A national meeting to discuss mart insurance has been put on hold as the organiser endeavours to address the matter through alternative means.
Eimear McGuinness manager of Donegal Livestock Mart and organiser of the mart insurance meeting said she is currently waiting for confirmation of the date on which she will go before the public finance committee to deal with the issue.
She also pointed to the fact that mart Insurance is at present being discussed in the public finance committee and she is hopeful to go before it in May to discuss the matter further.
McGuinness also confirmed to AgriLand that she is running for Fianna Fáil in next month’s local elections in the South West Donegal electoral area.
She said she is hopeful of winning a seat on the local authority despite the fact that 20 candidates are running for six seats in her area.
McGuinness says she also feels that she will be better able to address the mart insurance issue as a public representative.
At the moment I am waiting for a date for the public finance committee.
She continued: “The mart insurance issue is going to be a long-haul scenario and the decision has been made to address it through the public accounts committee; therefore, a public meeting in respect of the matter – which was initially planned – will not now be taking place.”
On the electoral trail
The local election hopeful went on to say that she had been approached by Fianna Fáil to run in her local electoral area and after some consideration decided to throw her hat in the political ring.
She feels that the opportunity to become a public representative may provide her with further opportunities to address not just the mart insurance issue but other pressing farming matters that have arisen in her county due to the uncertainty around Brexit.
“I am out canvassing at the moment and I feel I have a lot of the farming community behind me,” she said.
McGuinness continued: “Farmers are telling me that they haven’t been represented on the local authority for nearly 20 years and they see my campaign as a positive one.”
Addressing matters head on
McGuinness went on to say that with regard to marts the two big issues at the moment were insurance and rates and it was these matters that she will be addressing head on if she is elected during next month’s local elections.
“I feel that the only way I will get anything done in relation to these issues is to get elected onto the council.”
She added: “It is the first time in a long time that there has been so many candidates running in this electoral area but I am putting myself out there and staying focused.”
Before concluding, McGuinness also pointed out that Brexit uncertainty has brought additional difficulties to both the fishing and farming sectors in Co. Donegal.