural Dwellers as “lesser citizens”
Commission’s recommen- dations was so manifestly unfair to those people al- ready paying for their own water provision – in many cases
for decades - that
when finalising its posi- tion on water charges the Government will have to make financial provision for rural dwellers who are now, and have been for
cussions with the Depart- ment of Agriculture in Oc- tober this communication was agreed, but has not yet issued. He said it is incumbent
on the Minister and the Department
of Agricul-
ture to make every effort to ensure the timely reor- dering and supply of tags
which led to the finding that the retailer had seriously breached the Code on delay in payments. The Adjudica- tor required the retailer to fund the costs of her investi- gation, estimated at €1.2m. The Adjudicator remind-
ed today’s Conference that her remit extends to sup- pliers outside the UK who have dealings with the 10 regulated retailers in that jurisdiction. “If a supplier has an issue, bring me the information about breaches of the Code and I will act swiftly.” Ahead of the
Christ-
mas shopping season, Joe Healy said growers were the victims in a vicious battle
crucial in maintaining com- petition in a market domi- nated by the compound feed trade. In addition, the straw produced is a valuable alter- native fodder source, while tillage crops provide much needed biodiversity in these predominantly permanent grassland areas. “When you grow a grain committed
crop you are
to spending in excess of €1,100/ha on inputs and tillage operations. This has
eastcorkjournal
decades, paying for water. Mr Comer said that such a provision will have to go beyond a grant to upgrade an individual well. The dis- crimination against
rural
dwellers that has been so readily apparent in the dis- cussion of this matter since it was first raised must be addressed in fair and equi- table fashion.
takes place and this must start with immediate direct communication with all farmers outlining the new arrangements. Bert
Stewart
advised
farmers to immediately contact approved tag sup- pliers to order their tag re- quirements for the coming year.
over market share in recent years, when retailers savage- ly discounted Irish potatoes and vegetables. “I want to put down a
marker here today: this ac- tion by retailers, when some items were sold at one tenth of their production cost, will not be tolerated. This action by retailers had a very negative effect on the wholesale sector and farm- ers have seen this avenue of sales vanish. Retailers claim that they pick up the cost these
of ‘crash-price promo-
tions’. The reality is that below-cost selling means a lower price across the board for our produce.”
a significant spin off into the local economy. Many of the affected growers now have significant bills for the sup- ply of inputs and materials with co-ops, agri-merchants, machinery dealers, fuel sup- pliers etc. but they are not in a position to pay them. The Minister, as a matter of ur- gency, must put in place an aid package for the small number of growers affected, such is the scale of financial losses that they face.”
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