The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) is gearing up to host its 25th anniversary dinner celebration in Kilkenny next Friday, September 7.
The evening is to celebrate ICSA’s achievements over the last 25 years and to honour those founding cattle and sheep farmers who dedicated themselves to establishing a professional association that would be the voice for the drystock sector in Ireland, the organisation has said.
EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan will be the special guest at the event which is taking place in Hotel Kilkenny.
Following dinner, the worlds of sport and farming will come together with a panel discussion hosted by RTE’s Marty Morrissey.
Kilkenny hurler TJ Reid will be joined by Clodagh Cassin who is a member of the Irish Women’s hockey panel and is the star goalkeeper for UCD where she studies agricultural science.
The line-up is completed by Irish rugby legend John ‘The Bull’ Hayes.
Kent added that having a local as EU Commissioner definitely has its benefits.
ICSA president Patrick Kent and general secretary Eddie Punch push for a fully-funded CAP with EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan in Brussels
He said: “Now in his fifth year as EU Commissioner, Mr. Hogan is currently in the process of reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) so there will no doubt be plenty to discuss on the night.
“He has made a lot of progress in tackling unfair trading practices in the food chain and his CAP proposals will attract a lot of debate; but ICSA is keeping pressure on the Government to support a fully funded CAP.
Without adequate funding, no CAP reform can be a success and this is a matter for the EU heads of state.
“We will continue to engage constructively with Commissioner Hogan as well and the night will enable any interested farmers to meet him and put forward their views.”
All farmers and their families are welcome to attend and a limited number of tickets are still available, the ICSA has said.
ICSA sheep protest in 1999