The Hill Farmers for Action Group has organised a commonage information meeting for Thursday, November 20, at 8pm in Peacockes Hotel, Maam Cross.

The organisers say the meeting will discuss the implications of Department of Agriculture’s proposals for Single Farm Payment and GLAS schemes.

Speakers, on the night are set to include; Sean Kyne TD, Eamon O’Cuiv TD, Marian Harkin MEP, Luke Ming Flanagan MEP, Matt Carthy MEP, Brian Walsh TD, Noel Grealish TD.

In late August and September the Hill Farmers for Action group held a number of high profile meetings on issues affecting commonage farmers the largest of which was attended by some 1,700 farmers.

Earlier this week, Independent MEP Marian Harkin organised a series of meetings in Brussels for hill and commonage farmers with senior officials of the European Commission to discuss the need for flexibility in the interpretation of regulations relating to commonage usage.

The delegation consisted of members from Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal and will meet with senior members of the Commission dealing with the Rural Development Programme.

The delegation briefed the Commission on the problems faced by commonage farmers attempting to join the scheme and investigated what solutions could be implemented to the benefit of all.

Hill Farmers have voiced serious concerns over the new GLAS application system which it says will effectively restrict access to commonage farmers and allow large number of places to be filled by farmers without priority assets. The Hill Farmers for Action Group held a number of large meeting in recent months and staged a picket of Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s office.