The Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA), the organisation representing private agri-consultants, will hold its AGM tomorrow (Thursday, March 10).
The meeting will take place at the Midlands Hotel in Portlaoise, Co. Laois.
The event is set to get underway at 10:00a.m.
The ACA AGM will include an address from Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue.
As well as that, there will be presentations from officials from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) on the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the role consultants will play.
Some of the key topics covered in these presentations will be the new Agri-Environment Climate Measure – the new ‘flagship environment scheme’ in Pillar II of the CAP – as well as the new eco-scheme in Pillar I; the definition of an active farmer; and the definition of agricultural activity.
These presentations will be followed by a question and answers session for the consultants in attendance.
The AGM will also see a change of leadership for the ACA. The term of current president, Tom Canning, comes to an end with a new president set to take over tomorrow.
Canning has been at the helm of the ACA for two years.
The minister’s appearance at the ACA AGM comes in the midst of a busy time for him.
Yesterday evening (Tuesday, March 8), the minister announced the establishment of the National Fodder and Food Security Committee in response to food security concerns sparked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The announcement followed a meeting between Minister McConalogue, seven farming organisations and Teagasc yesterday.
The focus of the meeting was on the impact on Irish agriculture and supply chains following the invasion.
The minister and officials from his department outlined that supply chains from the region will be disrupted for some time.
Both Ukraine and Russia are major global players in the feed and fertiliser trade.