What has been described as “a constructive and detailed meeting” took place yesterday, Wednesday, March 4, between the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) and representatives from Sinn Féin.
The president of ICMSA, Pat McCormack, outlined that the farm organisation set out what it felt to be the key issues requiring attention now and in coming years.
Speaking after the meeting, the ICMSA president said: “The challenges facing the farming and wider-rural economy are growing by the day with key issues like Brexit, CAP [Common Agricultural Policy] post 2020, climate change, below-cost retailing of farm produce and a possible global recession to the fore.
The next government – whoever forms it – will be facing immediate and serious challenges from a farming and food-production perspective.
He noted that the ICMSA set out the policies it believes need to be implemented to ensure that Ireland has “a vibrant, family farm based agriculture sector going forward”.
Continuing, McCormack noted that ICMSA is “happy that Sinn Féin is alert to the very significant problems facing farm families and, by extension, the whole rural economy”.
The question is whether we can go past acknowledgement of the issues to actively addressing them.
Concluding, McCormack said: “The CAP Budget and the proposed EU-UK trade deal represent two absolutely critical issues that Ireland needs results on in the shape of no reduction in the CAP budget and a trade deal that allows tariff-free access between the EU and UK for food produce.”