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EAST CORK AGRICULTURE info@eastcorkjournal.ie


Farmers Cannot Be Penalised For Fires They Didn’t Light – INHFA


The Irish Natura & Hill


Farmers Association have responded to a statement made by Minister Doyle where he outlined how il- legally burnt land must be removed for payment from the Basic Payment


and


other land based schemes. INHFA Cap Chair Colm O Donnell stated that “any proposal that could see farmers lose payments due to the actions of others is totally unacceptable to the INHFA.” The Ministers statement


which recommends to farmers and their advisors that


illegally burnt land


should be taken out by means of an amendment to their 2017 BPS appli- cation is stated O Donnell “ill advised, confusing and potentially very costly to these farmers, families and communities” The


O’Donnell “must


fy immediately what that where


means, as it is our under- standing


the


applicant (farmer) is found at inspection to be respon- sible for breaching their re- quirements, only then can a penalty be applied. So in this instance it would have to be proven that the farm-


ICMSA Say Deal Puts “Heavy Responsibility” On Glanbia Ireland To Deliver


Following the out-


come of the Glanbia Ireland vote, the Pres- ident of ICMSA said that a strong responsi- bility now falls on Glan- bia Ireland to deliver for its East Cork milk sup- pliers and to vindicate the fate placed in it by Glanbia Co-op share- holders.


“Glanbia Ireland’s milk suppliers will judge its performance on the basis of a capacity to deliver a strong and competitive milk price to both creamery and liquid milk producers


and also on the deliv- ery of


prices that


farm inputs at are highly


competitive with other suppliers in the Glan- bia region. ICMSA will pay particular attention to the milk price being delivered in periods of a market


downturn;


we’d regard that a very significant and we’ll in- sist that it’s comparable with other processors in Ireland and that it does not rely on transfers or supports from Glanbia Co-op to make it com- petitive”, concluded Mr. Comer.


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er lit the fire”. This


he outlined was


also clarified by Dr Kevin Smyth, Assistant Secretary General, Department


of


Minister added clari- he


Agriculture Food and Ma- rine at a Joint Oireachtas Committee hearing in April 2015 where, in re- sponse to questioning on burning Dr Smyth stated how “No farmer who is a victim of burning with somebody else having set the fire will be penalised. I know that a number of fires had nothing to do with gorse removal. Some of them were sheer vandal- ism and nothing else. We


will deal with such cases on the basis of force majeure. I can give the Deputy an assurance in that regard.” O’Donnell conclud-


ed by outlining how the statement made by Kevin Smyth was only two years ago and stated that “as we understand it, what he said still stands. However for the many innocent farm- ers who are now fearful of losing some or all of their farm payments, immedi- ate clarity and reassurance needs to be given by Min- ister Doyle that only those who lit the fire have any- thing to fear.”


Thursday, 25th


May 2017


Deadline Monday at noon


Clona Dairies Suppliers’ Work Must Be Rewarded By The Food Chain


IFA National Liquid Milk Chairman John Finn has congratulated the liquid milk suppliers to Clona Dairies for be- coming the first produc- er group 100% certified under the SDAS scheme - Bord Bia’s farm facing side of Origin Green. John Finn said this


was achieved thanks to the hard work of farm- ers, in conjunction with their co-ops and proces- sor, and that it should be leveraged by industry and valued by retailers, so that farmers are fairly rewarded with sustaina- ble milk prices.


“All of Ireland’s milk


producers, including liq- uid milk producers, are engaged in the SDAS/ Origin Green process, and the number certified is already well in excess of 82%, and rising fast with the stated target for all milk purchasers to reach 100% by year end,” Mr Finn said. “Farmers have gaged in the process to prove


en-


SDAS their


sustainability credentials and to add value to their milk. But this value must be appreciated, and fully leveraged by our proces- sors, including our liquid


milk dairies, to deliver sustainable liquid milk payments, especially over the winter months,” he said. “Without winter pay- cover the


ments that


significantly higher pro- duction costs incurred, the


economic viability


of year-round special- ist milk production be- comes doubtful, and the security of fresh, high quality, locally produced milk supplies for the Irish drinking milk mar- ket at certain times of the year will come into question,” John Finn concluded.


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