Independent Clare TD, Michael Harty has outlined his disappointment with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
Speaking in the Dáil on Wednesday, Harty questioned the current Minister, Michael Creed on the income of farmers. His enquiry was “To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in view of the Food Wise 2025 targets set for Agriculture in the Programme for Partnership Government, his views on whether these targets are realisable unless urgent remedial action is taken to alleviate the current farming income crisis”.
Creed a TD for Cork North-West since 2007 stated that he was hopeful the Food Wise 2025 targets would be reached. In his response the Minister said “I know that 2016 has been challenging for many farmers. As a small open economy which exports the vast bulk of its food produce, Ireland will always feel the effects of volatility on world markets.
“However, there are measures in place to help Irish farmers through these periods. One of the priorities under the Programme for Government is to develop an effective response to price volatility, including through initiatives on access to finance and taxation. Many farmers could also benefit from a sharper focus on financial management, and I was pleased to see the recent ‘Financial Management Initiative’ from the Dairy Forum, providing straightforward advice on cashflow planning, which I hope will be of very practical assistance to dairy farmers”.
He concluded “I have met representatives from SBCI and ISIF in relation to both access to credit and the cost of credit for farmers and SMEs. I have also met with the CEOs of AIB, Bank of Ireland and Ulster Bank. One of my priorities under the Programme for Government will be to support the provision of lower cost and more flexible finance for the sector, and I have conveyed that message strongly to all of the banking institutions”.
In a statement released to The Clare Herald, Michael Harty expressed his frustration with the reply from the Minister for Agriculture. “It doesn’t in any way reflect the concern and anxiety that falling prices generate among farmers, especially small farmers. Now more than ever in the wake of the Brexit vote, the Government needs to be strong and decisive to ensure that our farm families are treated fairly.
“Already we have seen processors and coops dropping prices, compounding an already difficult situation. I urge the Minister to take a proactive and energetic approach in addressing the problems faced by agriculture. Farmers cannot survive without fair prices and agriculture remains a key sector of our economy. The priority for agriculture, as set out in the Programme for Government, is to reward farmers for producing quality food and that current farm incomes must be improved if we are to meet the Foodwise 2025 targets.”