The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) president Denis Drennan has called on Taoiseach Simon Harris and the government to act on what it called a “collapse” in farmer incomes.
Drennan met with the Taoiseach today (Tuesday, September 10), along with Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue.
According to Drennan, the Taoiseach and minister were “left in no doubt that farmers expected the forthcoming Budget 2025 to deliver significantly” on the issues the ICMSA raised.
“The farm and wider agri-sector have undergone a collapse both in terms of farmer income and overall value in the last three years and it is now urgent that the government recognised and acted on its duty to support the sector.
“The ICMSA has deliberately specified measures that are deliverable and doable, proposals that are pragmatic and easily implemented,” Drennan said.
Drennan called on the Taoiseach to deliver on a Programme for Government commitment to address income volatility for farmers, be putting in place a new measure for that purpose.
“If ever evidence for such a measure was required, you only had to look at the Teagasc figures released sone months ago that show the kind of collapse in farm incomes and values over the last two years,” he said.
“If farmers had been allowed to put away on deposit incomes from the previous two years they would have been in a far better position to deal with the collapse.”
The ICMSA president called for a measure of this type to be introduced in the upcoming budget, along with measures to support farm transfers and a scheme to develop dairy beef production in Ireland.
He also called for all grant rates for slurry storage to be increased to 70% and for “realistic” construction costings.
Outside of the immediately pressing matter of Budget 2025, Drennan also raised the nitrates derogation with the Taoiseach, saying that the derogation “cannot be overstated in terms of its importance for all agriculture sectors”.
“The agriculture sector is already on the road in terms of (the reports from the various Food Vision groups) for all farm sectors to address climate change and Teagasc’s MACC (Marginal Abatement Cost Curve).
“Farmers are already delivering improvements, and the government needs to be more proactive in supporting farmers on their efforts,” Drennan said.
On the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement, the ICMSA president asked the Taoiseach to reaffirm Ireland’s opposition to any trade agreement premised on importation of food produced to lower standards.