The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Lobbying Organisation The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Date published 18 Sep, 2022

Relevant Matter Public policy or programme

Public Policy Area Agriculture

Period 1 May, 2022 to 31 Aug, 2022

Specific Details Sheep Sector Requirements

Intended results - Availability of key inputs such as fertiliser, fuel and feed. There is an urgent need to provide an inventory of fertiliser and fuel supplies followed by a full appraisal of available and projected feed supplies for the remainder of the year and next winter. All land must be utilised to produce food. Restrictions on land use under schemes must be removed to ensure farmers are facilitated in using all lands at their disposal to produce food. These include areas such as traditional hay meadows and low input grasslands in the GLAS scheme. - Traditional hay meadows - The facilitation for grazing must be extended past the 15th April to allow farmers utilise the potential of all grasslands at their disposal o Farmers must be allowed cut the meadows prior to the 1st July to maximise the quality of the crop and facilitate earlier utilisation of the lands afterwards o The limits on chemical fertiliser usage must be increased. - Low input grasslands - Farmers must be allowed harvest hay and or silage on these lands o The limits on chemical fertiliser usage must be removed. - Emergency Catch/Fodder Crop Incentive. o In order to maximise the amount of fodder produced in 2022, all options including fodder and cover crops must be implemented. The emergency tillage incentive is a welcome and timely initiative but livestock farmers with poor or limited access to machinery may not be in a position to plant tillage crops but the planting of temporary fodder or catch crops into grassland later in the season could be more feasible. Fodder crop establishment in the late summer/early autumn may also provide a good opportunity for efficient use of slurry if available on farm o A significant area of fodder or catch crops could be planted for grazing by sheep and lambs later in the season if financial incentives were available o The fodder incentive scheme launched in response to the drought event in 2018 was successful with almost 20,000ha of catch crops planted. With significant concerns over the cost and availability of imported concentrate feeds in the second half of this year and as yet an unknown quantity of silage harvested, IFA believes a similar incentive should be given serious consideration by the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine. A payment of at least €300/ha for the establishment and production of catch crops such as, but not limited to kale, forage rape, tillage radish, redstart, Tyfon hybrid turnip. This level of payment would be required to cover the significantly elevated fertiliser and fuel costs that farmers are currently experiencing o Crops should be sown to ensure a worthwhile yield of biomass is produced before winter. - Direct financial support to sheep farmers - Immediate support to offset the increased costs for feed, fertiliser and fuel on sheep farms - This to be paid directly to farmers based on their level of production - The Teagasc "Situation & Outlook report should be used as a basis to determine levels of direct financial support per farm - Payments paid without condition to enable each farmer to address the situation on his/her farm. - Guaranteed support for farmers investing in sheep production for the remainder of the year and into 2023. This is vital that best practice is observed when finishing lambs & hoggets. There is a real fear that the trade of store lambs and in turn the supply chain for sheep meet could be be severely disrupted if guarantees are not put in place. - Food security must be protected and food producers valued, the relentless pursuit of a cheap food policy, erosion of support for food production, trade off of Irish and EU farmers in trade deals for the benefit of large corporations, the CAP, Green Deal and Farm to Fork have undermined the ability of Irish and Eu Farmers to produce food.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Tim Cullinan IFA President, Kevin Comiskey IFA Sheep Chair, Roy O'Brien IFA Regional Executive, Stephen Canavan IFA Galway County Chair, Cáillin Conneely IFA Hill Chair, Jarlath Walshe IFA Mayo Chair, Michael Biggins IFA Rural Development Chair, Kathleen Henry, IFA Sligo Chair, Pat Leonard IFA Roscommon Chair, Des McHugh IFA Leitrim Chair, Sean Mckeown IFA Regional Executive, Sean Lavery IFA Limerick Chair, Rosemary McDonagh IFA Farm Business Chair, John O'Hanlon IFA Reg Executive

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Email (21-30)

Submission (1)

Lobby day (2-5)

Meeting (6-10)

Phone call (1)

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Jackie Cahill TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Martin Browne TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Matt Carthy TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Collins Councillor (Limerick City and County Council)

Michael Fitzmaurice TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Joe Flaherty TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul Kehoe TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Brian Leddin TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Ring TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Victor Boyhan Senator (Seanad)

Lynn Boylan Senator (Seanad)

Paul Daly Senator (Seanad)

Tim Lombard Senator (Seanad)

Denis O'Donovan Senator (Seanad)

Barry Andrews MEP (European Parliament)

Ciarán Cuffe MEP (European Parliament)

Billy Kelleher MEP (European Parliament)

Chris MacManus MEP (European Parliament)

Clare Daly MEP (European Parliament)

Colm Markey MEP (European Parliament)

Deirdre Clune MEP (European Parliament)

Frances Fitzgerald MEP (European Parliament)

Grace O'Sullivan MEP (European Parliament)

Luke Ming Flanagan MEP (European Parliament)

Maria Walsh MEP (European Parliament)

Mick Wallace MEP (European Parliament)

Seán Kelly MEP (European Parliament)

Charlie McConalogue Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Liam Carroll Councillor (Galway County Council)

James Charity Councillor (Galway County Council)

David Collins Councillor (Galway County Council)

Gabriel Cronnelly Councillor (Galway County Council)

Jim Cullen Director of Services or Equivalent (Galway County Council)

Albert Dolan Councillor (Galway County Council)

Shelly Herterich Quinn Councillor (Galway County Council)

Tim Broderick Councillor (Galway County Council)

Dermot Connolly Councillor (Galway County Council)

Michael Connolly Councillor (Galway County Council)

Dr Evelyn Francis Parsons Councillor (Galway County Council)

Declan Geraghty Councillor (Galway County Council)

Peter Keaveney Councillor (Galway County Council)

Gerry King Councillor (Galway County Council)

Eileen Mannion Councillor (Galway County Council)

Seamus Walsh Councillor (Galway County Council)

Thomas Welby Councillor (Galway County Council)

Dáithí Ó Cualáin Councillor (Galway County Council)

Tomás Ó Curraoin Councillor (Galway County Council)

Pádraig Mac an Iomaire Councillor (Galway County Council)

Alastair McKinstry Councillor (Galway County Council)

Noel Thomas Councillor (Galway County Council)

Joe Byrne Councillor (Galway County Council)

Geraldine Donohue Councillor (Galway County Council)

Gerry Finnerty Councillor (Galway County Council)

Martina Kinane Councillor (Galway County Council)

PJ Murphy Councillor (Galway County Council)

Ivan Canning Councillor (Galway County Council)

Shane Curley Councillor (Galway County Council)

Michael Mogie Maher Councillor (Galway County Council)

Jimmy McClearn Councillor (Galway County Council)

Mary Hoade Councillor (Galway County Council)

Colm Keaveney Councillor (Galway County Council)

Donagh Mark Killilea Councillor (Galway County Council)

Karey McHugh Farag Councillor (Galway County Council)

Andrew Reddington Councillor (Galway County Council)

Joe Sheridan Councillor (Galway County Council)

Peter Roche Councillor (Galway County Council)

Denis Naughten TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Simon Harris Minister (Department of Further and Higher Education, Innovation and Science)

Anne Rabbitte TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Noel Grealish TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Mairéad Farrell TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Éamon Ó Cuív TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Martin Heydon Minister of State (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Marian Harkin TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Martin Kenny TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Marc MacSharry TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Joe Murphy Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Orla Leyden Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Laurence Fallon Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

John Keogh Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Tom Crosby Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

John Cummins Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Kathleen Shanagher Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Marty McDermott Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Emer Kelly Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

John Naughten Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Donal Kilduff Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Tony Ward Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Valerie Byrne Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Michael Patrick Mulligan Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Liam Callaghan Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Paschal Fitzmaurice Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Nigel Dineen Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Anthony Waldron Councillor (Roscommon County Council)

Brendan Barry Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Mary Bohan Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Frank Dolan Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Gerry Dolan Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Caillian Ellis Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Padraig Fallon Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Paddy Farrell Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Des Guckian Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Felim Gurn Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Seán McGowan Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Finola Armstrong-McGuire Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Thomas Mulligan Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Paddy O'Rourke Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Ita Reynolds Flynn Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Enda Stenson Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Justin Warnock Councillor (Leitrim County Council)

Martin Baker Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Michael Clarke Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Martin Connolly Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Gerard Mullaney Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Dara Mulvey Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Joseph Queenan Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Paul Taylor Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Marie Casserly Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Tom Fox Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Donal Gilroy Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Thomas Healy Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Thomas Walsh Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Tom MacSharry Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Declan Bree Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Arthur Gibbons Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Sinéad Maguire Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Gino O'Boyle Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Rosaleen O'Grady Councillor (Sligo County Council)

Eamon Ryan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Micheál Carrigy Senator (Seanad)