A wide-ranging discussion was had by the leaders of Ireland’s main farming organisations at the AgriLand stand at the National Ploughing Championships yesterday (Tuesday) – dealing with everything from vulture funds to education.
This discussion dealt with topics such as the farm labour problem, farming education, the Knowledge Transfer programme, the Rural Development Programme and the issue of finance, cash-flow and vulture funds.
The speakers on the panel discussion included: Richard Kennedy, Deputy President of the IFA (Irish Farmers’ Association); Patrick Kent, President of the ICSA (Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association); John Comer, President of the ICMSA (Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association); Brendan O’Malley, National Chairman of the INHFA (Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association); and Derrie Dillon, Agricultural Manager of Macra na Feirme.
Regarding the labour issue, it was pointed out by the panel that farmer burnout was a real problem. Comer gave a typical example of a dairy farmer expanding from 70 cows to a 110-cow herd which was too much pressure – as it was expanding too much, too quickly.
From left: Claire McCormack, AgriLand; Richard Kennedy, IFA; Patrick Kent, ICSA; John Comer, ICMSA; Brendan O’Malley, INHFA; Derrie Dillon, Macra na Feirme
Kennedy added to this, noting that there is no point in trying to expand if it is not sustainable and you can’t keep it going. The IFA deputy president also noted that the sustainability of the Irish suckler sector was coming under threat due to such low margins.
Kent gave his input on this as well, saying that it was important to resist downward pressure on beef prices, and to ensure that a US-like model, where smaller enterprises are driven out of business, is avoided.
O’Malley touched on the topic of the Knowledge Transfer scheme, criticising it strongly. The INHFA chairman said that the scheme was “designed for planners“. “A lot of planners have walked away with farmers’ money [Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding].”
Elaborating on the issue of CAP, O’Malley said that the surplus money in CAP funding for this year should be put towards a higher price per head for sheep on hill land.
Dillon felt that, regarding CAP, more needs to be done to improve education and payment efficiency.
Kennedy also dealt with the topic of education, noting the redevelopment of the Green Cert and saying that it was important to improve the effort being made with farming education. He also underlined the importance of discussion groups – both ordinary farm discussion groups and the Knowledge Transfer (KT) groups. “The KT programme is much maligned but there are benefits there,” the IFA man said.
Sticking with the topic of schemes, Kennedy said that the Agri Cashflow Support Loan Scheme worked well last year and that he would like to see more of the same in the next budget. Banks, he noted, aren’t giving out money easily so something needs to be done to free up access to money for farmers.
Kent reinforced this point, noting that there had been lots of problems with vulture funds, referring to it as “a constant battle”.
Kent noted the need for European-level interest rates for farmers, adding that farmers need good banking facilities or adequate alternatives, such as credit unions.
Comer offered an interesting statistic on the matter, stating that Irish farmers pay €80 million more annually than their European counterparts for loans and finance.
He said there needs to be more flexibility from banks and more moratoriums.
Noting that the current system can be cumbersome, Comer stressed that the government needs to step up to sort out vulture funds and that more regulations are needed to clamp down on the problem. Comer said that many farmers he knew of who were in difficulties have viable businesses and had issues from external investments. Proper regulation would cut down on instances like this, he said. People need to be protected from vulture funds, the ICMSA man concluded.