The Rural Independents TD group has called for a payment of €35/ewe for sheep farmers in Budget 2024.
Ahead of next week’s budget, the group has published its submission to government on what it wants to see included.
The submission covers a range of “critical issues affecting Ireland”, including agriculture and rural development, among others.
Commenting on the submission, Independent Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath said that rural Ireland “stands at a crucial juncture, grappling with mounting taxes, red tape, and regulations”.
“In the face of these hardships, rural communities continue to endure a shortage of road infrastructure funding and, increasingly, an agricultural sector overburdened by surging bureaucracy,” McGrath said.
The group is calling for a dedicated €35/ewe payment to “sustain the struggling sheep sector”, as well as an additional €300 million in funding for areas of natural constraint (ANCs) to support “sustainable agriculture”.
On road infrastructure, the Rural Independents group is calling for €1.9 billion in 2024 – with sustained investment until 2030 – to improve rural roads, which McGrath said have “a pivotal role” in rural communities.
The group is also calling for a €600 energy credit, which would be funded by windfall tax receipts from the energy generation sector.
Other measures the group is calling for include:
- Abolition of the Universal Social Charge (USC);
- The introduction of a national savings plan and tax-free savings account;
- Strengthening carers support;
- An independent review of the remuneration of ministerial advisors;
- Redistribution of the public broadcasting licence fee to support local radio stations, and a referendum on the broadcasting funding model;
- Enhancing core social welfare payment by €30/week to support pensioners, the disabled, and “those genuinely out of work”.
The Rural Independents Group includes Michael Collins (Cork South-West); Danny Healy-Rae (Kerry); Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry); Mattie McGrath (Tipperary); Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly); and Richard O’ Donoghue (Limerick County).