Seán Kelly MEP and European People’s Party (EPP) group member for the Ireland South constituency is bringing a group of EU lawmakers together with Irish farmers and agricultural specialists at a conference in Co. Carlow this week.
The event entitled ‘European farmers’ deal: EPP vision for agriculture in Europe’ will take place at the Woodford Dolmen Hotel, Co. Carlow on Friday, April 19 from from 9:30a.m until 1:30p.m.
Kelly said: “Farmers are the boots on the ground. They are the ones who put food on the table and support our major export industries, but also they’re the ones who can deliver the vital transition to sustainability.
“However, they need have to be given the right tools and opportunities. We need to secure family farm incomes and pay our farmers to deliver on both our food security and sustainability.
“Farming is more than just a livelihood, it is a rich part of our history and even played a pivotal role in shaping the Irish landscape”, Kelly added.
The Fine Gael TD leads the Fine Gael representatives in the European Parliament.
“I proposed hosting this conference in Ireland and look forward to leading strong debate on the future of agriculture on Friday, as a co-host alongside my colleague Siegfried Muresan MEP,” Kelly continued..
Vice-chair of the EPP group, Romanian MEP Siegfried Muresan added: “The EPP group stands alongside farmers in facing the challenges of today, while building a resilient and sustainable agricultural sector for the future.
“We want to modernise agriculture and make it more sustainable, but we want to do so with the farmers, not against them. And Ireland is a great example for that.
“The EPP4Farmers event in Carlow will bring together EPP members, farmers, and representatives of agricultural associations to have a closer look on how to support agriculture and European farmers, while still being sustainable and protecting our natural areas.”
EPP
The political grouping has stated that European farmers are facing enormous challenges that threaten the future of the sector.
Politicians in the grouping said that there are serious concerns about its economic sustainability, adding that there is much debate about its role in the fight against climate change and the preservation of biodiversity.
According to the EPP group, these are major issues requiring a strong response to ensure the sector continues to thrive and is attractive to future generations.
As a response, the EPP group has stated that it is fighting for a stronger EU agricultural policy with adequate funding and new sustainable and efficient methods to safeguard local food production in Europe’s family farms and support young farmers to ensure the future of European food production.
Carlow conference
The conference planned for Carlow is one of a series of targeted events organised by the EPP group in Member States in order to further develop the dialogue with farmers and agricultural policy-makers across EU.
The events include the participation of members of the EPP group in the European Parliament and are open to the following target audience:
- Farmers, representatives from sectorial agricultural organisations, decision and opinion makers, and policy experts from the agricultural field;
- EPP agricultural ministers;
- EPP national party leaders and EPP heads of government;
- EPP Members of the Committee of the Regions;
- EPP Members of national / regional parliaments and local representatives;
- EPP national parties interlocutors;
- Businesses, SMEs, other stakeholders.
Among the speakers at the Carlow event will be Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), Martin Heydon; deputy president of the Irish Farmers’ Association, Alive Doyle; MEP Maria Walsh; and Helen Sheridan, University College Dublin (UCD), School of Agriculture and Food Science.
Agriland editor Stella Meehan will also act as moderator for a discussion among some of the guest speakers.